asked the Minister of Labour the number of cases at the most recent date being assisted by the Unemployment Assistance Board in the County Borough of West Ham?

During the week ended 1st December, 1,168 payments of unemployment assistance allowances were made at Employment Exchanges situated in the County Borough of West Ham. This figure includes payments made in supplementation of insurance benefit and payments made under the Unemployment Assistance (Prevention and Relief of Distress) Regulations, 1939?

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed registered in the County Borough of West Ham for the three months ending December, 1939, and the nearest available date in November, 1939?

At 13th November, 1939, there were 9,420 unemployed persons, aged 14 and over, on the registers of Employment Exchanges situated in the County Borough of West Ham; the corresponding figures for 16th October and 11th September, 1939, were 10,412 and 9,942 respectively. Figures are not yet available in respect of any date in December.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any special measures in view to deal with the abnormal increase in unemployment in the Linlithgow area, caused by the closing of the factory which has been carrying on production for the Government?

I am aware of the increased unemployment in this area, and the hon. Member may be assured that every effort will be made to find alternative employment for the workers at present unemployed.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can now give the date when the minimum wage rates proposed by the Scottish Baking Trade Board will become operative; and when the measure to speed up the machinery of the trade board will be passed?

Assuming that the rates proposed are fixed by the trade board and confirmed, they will become operative about the middle of February next. With regard to the second part of the question, discussions with representatives of employers and workers are still proceeding.

That is the point. Are there no means of making these rates and conditions operative more quickly?

None whatever.

Is the right hon. Gentleman doing everything to expedite this matter?

I certainly am.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether any communication has recently been received from Mr. Gandhi; and whether there have been any recent developments towards a satisfactory solution of the difficulties arising from the conflict between His Majesty's Government and the demands of the Indian National Congress?

The Governor-General has received no recent communication from Mr. Gandhi, and I regret that the answer to the second part of the question is in the negative, though I am glad to note that further discussions between Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Mr. Jinnah, President of the All-India Muslim League, are likely to take place.

Has the right hon. Gentleman's attention been drawn to a letter sent by Mr. Gandhi to a London newspaper, the "News-Chronicle," and is he considering the contents of that letter?

Oh, yes, I have seen that letter, and certainly we have taken note of its contents.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether his view of that letter is encouraging?

I think we must exercise our own judgment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to issue his first monthly report as to the action taken by him under Regulation 18 (B) of the Defence Regulations relating to detention orders?

asked the Home Secretary when the monthly reports provided for in Defence Regulation 18 (B) will be laid before the House?

The first monthly report was laid before the House yesterday.

asked the Home Secretary how long Mr. E. Loader has been detained under Regulation 18 (B) of the Defence Regulations; what are the grounds for the detention; whether the procedure laid down in paragraph (4) of the regulation was followed; how many weeks elapsed before the case was heard by the advisory committee; what conclusions were arrived at by the committee; and what action does he contemplate in the matter?

This man has been detained since 25th October on the ground that by reason of his hostile associations it was felt to be necessary for security purposes to exercise control over him. He was informed at the time of his arrest that it was open to him to make objections to the advisory committee. He came before the committee on 21st November. I understand that as a result of certain statements he made to the committee further inquiries became necessary, and the committee have postponed their report till these inquiries are completed.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, as far as is known, the only thing that this man has done injudiciously is to spend a holiday in Germany this year, and in view of the fact that he is a man who is well known and of good character, will the right hon. Gentleman expedite the inquiry?

That is in the hands of the Advisory Committee, and I am sure that they will do everything possible to expedite their report, but I should not like to leave the House under the impression that all that could be said against the gentleman in question is that he spent a holiday in Germany.

asked the Home Secretary how many British subjects arrested under Regulation 18b and still detained in prison have had the benefit neither of judge, jury, habeas corpus, legal advice, nor witnesses to help establish their innocence; and whether it is proposed to keep these men imprisoned over the Christmas Recess without recourse to any of these recognised judicial rights?

When Parliament passed the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act it recognised that in time of war responsibility must rest on the Home Secretary for the custody of persons whose detention is necessary in the interests of the public safety or the defence of the realm, and the need for safeguarding these interests will not lapse during the Christmas Recess. As regards the number of British subjects who are detained under the Regulation I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the report which was presented to the House yesterday in accordance with paragraph 6 of the Regulation.

Is this not the first time for a very long time in English history that British-born subjects have been denied every facility for justice?

It is a long time since the security of the State was exposed to risks comparable to those of the present day.

Why does my right hon. Friend always make innuendoes about risks and the people responsible? Will he not name them?

asked the Home Secretary why, very shortly after the issue of the amended Defence Regulations, the persons detained under Regulation 18b were moved from London to Liverpool, thus placing them beyond the reach of their legal advisers?

