asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will give an assurance that his experts will confer with the experts of the Minister of Agriculture before any further ground is selected for aerodromes?

Arrangements are already in force which provide for full consultation between representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Air Ministry before land is taken for aerodromes for Royal Air Force purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why Prince Starhemberg, who offered to come to terms with Hitler to establish Fascism in Austria and who telegraphed congratulations to Mussolini on his victory over Abyssinia, has been given a commission in the Royal Air Force; and whether the unfortunate effect this appointment will have among the democratic people of Austria has been taken into account?

The hon. Member is misinformed. Prince Starhemberg was in the French Air Force and is now a member of the Free French Air Force under the command of General de Gaulle.

asked the President of the Board of Trade who are the members of the Export Group of the Export Council concerned with works of art; whether any control will be exercised in respect to the disposal of pictures, sculpture and other works of art which belong to the nation; and whether arrangements will be made to prevent the loss to this country of important or distinguished pieces of work?

There are 86 members of the Antique and Art Dealers Export Group. The Chairman of the Group is Mr. J. Francis Mallett, and the members are individuals, private firms and companies engaged in dealing in antiques and works of art. The group will be concerned with the sale abroad of antiques and works of art which are at the disposal of their members in the ordinary course of their business. The group has not been formed to deal in works of art or antiques belonging to the nation, nor does its establishment affect the position as regards the retention in this country of important or distinguished pieces of work.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that 298,666 of the Scottish people are living on the lowest possible standards; and what steps is he taking to raise these standards?

The figure quoted is the total of those citizens receiving poor relief from local authorities in Scotland (including dependants) and those registered as unemployed on 15th July. Those figures overlap in some respects and include those receiving only outdoor medical relief. As far as persons in receipt of public assistance are concerned a number of local authorities have increased their scales of allowances since the outbreak of war. As my hon. Friend is aware improvements have been made in the allowances to be paid to the unemployed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, what police forces in Scotland have policewomen serving; and how many are serving in each case, distinguishing between those on the permanent staff and special policewomen?

The police forces in Scotland in which policewomen are serving, and the total numbers serving, are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the very large number of claims for compensation from farmers, which have been delayed for over six months, especially having regard to the utilisation of fields by searchlight batteries; and whether he will instruct the War Department land agents to take up the whole matter on a comprehensive basis with a view to expediting and facilitating the payment of these claims?

As regards requisitioned property as a whole, compensation has been agreed in two-thirds of the claims rendered in the prescribed form, and I do not think there can be any considerable number of claims unmet of over six months' standing. As regards searchlight sites, the average annual payment is about £8, so that the outstanding amount in any particular case will not be large; but, if any farmer represents that he is being seriously embarrassed by delay, a settlement or a payment on account will be made. Command land agents are well aware of the necessity for expedition, and their staffs are continually being increased.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the anomaly of pay which exists between retired officers of the same rank in the Royal Army Medical Corps, who were employed before the outbreak of war, under the Royal Warrant of Pay, 1931, Article 520 A (or 1940, Article 498 A), and those taken into employment after mobilisation, September 1939; and as the former, who elected to serve in peace, are being held to their engagements without any pay revision or allowance for the increase in work and responsibilities out of all proportion to their original contracts whether he will allow these officers to accept service under Article 518 of 1931 (Article 496 of 1940)?

Retired Royal Army Medical Corps officers employed during peace on a contract under which they receive a rate of pay in addition to their retired pay are one of several categories of re-employed retired officers employed during peace. It has been the practice since the war began to hold such officers to their peace conditions where the duties have remained unchanged. Where such officers have transferred to other duties involving a liability to move and serve at any station according to military requirements, or where the peace-time duties have changed in character involving automatic liability to serve anywhere according to military requirements, the officers have been transferred to full pay and allowances, their retired pay ceasing. In general, the peace-time Royal Army Medical Corps retired officers have continued to serve in their peace-time stations, but a number who have changed their stations and accepted general liability for service have been restored to full pay, and this would be applied in any future cases where general liability for service, with forfeiture of any peace-time contract rights, is accepted.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in connection with Sir James Grigg's Committee, he will set up an independent committee consisting of junior regimental officers and non-commissioner officers to examine and report upon the mistakes of the War Office in relation to feeding, cooking, billeting, laundry facilities and the general methods of contact relations in operation between staff holders and regimental organisations, and to suggest improvements?