Arrangements have been made for these persons to be detained in a special wing at Liverpool Prison in order that they may be kept apart from ordinary prisoners: but, as regards the last part of the question" I may add that they are not in fact sent away from London until after their cases have been disposed of by the Advisory Committee.

Do the amended regulations give an opportunity for travelling to Liverpool? Many of the persons are very poor, very often working-class men, and cannot afford the fares of solicitous travelling up to Liverpool. Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the possibility of providing warrants or give them suitable facilities for attending Liverpool prison?

I would certainly consider what could be done to meet any such difficulty as my hon. and gallant Friend has indicated, but I have had no such case brought to my notice.

If I bring such a case to the notice of the right hon. Gentleman will he investigate the matter?

indicated assent.

Will the right hon. Gentleman see that no inconvenience is imposed upon the hon. and gallant Member?

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that under Regulation 60A, Sub-section (2), Part D, issued under the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act, the Derby Town Council have sanctioned an order extending the local hours of closing to 8 p.m. on the late day and 7 p.m. on all other days, on the explicit condition that only the occupier or the members of the family of the occupier shall, except in a hairdressing establishment, be employed after the normal closing hours of 7 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively; and whether, to avoid misconceptions in war time, he will state whether the said regulation is approved by him for general adoption?

I have no power to approve or disapprove orders made by local authorities in the exercise of the discretion conferred on them by the regulation, but I am advised that a provision in such an order applying to shops in which only the occupier or members of his family are employed hours different from those applicable to other shops doing the same trade or business is not within the powers conferred on the authority by the Shops (Hours of Closing) Act, 1928, as amended by the Order in Council of 19th October last.

asked the Home Secretary on what principle he has sanctioned expenditure on 295 air-raid wardens, ambulance drivers and auxiliary firemen for the city of Oxford, while the whole of the paid personnel for these services in the county of Buckingham, which includes important industrial centres in Slough, High Wycombe and Aylesbury only numbers 161?

As I mentioned in my reply to my hon. and gallant Friend's question on 7th December, the establishments of whole-time personnel have been under review, and according to the latest figures I have been able to obtain the number of paid air-raid wardens, ambulance drivers and auxiliary firemen in the city of Oxford is 226, whereas the corresponding figure for the county of Buckingham is 267.

Is it not true that the industrial areas in Buckinghamshire require far more protection than anything in Oxford unless the right hon. Gentleman wants to protect Chatham House?

I have pointed out that the figures for Buckinghamshire are higher than those for Oxford.

Is it not a fact that Oxford is where part of the Ministry of Information is situated, and, therefore, requires more protection?

asked the Home Secretary whether he is satisfied that local authorities have, in fact, generally carried out the instructions given them in the Air-Raid Precautions Circular No. 220, issued on 1st September, 1939, in respect of the illumination during black-out hours of direction signs, especially those directing the public to air-raid shelters, first-aid stations, and fire stations; and whether he will consider issuing supplementary and more precise instructions as to the best method of securing the visibility of such direction signs without impairing the efficacy of black-out precautions?

Methods of illuminating location and direction signs for Civil Defence purposes have been the subject of close study and experiment, and there is now available a British standard specification for these signs, to which my Department drew the attention of local authorities in a circular dated 4th December. In the same circular local authorities were asked to reconsider, on the basis of the experience already gained of black-out conditions, the adequacy of their arrangements for indicating premises used in connection with Civil Defence, particularly air-raid shelters and first-aid posts. I am sending the hon. Lady a copy of this circular.

In view of the fact that most of these signs are invisible during the whole of the black-out period, could the right hon. Gentleman do something more to speed up the work of these authorities in making signs visible; otherwise the benefit may become too late to be of use?

The purpose of the circular to which I have referred is to bring about improvement where improvement is considered necessary.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that a good deal of confusion still exists because of the difficulty of local authorities discovering whether certain signs submitted to them meet with the approval of the Home Office? Could he not arrange for firms which are producing these signs to submit them to the Home Office so that they would be able to take them to their customers with the assurance that they were satisfactory?

We do everything we can to help in the matter, and the standard specification which has been communicated to the local authorities ought to help very materially.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the authorities in London have been in occupation of private premises for many weeks past for the purposes of Auxiliary Fire Service and other services concerned with Civil Defence, and that up to date great hardship has been inflicted on the owners because no payment of any kind has been made; and can he rectify this state of affairs?

Claim forms have been issued to local authorities for distribution to persons whose premises have been taken under compulsory powers. Every effort is being made to expedite matters, and interim payments on account have been authorised where settlement of the claim is likely to take time.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that a large number of individuals are dependent entirely upon the income from their premises, and that they are having an extremely difficult time in consequence of this state of affairs?

I realise the urgency of the matter.

asked the Home Secretary the present total monthly cost of air-raid precautions; and what proportion of this will be paid out of local rates?

The figure for personnel is approximately £3,250,000, practically the whole of which will be borne by the Exchequer. Other items of expenditure, for exampe, on shelter or equipment, cannot be stated in terms of monthly cost and until the returns for which I have called for the period ending 31st December have been received and analysed I shall not be in a position to give an aggregate figure or to say how much of the expenditure will fall on central and local funds respectively.

Will my right hon. Friend take some steps to see that apparently redundant A.R.P. services are combed out and a great deal of expenditure saved in consequence?

I have explained to the House on several occasions that a close review of all establishments in all parts of the country has been in progress for many weeks, and where reductions are found to be possible they are being made.

When the right hon. Gentleman receives a report from the borough treasurer of a particular borough about the amount of money expended on this work, is there any delay in sending a cheque for the amount?

There is no delay, subject to the necessary examination of the returns that are submitted.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can make a statement regarding his negotiations with the local authorities or their associations concerning their financial liabilities in connection with Civil Defence, seeing it is now ascertained that in very many cases a rate of 1d. in the £is being exceeded?

I am awaiting replies to communications on this matter which I addressed to the representatives of local authorities in the autumn. I expect to receive these replies at an early date.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that suggestions have been made in certain localities that the Government is employing delaying tactics and is unwilling to face the issue, and in the light of that reply will he tell the House whether this is wholly untrue?

There is absolutely no foundation for any such suggestion, and I am sure that it would not be put forward in any responsible quarter.

asked the Home Secretary whether street lighting in Glasgow during the black-out is to be in operation by the middle of January; whether he will state the plans upon which this street lighting is to be carried out; and whether they will be applicable to and adopted by other cities and towns in the country?

I am not aware that the Corporation of Glasgow has in mind any system of street lighting other than that on which my Department has been experimenting for some time past. I propose, in reply to a later question today, to state the results of the Department's experiments.

Will my right hon. Friend consider extending some such methods to London?

That is dealt with in reply to the later question.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is in a position to make any further statement on the subject of street lighting.

Yes, Sir. I am glad to be able to announce that it has been found possible to devise a type of low intensity street lighting which satisfies the requirements of the Air Staff, and the Lighting (Restrictions) Order is being modified so as to permit the installation of this type of lighting in all areas except those on the East and South-east Coasts. I am arranging for a full statement on this subject to be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

In thanking my right hon. Friend for his answer may I inquire whether the method which it is proposed to permit is one that can be easily and quickly installed?

I have every hope that rapid progress will be made in the course of the next few weeks. It is purely a question of securing a sufficient supply of the necessary lamps and shades.

Will lighting authorities be notified of the existence of this system?

Certainly.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give the House information regarding the lighting, both internal and external, of passenger service?

The lighting of vehicles is a different matter. As the hon. Member knows, it has received a great deal of attention recently, and considerable improvements have been made, and I shall be glad to give the House all the information I have on the matter.

Will the new Order apply to the streets of London?

asked the Home Secretary whether the appointment of Councillor Manning, a member of the Camberwell Borough Council, to the post of controller of air-raid precautions in the borough of Camberwell at a salary of £ 750, tax free, has been approved by his Department; and whether a grant will be made in respect of the salary of this appointment?

Appointments to the office of controller are notified to my Department but are not subject to my approval. No salaries have been authorised for these appointments, and I have informed the Camberwell Borough Council that the salary which they are paying to the controller will not rank for Government grant.

Then I understand the ratepayers of Camberwell have to pay for the privilege of having as one of their councillors a paid official of A.R.P.?

asked the Home Secretary whether he has any statement to make with reference to the present carrying out of the lighting regulations; and whether he is satisfied that all necessary precautions are being taken by shops in connection with the scheme recently authorised?

I am satisfied that, speaking generally, the public fully realise the importance of the black-out, and have shown a commendable readiness to co-operate in maintaining it. I have, however, found it necessary, as the hon. Member is aware, to call attention to a rather widespread misinterpretation of the relaxation recently sanctioned in connection with the lighting of shops.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the reorganisation of air-raid precautions work in Dudley, part of which has been the approval of a system of summoning voluntary workers by radio relay, telephone and messenger, thus enabling them to have a reasonable time of relaxation and yet be ready to take up emergency duties without delay; and whether he will suggest to other local authorities the desirability of adopting some similar system?

I am aware of this scheme; but, before I can suggest to other local authorities the desirability of adopting a similar system, I must have some experience to go upon. The Dudley scheme has only recently been formulated.

Has the right hon. Gentleman put forward any scheme, especially in the London area, for encouraging the recruiting of voluntary helpers?

That point is raised in a subsequent question.

asked the Home Secretary whether part-time volunteers are still needed for the Civil Defence services?