No, Sir. I do not think my hon. Friend's suggestion is practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent a vocational training system is maintained in the Army during the war; and whether arrangements can be made for soldiers stationed in agricultural areas to volunteer to give some of their spare time to work on farms, with a veiw to enabling them to take on agricultural employment at the conclusion of hostilities?

The pre-war vocational training system ceased on mobilisation. As regards agricultural work, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Howdenshire (Colonel Carver) yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider the immediate formation of cyclist units of the Home Guard, especially in the rural districts; and take steps to ensure that each local unit has a number of cyclists attached?

It is not the intention at present to form cyclist units of the Home Guard, but individual cyclists are encouraged to enrol where vacancies in units still exist.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give the names, office and emolument of all those personnel enlisted in the Weardale and Teesdale units of the Home Guard as commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers or men who are in receipt of emoluments for service rendered as members of the Home Guard?

There are no commissioned or non-commissioned ranks in the Home Guard and its members do not receive pay as such.

asked the Home Secretary the number of cases, by counties, in which chief constables have refused to permit the enrolment of applicants in the Home Guard on the ground that they are Communists?

My hon. Friend may be under a misapprehension. The final responsibility for deciding on applications for enrolment in the Home Guard rests not with the police, but with the military authorities, though it is the duty of the police to give to the military authorities any information they have as to an applicant's reliability and loyalty. I do not know how many rejected applicants may happen to have been Communists.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether, in view of the fact that a considerable number of persons with technical and scientific qualifications are still unsuitably employed in various sections of the Army, he will consider the desirability of setting up a small joint committee of Army personnel authorities and representatives of scientific and technical bodies, in order to find means of transferring such individuals to positions in the Army where they will be of maximum use;(2) whether, in the national interest, arrangements can be made in suitable cases to transfer qualified gas engineers, at present serving in the Army, to either the chemical warfare section of the Royal Engineers, the hydrogen manufacture and balloon barrage department of the Air Ministry, or munition factories of the Ministry of Supply?

The Army is fully alive to the necessity of utilising the technical and scientific knowledge of its personnel to the fullest possible extent. With this object in view, a comprehensive and detailed investigation has been in progress for the past 11 months, with the result that some 13,000 skilled technicians have been, or are about to be, transferred within the Army to positions in which they can be fully employed in a trade appropriate to their skill. Very considerable assistance has been, and continues to be, given by the trade unions, employers of labour and others who are continually bringing to notice the names of men whom they believe to be misplaced in the Army. Transfers of tradesmen within the Army have necessarily been considerably curtailed recently owing to the military situation, but, as soon as circumstances permit, large-scale transfers will be resumed. In special individual cases, transfers are still taking place. Applications for transfer to the Royal Air Force are sympathetically considered if the transfer would be in the national interest. Releases for munition work are entertained on the recommendations of Government Departments, and many thousands of men have been released in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the full emoluments of a field marshal in the British Army; and whether, in that rank, he is invariably considered to be on the active list, and paid accordingly?

A field marshal in the British Army remains on the active list of the Army for life. When unemployed, he draws half pay at the rate of £1,629 a year. If employed, he draws the regulated Army emoluments of the appointment he fills.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give consideration to the embodiment of all movement control officers and men in a Movement Control Corps, and thus end the present position wherein such officers and men are drawn from numerous units, and have no united identity and tradition?

This proposal has already been fully considered and has been found to be impracticable.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the circumstances in which Mrs. C. W. Loveridge, and members of her household, were arrested by the military authorities; and whether he is in a position to make a statement on the matter?

Yes, Sir. These arrests were carried out on the night of 1st July, and the parties concerned were released as soon as it became clear that there had been a misunderstanding. The commanding officer of the unit involved made a personal apology to Mr. Loveridge for the inconvenience and annoyance to which he and his household were subjected. I am glad to have this opportunity of adding my own expression of regret for this unfortunate affair, and I would like to say that no shadow of suspicion attaches to these persons and no ground whatever exists for questioning their integrity or loyalty. The circumstances in which they came to be arrested are being made the subject of close inquiry with a view to ensuring that there shall be no repetition of such an incident.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether arrangements have been made by barracks, and other establishments where permanent messes are in existence, to utilise any part, directly or indirectly, of the surplus plum crop for jam making or preserving in any form?