Yes, Sir. I hope that local authorities will make the fullest use of offers of part-time service in their A.R.P. organisation.

Does my right hon. Friend think that he will obtain an increase in the number of volunteers without a special effort, and will he consider having recruiting drives in the New Year in order to reduce the number of paid workers and increase the number of volunteers?

I do not think it is a question of a general recruiting drive. The problem is essentially a local one, as circumstances differ from area to area, and I am sure that the method we are now following of reviewing establishments area by area is most likely to produce the result we all desire, which is a combination of paid and voluntary efforts which will have every regard to economy.

Is the right hon Gentleman aware that he cannot either get or usefully use part-time help in air-raid precautions unless there is a properly organised system of recruiting, and that that does not exist?

I addressed local authorities only ten days ago on the question of the most effective method of organising part-time volunteers in conjunction with a nucleus of whole-time volunteers.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to discrimination by some local authorities as between coloured and white British subjects in appointments for home security services; and whether the Government approve or disapprove of such discrimination?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question by the hon. Member for West Leyton (Mr. Sorensen) on nth October.

Is it the policy of the Government to disapprove of this kind of thing?

What was said in answer to the hon. Member for West Leyton was that any action making it difficult for British subjects of whatever part of the Empire to co-operate in the national effort was, in my view, greatly to be deprecated. That is a fair enough indication of the attitude of the Government.

Have any other instances of discrimination been brought to the notice of the right hon. Gentleman?

No, Sir.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that local authorities are hampered in their work by deficiencies in equipment used for air-raid precautions; that, in particular, in the district of the Urban District Council of Coulsdon and Purley there is a considerable deficiency in the supply of steel helmets, civilian duty, and general service respirators; and when local authorities may expect to receive the remainder of the equipment that they require?

Issues of equipment to local authorities are continuing steadily in accordance with a carefully worked out scheme of priority related to estimated vulnerability, but it will be appreciated that the increasing needs of the Fighting Services for some items of equipment limit for the time being the supplies available for local authorities. The urban district to which my hon. Friend refers has received to date 95 per cent. of its authorised requirements of steel helmets, 75 per cent. of civilian duty respirators and 80 per cent. of service respirators.

asked the Home Secretary why less than half the sirens were sounded during an air-raid warning in a certain town in Scotland, and none at all in immediately adjacent towns; whether the warning was received and transmitted through appropriate channels; and whether he can give an assurance that adequate steps have been taken to ensure that, in future, the official plans in such cases will, in the area referred to, be put into effective operation?

A number of sirens were sounded on this occasion owing to an error in the transmission of warning messages. The answer to the last part of the question is in the affirmative.

Can the right hon. Gentleman add anything in regard to the general test made on Tuesday of this week, and can he say anything in regard to the efficiency of the machinery in the particular town, the test having been made general over a very wide area in Scotland?

I understand that the tests which are made are made with a view to ascertaining that the instruments are in full working order. As regards the operation of the warning system generally, I have every reason to think is working satisfactorily.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider whether the time for which sirens are sounded is sufficiently long in order to get them up to their regular pitch?

That has not been brought to my notice, but I will go into the matter.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what approaches have been made to the Government to raise the grant in connection with the provision of air-raid shelters for schools from 50 per cent. to 75 per cent., and with what result?

Representations for an increased rate of grant on expenditure on air-raid precautions in schools have been received from the associations representing local authorities, and from 31 individual local education authorities. The 50 per cent. rate of grant is a minimum rate, and where the grant in respect of elementary education generally is at a higher percentage than 50, the grant in respect of air-raid precautions in elementary schools is paid at that higher percentage.

Is the hon. Gentleman conscious of the differentiation between A.R.P. work and the provision of shelters for children, and is it not prejudicial to the provision of shelters at schools? Will he take steps to make representations to the Government in order to get grants raised to 75 per cent.?

I understand that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has informed representatives of the local authorities of the desirability of having a review of the expenditure in the New Year.

But is the hon. Gentleman not aware of the fact that certain local authorities are refraining from the provision of shelters for children because of the low grants?

I am aware of that.

Does the hon. Gentleman not think that 50 per cent. in his estimate was unreasonable as compared with the 75 per cent. for the older people?

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether it is intended to provide additional temporary accommodation for evacuated schoolchildren in the reception areas so as to avoid a continuance of the schools operating on the two-shift system?

Yes, Sir, the Board aim at securing full-time education for evacuated schoolchildren and there is steady progress in making arrangements, including the hiring of temporary accommodation, for this purpose.

Have any schools now been provided for the purpose of avoiding the two-shift system?

Yes, Sir, there are a number of arrangements for the hiring of halls, dovetailing the evacuated children in the areas, and a considerable amount of rebilleting is going on in order to secure full-time education.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the number of children who are known to be returning home for Christmas to the evacuation areas, any arrangements are being made by his Department for transport and supervision?

It has been made very clear in a circular to the local authorities, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy, and also in the Press throughout the country, that parents should not allow their children to return to the evacuated areas at Christmas. The arrangements which have been made are directed to discouraging any such movement.

While I am aware that the problem is to keep the children in the areas to which they are sent, the fact remains that in a large number of areas at least 50 per cent. of the children have indicated their desire to return home for the holidays. Does the Minister realise that unless proper arrangements are made it will lead to chaos, traffic jams, and probably accidents in having children trying to get home at 4 o'clock in the afternoon?

If I were to arrange transport facilities for the transport of children to come home, that would undoubtedly be taken as a direct encouragement by the Government.

Does the Minister intend to leave these children without any supervision whatsoever?

asked the Minister of Health whether he can now state the decison of the Government with regard to billeting allowances for evacuated teachers and the provision of travelling facilities for teachers evacuated to a considerable distance from their homes?

As regards billeting allowances, I am not yet in a position to add anything to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 7th December. As regards travelling facilities, I am now able to say that in connection with their Christmas leave, which, in the intersts of the children and the householders, is being taken on a rota, evacuated teachers may be allowed one return journey by rail without cost to themselves to the area from which they were evacuated or, provided the cost of that journey is not exceeded, to their home in any other town.

While thanking the Minister for his reply, may I ask whether he will expedite the decision with regard to billeting allowances?

I know that the matter is one of urgency.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that many of these teachers are very severely hit in having to keep up their homes in London as well as having to maintain their lodgings in the country?

asked the Minister of Health the number of persons it was contemplated would be evacuated under the Government scheme, the number that were evacuated and an estimate of the number that have returned at the latest date for which such an estimate was available?

Plans were made in England and Wales for the evacuation of up to 3,000,000 persons: some 1,230,000 persons took advantage of the scheme. It is estimated that about 540,000 have returned to the evacuation areas.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the necessity of maintaining the most experienced available surgical skill in London, where the first and most critical effect of any air attack must be expected, he will revise the arrangements by which nearly all the most experienced surgeons are awaiting the expected casualties in centres remote from London?

The present arrangements, which were made in general agreement with the profession, provide for the bulk of the surgical treatment required by London air-raid casualties being given by the more experienced surgeons at hospitals on the periphery of, but not necessarily remote from, London, and for the rapid transfer of the patients to these hospitals. These arrangements are designed not only to secure the most efficient treatment of the patients but also to avoid undue risk to highly skilled and irreplaceable personnel, and I think it undesirable to revise them further for the present.

Is my right hon. Friend informed of the statement made in a recent lecture at the Royal Society of Medicine, given by a celebrated Spanish surgeon, who had wide experience of air casualties in Spain, and who emphasised the primary importance of immediate surgical attention of the highest quality to such cases; and does he not think that, in view of this experience, a reorientation of the medical arrangements in this respect is urgent?

I am well aware of the statement, and, in fact, our plans are well advanced for dealing with the matter. But any who have had experience know that a hospital in the centre of a bombarded town is not always the most auspicious place to which to bring casualties.

asked the Minister of Health the number of members of the honorary staffs of the voluntary hospitals who have accepted the new conditions outlined in his answer of 23rd November, and the number who have actually returned to take up their duties as regards conduct of out-patient and other specialist departments and systematic education of medical students in the voluntary hospitals; and whether the offer of transfer to this new scheme from any form of agreement previously accepted in individual cases covers those members of hospital staffs who were receiving the second grade of salaries for whole-time service?

To date, 337 specialists and consultants have accepted the offer to which the hon. Member refers. I cannot say how many of these have returned to their normal duties, as this is a matter with which I am not officially concerned. It was not suggested by the professional committee consulted that the offer of transfer should extend to members of the Emergency Medical Service receiving the second grade of salaries for whole-time service.

May I remind my right hon. Friend that in his answer on 23rd November he, as I thought, undertook to facilitate the transfer to the new scheme that he was offering of all voluntary staffs who had accepted full-time engagements, irrespective of any agreements which they had previously accepted; and will he not regard this category of honorary officers as being covered by his undertaking?

I will again examine the answer I gave. I do not evade carrying out any undertaking that I have given.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is now able to assist the five other Government Departments concerned with billeting in the city of Hereford and its neighbourhood by agreeing to the ruling of the Home Office that Hereford is a vulnerable area; and whether he will, therefore, take steps to have all children who have been evacuated to Hereford for safety re-evacuated to an area which has been scheduled as safe?