Arrangements have been made that the plum crop will be used exclusively for jam supplies for the quantity required by the Royal Army Service Corps. Orders have also been placed for tinned plums for Royal Army Service Corps issues. I am informed that the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes are also placing orders for plum jam and for plums preserved in light syrup.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can state the position of Czech refugees who are anxious to serve in the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps rather than in the Czech Army; and is he aware that some loyal Czech refugees in this country, who applied in March of this year, have been refused admission to the Corps?

Czech applicants who applied in March were accepted for the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps provided they were medically fit and approved from a security point of view. If the name of the applicant and the place where he applied can be furnished, I will inquire why he was not accepted. The present policy is not to accept Czech nationals for enlistment into the British Army but to direct them to the Czech Forces at present forming in the United Kingdom.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that compulsory attendance at elementary schools within the London County Council is not being enforced; and whether, in the national interest, he will take steps to secure that children are not left to roam the streets in school hours where schools are open to receive them?

At this time of the year the London schools would be closed for the holidays but for the war, and I understand that the London County Council are not attempting to enforce compulsory attendance if the parents are at home on holiday. With this exception, however, I am informed that the Council are endeavouring to enforce compulsory attendance in all districts in which school accommodation with suitable air-raid protection is available.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of children between the ages of five and 15 in attendance at public elementary schools in July, 1939, and July, 1940, respectively; and the number of children under five years of age similarly in attendance at these two dates?

Figures for 1940 have not been collected owing to the need for eliminating during war-time nonessential statistical work. On 31st March, 1939, the latest date for which figures are available, 4,755,996 children between the ages of five and 15 and 169,558 children under the age of five were on the registers at public elementary schools in England and Wales.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many of the 249 registered conscientious objectors, now in the Civil Service, are in his Department; and what is the highest salary of any so employed?

Five officers of the Board of Education have been registered as conscientious objectors; the highest salary received by any one of these is £275 per annum.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the number of the factory inspectorate, as stated in the annual report of the Chief Inspector of Factories for 1938, was 307, and that the number given on 23rd May was only 297, and as there is a great need for an increased rather than a smaller inspectorate during war conditions, what steps he proposes to take to meet this need?

The number 307 given in the annual report for 1938 was the authorised strength at the end of that year. The number 297 given on 23rd May was the number actually serving at that date and did not include nine technically on loan to another Department but engaged on work closely allied to their normal duties. Again excluding those nine, the number serving in my Department has since been increased to 305 and I propose to make a number of additional appointments in the next few weeks.

asked the Minister of Labour how many dilution officers have been appointed by his Department since the outbreak of war; and how many skilled persons have been transferred as a result of their activities?

Up to 7th August, 11 Divisional Inspectors, 121 Inspectors and 108 Assistant Inspectors of Munitions Labour Supply had been appointed. In addition 23 Chief Labour Supply Officers and 34 Labour Supply Officers had been appointed to form the Labour Supply Committees which work in conjunction with the Inspectorate. Figures of the number of skilled men transferred as a result of the activities of the Labour Supply organisation are not readily available and I am anxious not to interfere with more essential work in order to obtain them. A considerable number of transfers have, however, been made, although it should be appreciated that the work of the organisation is not to be judged by this alone but also by the extent to which demands for skilled labour have been met by arrangements for upgrading within the firms' own works, in which considerable success has been attained. There has also been a marked reduction of demands which upon inquiry were found to be excessive.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will put in hand the building of the long-delayed Employment Exchange at Hornchurch as soon as building labour is available, in view of the urgent need for such a building?

It is not possible at present to proceed with this building but the position will be reviewed as soon as circumstances permit. I am considering whether any temporary arrangements of a special character can be made.

asked the Home Secretary when the Annual Return of Experiments on Living Animals for the past year will be presented?