The primary object of the Government evacuation scheme is to secure dispersal, and it has been necessary to utilise as receiving areas some districts, including Hereford, which are specified areas for the purpose of the Civil Defence Act, 1939, on the view that they offer a better chance of safety than do the areas from which children have been evacuated. Close contact is being maintained with the other Government Departments concerned, and the question of transferring evacuated children now accommodated in Hereford will be considered in connection with billeting requirements for other Government purposes.

asked the Home Secretary the reasons for confining the Order applying the silicosis scheme to the slate-quarrying and mining industry to operations underground; is he aware that this restricted application of the scheme will prevent many workers in the industry, disabled by silicosis, from claiming compensation; and whether, having regard to this fact, he will reconsider the matter and make an Order bringing within its scope all operations in the industry?

The scheme which I have made extends the Various Industries Silicosis Scheme so as to cover any operation underground in slate mines, but I am advised that at present the available evidence is not such as to justify any further extension.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are cases of men who are disabled by silicosis who will be completely outside the Order, and in view of the experience in the mining industry, where we have had Order after Order, will he not reconsider this matter? Further, will men who are disabled by silicosis and who are unemployed because of that fact at the time when the Order comes into force be covered by the Order?

With regard to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question, the matter is really one of evidence, and I have indicated to the Quarrymen's Union that I am perfectly prepared to consider any further evidence that may be brought forward tending to show that there is a definite risk of silicosis in the case of persons employed above ground. On that understanding, the union entirely agreed that it was desirable that the Order already made should come into force on 1st December. With regard to the second part of the question, I would prefer, if I may, not to give a definite answer at the moment, because I am not quite certain of the facts, but I will write to the hon. Gentleman.

If the union concerned does submit to the right hon. Gentleman evidence that there are cases outside this Order, will he give an undertaking to reconsider the Order?

Certainly, I will reconsider the whole matter.

Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire into the history of the silicosis schemes in the coal mining industry, and, in the light of the long years of delay in giving recognition to the claims of silicosis in the coal mining industry, will he not try to avoid similar difficulty in the slate industry?

I think the hon. Gentleman will agree that the Home Office have taken a very sympathetic attitude towards this question of silicosis, and I will personally do anything that I can to expedite the matter.

Does this scheme cover sandstone quarrying, which is a dangerous industry?

This deals with slate quarries.

asked the Home Secretary whether the 13 regional commissioners, salary £2,500 a year, and the 12 deputy regional commissioners, salary £1,000 a year, have commenced work, and what their present duties are?

Regional commissioners and deputy regional commissioners were instructed on 25th August last to take up duty at their headquarters, and they have since been employed on their duties. With regard to the second part of the question, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Peckham (Mr. Silkin) on Tuesday last.

As these gentlemen have not begun their proper duties yet, might they not be content with half pay until their duties commence?

The great majority of them are receiving no pay at all, at their own request.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is now able to state the nature of the recent changes made in the organisation of the Press and Censorship Department under Sir Walter Monckton; and what alterations in staff have been effected?

No substantial changes in the organisation and staffing of the Press and Censorship Bureau have so far been made. I am still in consultation with Sir Walter Monckton on certain proposals put forward in the report to which I referred in my reply to the hon. Member on 7th December.

asked the Home Secretary whether the letter which was written by a certain M. Kuusinen when a member of the Third International to the Communist party of Great Britain precisely detailing the work which must be done by that party to further the world revolution, and which was seized in a raid by the police in King Street, has been preserved; and whether he will publish the contents?

I am not sure which particular letter my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind, but some letters from M. Kuuisnen to the Communist party of Great Britain which were among the documents seized by the police at the Communist party offices in October, 1925, were included in the selection of documents printed and placed on sale in June, 1926, as Command Paper 2682, under the title "Communist Papers." Copies of this publication are still procurable from the Stationery Office.

Is this the individual who has been nominated to the head of the Government of Finland by Soviet Russia?

As far as I know, yes.

If these letters are preserved as a matter of historical interest, is it not because they were very helpful to the Conservative party at the time?

asked the Home Secretary the total number of Indian seamen charged with offences in connection with their refusal to resume duties; and how many are still in custody or are being charged?

The number of Indian seamen sentenced to imprisonment since 1st November last for refusal to obey orders, is 310. Of these 158 are still in custody.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give any information of the number who have been fined, and is he aware of the extraordinary disparity between the punishments inflicted on various groups, some being fined 5s. and others being given two months imprisonment? Will he deal with the whole situation with a view to making the punishment more uniform?

I do not think it is for me to constitute myself a sort of court of revision in these matters, but I am always prepared to consider any particular case that may be brought to my notice.

Is not the sole difficulty that these men want higher wages? Why not give them higher wages and settle this question?

asked the Home Secretary whether he has now considered the advisability of granting some right of appeal, similar to that enjoyed by interned aliens, to those aliens who have not been thought deserving of internment by the alien tribunals but have been placed in Category B and so subjected to the continuance of restrictions which impede their opportunities of becoming self-supporting and leave them under the stigma of being described as enemy aliens?