This is one of the publications of which the issue must in present circumstances be subordinated to other claims, and I am not at present in a position to say when the return will be published.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has yet considered the case of Max Walter Schwarz, a boy of 17 years of age, who is at present interned in the Isle of Man; and whether, in view of his age, he will take immediate steps to release him?

I am giving instructions for the release of this boy.

asked the Home Secretary whether the internees in Holloway Prison are all under suspicion of actual offences or are any cases detained merely because of alien origin or association with persons of alien origin; whether they have in all cases been informed of their right to appear before the Advisory Committee; and, in the case of those under 21 years of age, is it customary to communicate this right also to their parents and guardians; and what is the average length of time which elapses between an arrest and appearance before the Advisory Committee?

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind persons detained under Regulation 18B of the Defence Regulations. The grounds on which detention orders can be made are of various kinds and are set out in the Regulation. Every person detained under this Regulation is informed at the time of arrest of his or her rights to make objections to the Advisory Committee. It is not the practice to inform parents or guardians but persons detained are allowed to communicate with their relatives and friends. The time between arrest and appearance before the Advisory Committee varies according to circumstances. I have recently made additional appointments to the Committee to enable the cases to be disposed of more rapidly.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can state the reason for the continued detention of Captain Donald Marendaz, who was arrested for taking a photograph of one of his own training machines and fined after conviction; whether he is aware that Captain Marendaz is an experienced flying officer and is anxious to give his services to the nation; and whether he intends to release this officer at an early date?

Captain Marendaz is detained under Regulation 18B of the Defence Regulations. He has exercised his right to make objections to the Advisory Committee and his case will be reviewed in the light of the Committee's recommendations.

asked the Home Secretary why he has advised relatives of anti-Nazi aliens deported abroad to send letters to them addressed to the Prisoners of War Information Bureau; and whether the names of these anti-Nazi refugees from Germany have been supplied to the Nazi authorities via Switzerland?

As regards the first part of the Question, I would refer to the reply given on 13th August to the hon. Member or North Lambeth (Mr. G. Strauss.) The answer to the second part of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Home Secretary why the only newspapers provided or allowed in the Isle of Man internment camps for the use of aliens are the "Times," "Daily Telegraph," "Observer," and "Sunday Times"; whether these are the choice of the commandants or of the Home Office; and whether other camps have only these newspapers.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that although many weeks ago the issue of newspapers and periodicals through publishers or newsagents to aliens in internment camps was officially sanctioned, in some camps this sanction has not been acted on or is restricted to a short selection of newspapers; and whether he will give orders that in future full facilities should be given in all camps for internees to obtain whatever newspapers they desire through the authorised channels provided these do not include newspapers recognised by the Home Office as hostile to the national interest.

I have had inquiry made, and am informed that at one of the camps in the Isle of Man the only newspapers asked for by the internees were the four mentioned by the right hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Wedgwood). There is now no restriction on the newspapers or periodicals which internees can obtain through the authorised channels.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will reconsider his decision not to release Dr. Friedrich Scheu from internment, in view of the fact that from 1929 to 1938 he was the Vienna correspondent of the "Daily Herald," was in constant touch with the British legation and since has done invaluable work in England for the British cause as foreign affairs expert on the "New Review"; and is he aware that a strong application for his release has been made by Lord Southwood and that his loyalty can be vouched for by a large number of responsible people?

This case is at present under consideration. I will communicate with the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can make any statement with regard to the progress made in the review of cases for release of interned alien refugees?

Applications for release are being dealt with as rapidly as possible by a staff which has been augmented for the purpose. If my hon. Friend will repeat his Question in a week's time, I will try to furnish him with statistics showing the progress which has been made.

asked the Home Secretary whether the Advisory Committee has made any recommendations for the enlargement of, or for additions to, the categories of interned aliens whose release from internment may be considered; and whether any decision has been reached as to a review of the cases of those who were given B certificates by the tribunals?

Yes, Sir. The Advisory Committee has just submitted to me recommendations bearing upon both parts of the Question, and I hope to be in a position to make an announcement at a very early date.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that serious delays are taking place in the release of aliens qualified for release owing to the dangerous illness of a wife, parent or child, or owing to their own medical condition; and whether he will arrange a procedure to ensure immediate attention to such cases?