I am at present considering how the request that has been made for a further systematic review of these cases can best be met, but the matter is not free from difficulty and I regret that I am not yet in a position to make any statement on the subject.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there are a number of refugees subject to these restrictions whose labour is urgently needed in setting up factories which promise to employ a substantial number of British workers, and will he consider examples of such cases with a view to expediting the freeing of these refugees from restrictions?

I am always prepared to consider representations made in regard to particular cases, but my answer dealt with the systematic review of these cases.

Have the Home Office the information on which decisions were arrived at to place persons in category B?

Not in every case pending the report of the decisions of the tribunal.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can arrange for a test case to be carried to the highest legal tribunal in the country to ascertain what, under the law, is the exact position of pedestrians and motorists, respectively, at marked street-crossings?

It is not within my power to give effect to my hon. Friend's suggestion, and I would point out that no decision could do more than elucidate certain aspects of the reciprocal rights and liabilities of pedestrians and other road users at pedestrian crossing places, arising out of the facts of the particular case before the court.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will instruct all Departments to treat letters received from hon. Members as communications of urgency, and, in particular, those personal letters on such subjects as rates, conditions, etc., of dependants of men serving in the Forces, and requests for the release or transfer of men from units?

I am confident that every effort is made to deal as expeditiously as possible with all correspondence on the matters to which the hon. Member refers. It must, however, be borne in mind that Departments are bearing a very heavy burden of work arising out of the prosecution of the war.

While I do not expect the Prime Minister to give his personal attention to this, will he give instructions to someone to speed-up the machinery which deals with the release or transfer of technical men in the Armed Forces?

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will introduce legislation to ensure that in cases where the State, through any of its public services, acquires land for any purpose, war or civil, after an agreement with the landlord, the farmer and smallholder on the land thus acquired by the State shall have redress for disturbance, loss of profit, loss by forced sale of stock, improvements, etc.?

I have been asked to reply. The Government have under consideration the introduction of legislation regarding the permanent acquisition of land for Defence purposes. In so far, however, as my hon. and gallant Friend may be referring to the taking of possession of land for temporary user by the State under emergency powers, the compensation will fall to be dealt with under the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939, of the working of which the Government must have experience before they can consider whether or not further legislation of the kind suggested is required.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this Act operates hardly, giving no real compensation to those small farmers who are dispossessed, and that even though farmers may be paid temporarily their whole savings, all that they have worked for for years, will be lost and will never be made good under the present legislation?

I will draw the attention of my right hon. and gallant Friend to what the hon. Member has said.

Is the Minister aware that the attention of farmers has already been drawn to the matter by the fact that the farmer is denied the ordinary compensation which in the past the State has compelled landlords to give to their tenants who have been dispossessed?

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, taking each county separately in England, Wales and Scotland, he will state the amount in acreage of agricultural and non-agricultural land, respectively, which has been requisitioned by any Government Department for the purposes of any of the fighting Forces?

My right hon. Friend regrets that he has not the information asked for, and he does not feel that he can at the present time ask the Departments concerned to incur the expenditure of time and labour necessary to furnish the particulars required.

Why is it that the most productive agricultural land is always chosen for requisitioning by the Departments? Will my hon. Friend take this up with his right hon. and gallant Friend?

There now is liaison between these activities. I will call the special attention of my right hon. and gallant Friend to this matter.

asked the Miʼnister of Agriiulture what was the cost of the tour of the eight girls which the Potato Board sent on tour last summer; and whether the board regards the experiment as having been a success and that the outlay was justified?

My right hon. and gallant Friend is informed by the Potato Marketing Board that the cost of the tour referred to was £1,000. The answers to the other parts of the question are in the affirmative.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that 178 acres of agricultural land, known as Blackdale Farm, in the Dartford rural area, has been lying vacant since early October and that the foreman and men previously employed are still available for its cultivation; and whether he will take steps, in consultation with the Kent War Agricultural Committee, to ensure that this well-conditioned land will be cultivated to produce such crops as are essential for food production?

I understand that the Kent War Agricultural Executive Committee have had this farm under consideration and that the committee are on the point of taking suitable action to ensure that the land shall be properly cultivated.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that an order made by the Staffordshire War Agricultural Committee enforces the ploughing-up of grassland on a farm holding at Pattingham, Staffordshire, to the extent of over 50 per cent. of available grassland, although the present tenant is on notice to vacate and give up possession of this land on 25th March next; that, while land equal in size has been offered by the owner, Major R. S. Wilson, on the same holding, the committee insist upon the terms entered into with the present tenant; and what steps he is taking, as the enforcement of such an order is unlikely to maintain the good will necessary to encourage more extensive cultivation of land?