Special arrangements have been in operation for some time to ensure that immediate attention is given to applications for release on urgent medical grounds. The hon. Lady will appreciate, however, that in many cases it is necessary to make inquiries to confirm alleged illnesses before release can be authorised, and in some instances delay has been caused by the fact that numerous applications have been made on behalf of the same individual.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will cable to the Dominion concerned the names of the aliens who, having been already sent to Canada or Australia, are judged entitled to release under existing or future categories and arrange for them to be returned to this country or, if the Dominion agrees, released therein and enabled to take employment or, if qualified, to join their friends in the United States of America; and whether he will give priority in this matter to the names of those qualified owing to the serious illness of themselves or of a wife, parent or child?

My decisions regarding the return of aliens who have been sent overseas are communicated to the respective High Commissioners who, I understand, communicate with their Governments on the subject by cable. It is already the practice to give priority to applications for the release on urgent medical grounds of persons interned in this country.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that relatives or solicitors of aliens interned in Huyton Camp who have received Home Office permits to visit them are being refused permission to enter the protected area in which the camp is situated; and whether he will take the necessary steps to ensure that this does not happen again in the case of Huyton or other internment camps situated in protected areas?

The restrictions on entry into protected areas apply only to aliens and do not therefore affect solicitors practising in this country. As regards aliens visiting relatives interned in a camp situated in a protected area, I am causing inquiry to be made about the difficulties which are said to have occurred. I am anxious that no obstacle shall be placed in the way of authorised visits to internment camps.

asked the Home Secretary by what authority some officers in charge of internment camps are exacting from aliens, prior to their release, an oral promise not to communicate with the relatives of anyone remaining interned?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 8th August to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Westhoughton (Mr. Rhys Davies).

asked the Home Secretary whether it is proposed to issue any order dealing with the control of horses in evacuated areas during enemy attack?

General instructions on this matter have already been given to Regional Commissioners, who will consult with the military and local authorities; but the detailed measures to be taken must depend on the circumstances at the time.

asked the Home Secretary whether, having regard to the circumstances that drivers are asked to stand by their horses in roads and streets during air-raids, he will consider the desirability of making it compulsory that all such drivers shall be supplied with steel helmets?

The precautions which drivers are asked to take for the safety of their horses do not necessarily imply that they must stand by their animals during a raid. In any event the present demands for steel helmets for essential war services is such that it would not be practicable to allow them to be made available as my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the Home Secretary whether his officers have made recent inquiries into the administration of the air-raid precautions in the Borough of Beddington and Wallington, Surrey; and, if so, whether they are satisfied with the results?

In the course of their ordinary duties Regional Officers of my Department pay regular visits of inspection to the borough of Beddington and Wallington, as to the districts of other local authorities, and the area has also been visited recently by one of the Regional Commissioners for London. I am satisfied with the progress made with the organisation of Civil Defence in this area.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that a man who is a part-time volunteer member of the Abercarn Council's Auxiliary Fire Service, on his way home from drill, met with an accident, on the 13th June last from which he has not recovered, and that no compensation is payable upon the alleged ground that the incapacity was not due to war injury; and whether he will take steps to see that in such a case measures should be taken to compensate, as this kind of treatment will discourage the recruitment for the local civil defence! services?

Under the Personal Injuries (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1939, compensation can only be paid to a civil defence volunteer in respect of an injury arising out of and in the course of the performance by the volunteer of his duties as such. It would appear from the terms of the Question that this condition was not fulfilled in the particular case the hon. Member has in mind. If however the hon. Member will furnish me with particulars of this case I will look into it.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he has taken to make it possible for mobile units to reach villages which are isolated by enemy action or military necessity?

Mobile units are widely distributed throughout the country, but the action to be taken to enable them to reach particular places must clearly depend on the exigencies of the moment.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in the interest of this country, he will take steps to secure that as many as possible of young children and women and old men, who could be of no service in the defence of the country, should be evacuated to other lands?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend The Prime Minister on 18th July in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Cocks).

asked the Home Secretary whether the names of all German-born refugees in this country, whether now of German nationality or not, have been communicated to the Nazi authorities through Switzerland and on whose authority; and with what object was the communication made?

My hon. Friend is, I think, under a misapprehension. Under the International Convention of 1929 there is a scheme for the interchange of information about prisoners of war through the Prisoners of War Information Bureau at Geneva, and the question has arisen whether on humanitarian grounds this scheme should be extended to some civilians—including, for example, captured merchant seamen—so that information about them may be available to their relatives in Germany. There is, of course, no intention of communicating information about persons who do not wish such information to be sent to Germany.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will ask the Advisory Committee on the Internment of Aliens to consider whether all alien refugees who can show a record of active opposition to Fascism should be added to the list of categories for exemption from internment?

I have already been in consultation with the Advisory Committee on this point, and I hope to be able to announce very shortly the arrangements which are to be made for dealing with this type of case.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can give an undertaking that the names of refugees who have been recognised as victims of Nazi oppression and have been deported overseas will not be transmitted in any way, or under any circumstances, to the German Government, despite the fact that the Dominions Government are treating such persons as coming under the Convention dealing with prisoners of war?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to-day to the hon. and gallant Member for South-East Leeds (Major Milner). The only names transmitted to the German Government will be those of persons who have no objection to this being done.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will give an assurance that, after seeing the working of Regula- tion 39BA, he will consult with hon. Members interested, with a view to the amendment of the Regulation or consideration of some other method of securing the desired result of only sentencing malicious action tending to help the enemy?

In view of the steps already taken, as explained in the answer given to my hon. Friend last Thursday, I do not expect that the administration of this Regulation will give rise to further difficulties in the future: but, if such difficulties should arise at any time, I have no doubt that arrangements could be made for consultation with hon. Members as suggested in the Question.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will inquire into the circumstances in which a British coloured seaman, Mr. Harry O'Connell, of 32, Maria Street, Cardiff, was taken off his ship at Grangemouth, held for inquiries under the Emergency Regulations for five days without any charge being made against him and eventually released; whether he is aware that, as a consequence, Mr. O'Connell lost approximately one month's wages, and was compelled to pay his own travelling expenses from Grangemouth to Cardiff; and will he ensure that Mr. O'Connell is recompensed in full for the loss of wages and the travelling expenses incurred?

I will make inquiries and will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Home Secretary the number of male and female casualties, and children under 16 years of age, in air-raids during August?

As explained by my right hon. Friend The Prime Minister on 18th July in reply to a Question by the hon. Baronet, the Member for South-West Bethnal Green (Sir P. Harris), figures of air-raid casualties are published at monthly intervals. The July figures were published on 8th August and the August figures will be published early in September.

asked the Home Secretary the total number of persons engaged on air-raid precautions work in the Mary-hill division of Glasgow discharged since 1st July, 1940; and the number of persons newly engaged for air-raid precautions in the same area since 1st July, 1940?

I am informed that since 1st July last 101 paid whole-time personnel have been discharged. The number of persons engaged in the same period is 97, of whom 76 are unpaid.

asked the Home Secretary how many warrants of arrest under Regulation 18B have been applied for by chief constables; and how many warrants have actually been issued in response to these applications?

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question could not be given without undue expenditure of time and labour. As regards the second part, particulars of the number of persons detained under Regulation 18B are given in the monthly reports which I make to Parliament as required by the Regulation.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has taken any additional steps to stimulate the appointment of women police?

I have recently asked all police authorities in England and Wales to consider afresh, in the light of the present war conditions, whether further provision should be made for the employment of policewomen or women police auxiliaries in their districts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can estimate the cost to the Treasury of removing all Import Duties, having regard to the saving in labour outside and within the Departments?

On the basis of last month's Budget Estimates, the loss of revenue that would be entailed by the removal of all Customs duties, and the consequential removal of the corresponding Excise duties, would be approximately £483,000,000 in a full year. It is not possible to estimate the saving in labour that might result from these changes, but it would obviously be inappreciable in comparison with the loss of revenue.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that many people, who would otherwise invest in 2½ per cent. War Bonds, are holding back potential money reserves wherewith to meet Income Tax, Surtax and other liabilities to the State in the near future; and whether, to promote the immediate flow of capital to the State, he will arrange for these securities to be accepted in due course at par in payment of the contingent liabilities referred to?