This case was brought to the notice of my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries by the hon. Member in a letter which he addressed to him on 9th November, and I would remind him that in the reply which my right hon. Friend sent to him on 29th November he stated that these matters could in his opinion be best dealt with by the local War Agricultural Executive Committees who are able to investigate and consider all the relevant facts. My right hon. Friend is satisfied as a result of inquiries that the Staffordshire Committee have given full consideration to the representations that Major Wilson has made to them and he does not feel justified in taking any further action in the matter.

Would the hon. Gentleman convey to his right hon. and gallant Friend that, in regard to the exercise of these powers by the agricultural committees, there should be some supervision and an appeal against their decision?

I will certainly draw the attention of my right hon. and gallant Friend to that matter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that advertisements are appearing in the provincial Press to the effect that Land Army girls are available for employment; whether these advertisements are being paid for from State funds; and whether it is a standing instruction that members of the Women's Land Army are not to compete with local available labour?

Women's Land Army county committees have been instructed to take all practicable steps to make known in their county the existence of the Women's Land Army organisation, and the availability of trained Women's Land Army workers; in some cases the issue of advertisement notices in the Press has been thought to be a useful way of bringing this to the notice of farmers, and where this has been done the cost involved, which is small, falls to be paid for out of public funds, as part of the administration of the Women's Land Army. All Women's Land Army county committees have been instructed to cooperate closely with their Employment Exchanges in placing women volunteers so as to ensure that the vacancies filled by them are such as cannot be filled from normal sources.

Why, since the county executives are supposed to be in close contact with the various Employment Exchanges, is it found necessary to advertise the fact that certain land workers are available; and is it not the duty of the Employment Exchange manager to meet all the calls that are made by farmers in the ordinary way?

It is certainly the duty of the managers of the Employment Exchanges, but I do not see any reason why we should not help them in their work by advertising. In rural areas they are not in such close touch as in the towns.

Is it not the case that a farmer who requires agricultural labour can make application to the exchange or the county agricultural executive, and that there is no necessity for advertising?

There would still be an advantage in advertising.

How many of these trained land army units are available?

That is another question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can give an estimate of the acreage of land not being cultivated but which is capable of cultivation; and whether he proposes to take effective measures so that all available land should be used for the production of foodstuffs?

I am not in a position to give a precise estimate of the area of land which is not being cultivated but is capable of cultivation. County war agricultural committees have, however, been set up in every county and given wide powers for the express purpose of ensuring the maximum possible production of foodstuffs from the land. Powers have also been given to urban local authorities to take possession of uncultivated land in or adjacent to their areas for the purpose of providing war-time allotments.

What is the position with regard to the authorities to whom the hon. Genteman referred? Why do they take no action, and what does the Ministry of Agriculture do in such cases?

It takes the action of pressing people to do it.

How can you put pressure on these county committees to take action? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that all over the country there is idle land capable of cultivation and not being used?

I am aware that it will not be long before that idle land is used.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the shortage in the country of seed oats, and whether he is considering a scheme to control them?

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he expects a large increase in the 1940 spring oat acreage; and what provision is he making for additional supplies of high-grade seed oats?

A considerable increase in the acreage under oats is anticipated, and my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Agriculture is in close consultation with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and with the seed trade with a view to ensuring that the necessary supplies of seed will be available. I am aware that difficulty is being experienced in certain parts of the country at the present time in obtaining supplies of seed oats, but I am advised that this is largely due to the fact that, for various reasons, threshing has been delayed.

Does there exist at the present time a maximum selling price for home-grown oats either for seed or feeding purposes?

I should want notice of that question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he has taken to organise the establishment of pig clubs throughout the country; whether he is aware that the present shortage of feeding-stuffs has produced a situation of extreme gravity; that pig producers are faced with the alternative of either slaghtering two-thirds of their stock or obtaining from other sources suitable food; and whether he will, in collaboration with the Minister of Food, the Minister of Supply, and the Minister of Health, circulate to all local authorities a request that immediate steps be taken to collect swill and other waste products, that this be treated in such a way as to provide feed for breeding sows and weaner pigs, and thus, by eliminating waste, enable pig producers not to reduce but to increase their herds?

My right hon. Friend, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries is sending the hon. Member a copy of a Press notice issued by his Department on 24th November from which he will see that an independent body, known as the Small Pig Keepers' Council, was set up on that date for the purpose of fostering the pig club movement throughout the country. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply has already circularised local authorities urging them "to take immediate steps to establish an effective system for the collection of waste," and as indicated in his reply to the hon. Member for South-West Bethnal Green (Sir P. Harris) on 23rd November, my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Agriculture will take all possible steps to supplement that appeal so far as it concerns waste food suitable for pig and poultry breeding.