I do not think it would be desirable to add to the terms on which the 2½ per cent. National War Bonds were issued the further benefit proposed by my hon. Friend.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many individuals, not in Government employment, have been granted permission to take out of this country, when proceeding abroad, sums of foreign exchange exceeding £5,000 since September last; and what was the largest amount so authorised?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 13th August to the hon. Member for Rochdale (Dr. Morgan).

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the moratorium prescribed in evacuated districts applies to local bank overdrafts of persons living in, or evacuated from, such areas?

The interpretation of the Defence (Evacuated Areas) Regulations, 1940, in relation to particular classes of payments is in the last resort a matter for the courts, but I am advised that sums due in respect of bank overdrafts would not be subject to the moratorium provisions of those Regulations unless they were secured or charged on any unoccupied premises in an evacuation area. I would add that it is possible that, in the circumstances of a particular case, a customer would be entitled in respect of a bank overdraft to the protection of paragraph 6 of the Regulations which relates to the extension of the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act, 1919. I would also refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Buckrose (Major Braithwaite) on 8th August about the general policy of the banks in the Defence areas.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information as to the relations between the Polish Government, now in this country, and the Governments of Italy and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, respectively?

My Noble Friend does not feel he is in a position to give information on the relations between an independent Government and other foreign Governments.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the permission granted for medical stores and Red Cross outfit for China to pass over the Burma Road, he will equally consider granting permission for the petrol necessary to operate the lorries and ambulances which convey them.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the difficulties of transport in the interior of China and of the requests made to him, he will take steps to ensure that, in addition to the free passage of medical supplies, the transit by the Burma Road of ambulances and other motor vehicles intended for Red Cross work, and a reasonable supply of petrol for their continuous functioning, will be permitted.

The question of facilities for Red Cross work in China, including the provision of petrol, is under active consideration.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that two pamphlets, respectively entitled "La Patrie est en danger" and "What is at stake," have been widely distributed in the last few months, neither of them having a printer's imprint, as required by law; who is responsible for the distribution and when it began; and whether he will cause those responsible to be prosecuted.

The hon. and learned Gentleman has drawn my attention and that of the Director of Public Prosecutions to these two pamphlets. The Ministry of Information were responsible for the distribution to their Regional Offices, which began in April and May respectively. The distribution in each case ceased as soon as the Ministry's attention was drawn to the absence of the imprint. Steps have been taken to see that a repetition of the omission of the printer's name does not occur. I have considered the circumstances, and do not propose to take any further action.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why his Department has not, during the past year, instituted plans for increasing the production of hard and soft cheeses instead of allowing a decrease, seeing that cheese has the highest nutritional food value for persons of all ages; and will he now, in co-operation with the Ministry of Food, take the initiative with the milk authorities, and superintend a policy of increased cheese production on behalf of his Ministry?

My noble Friend is fully alive to the desirability of increasing the home production of cheese but my hon. Friend will appreciate that the supply of liquid milk available for manufacturing purposes is not unlimited. Cheese is only one of several essential milk products and the Ministry, in determining the allocation as between these products of milk available for manufacture, must take fully into account the stock of each commodity and the possibility of obtaining supplies from overseas, in order to secure that the milk available will be used to the best advantage in the national interest.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether any arrangements are being made for large-scale communal i ceding of the population with a view to securing more economical preparation of food, a better balanced diet and greater economy of fuel; and whether it is intended that such communal meals shall, if and when required, be compulsory on all sections of the population?

Extensive facilities for communal feeding are provided by commercial enterprise and by voluntary agencies. These are being continually augmented to meet current requirements particularly in industrial centres. Steps have been taken to encourage an extension of existing school feeding facilities, and the Ministry of Food has undertaken to investigate any cases in which it appears, as a result of inquiries made by the welfare officers of the Ministry of Labour, that existing or prospective provision for the feeding of factory workers is inadequate. The need for further provision will be kept under review, but it seems unlikely that any measure of compulsion in regard to communal feeding will be necessary in existing conditions.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will take steps to see that flour for the bread of the people contains the germ of the wheat grain, as much as possible of the aleurone layer and the finer portions of the bran; that, instead of flour consisting of about 70 per cent, of the wheat grain, as it does at present, the percentage extracted should be at least 80 to 85 per cent.; and that bleaching of flour should be prohibited, thus making the flour conform to the standards laid down by expert opinion?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the House of Commons on 18th July last which dealt with the questions raised in the first two parts of the Question. As regards the last part of the Question, my Noble Friend proposes to consult my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether plum growers who cannot market their plums except at a loss will be subjected to penalties under the anti-waste order if they leave them to rot on the trees?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can make arrangements with the Ministers concerned for the Armed Forces to curtail tinned rations, and to be supplied with fresh agricultural produce at seasons when ample supplies are available?

Consultations with this object in view are already proceeding with the Ministers concerned.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food the price paid to the Irish producer for eggs; what is the price of the same eggs when sold in this country; and whether he is aware that the very low prices paid in Ireland are entailing the curtailment of the production of eggs?

Eggs from Northern Ireland are subject to the prices prescribed in the Home Produced Eggs (Maximum Prices) Order of 2s. 9d., 2s. 6d. and 2s. 3d. per dozen according to category. These prices have been calculated so as to allow a reasonable margin for increased cost of production. Under this Order Northern Ireland eggs have been selling in Ireland at prices closely approaching the maximum selling price in this country. Northern Irish producers receive a price determined by the Minister of Agriculture for Northern Ireland on the realised prices less fixed deductions for collection and packing, on a scale approved by the Minister. Eggs from Eire are bought by the Ministry of Food from a company set up by, and under the control of, the Eire Government. Landed prices paid for these eggs are 18s. 3d. and 15s. 9d. per 120 for categories which sell at 2s. 3d. and 2s. per dozen. I am not aware of the price returned to the producer, nor am I aware that such prices are resulting in the curtailment of production.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether the two factories now in existence in this country at Wisbech and Skelmersdale are engaged in the production of cattle food from potatoes or for the manufacture of potato-flour?

Both these factories are intended to be used primarily for the manufacture of potato meal for feeding to stock, and they have been so used during the past season, but the plant in each case is also capable of converting potatoes into flour for human consumption. Neither form of production is at present being carried out, as supplies of potatoes suitable for processing are not available at this time of the year.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how it is proposed to operate the extended distribution of the national milk powder; and, if this is to be done through the medium of private firms already in the trade, whether some arrangement will be made to enable them to keep their own businesses on a sound financial basis?

No extended distribution of the national milk powder is contemplated. Its issue is being restricted to the case of infants of under 12 months of age for whom a medical certificate is received that milk powder, instead of liquid milk, should be provided under the National Milk Scheme. The distribution of the powder will be in the hands of the Ministry's Milk Officer. He will be assisted, wherever practicable, by local welfare centres and district nurses.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how many persons have received cheap or free milk in the Parliamentary Division of the County of Chester, Stalybridge, since September, 1939?

During the period September, 1939, to June, 1940, an average of 410 persons per week received cheap and free milk under local welfare schemes operated in the Stalybridge and Hyde area. Since the introduction of the National Milk Scheme, 1,807 permits have been issued up to the evening of the 2nd August to beneficiaries in the same area, entitling them to free or cheap milk.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is satisfied that the fullest measure of decentralisation in the storage of essential foods exists throughout the country, with the object of avoiding serious loss due to accidentally started conflagrations?

The stocks of essential foodstuffs are held in many thousands of separate warehouses and the Ministry of Food is at present engaged in establishing a large number of additional stores in order to secure an even wider dispersal. My Noble Friend fully appreciates the importance of decentralised food storage and active steps with that object have been and are being taken.

asked the Minister of Health what inquiries are made in connection with applications for supplementary grants to old age pensioners; and is it the practice to make inquiries of employers of relatives of applicants for benefit?

The information necessary to enable the Board to assess a pensioner's need in accordance with the requirements of the Act includes the circumstances of the pensioner himself and of any dependants, and also the resources of all persons living in the same household with him. This information is obtained as far as possible by inquiry from the pensioner, but in cases of uncertainty the Board are obliged to take such steps as may be necessary to secure precise and accurate information, and where the earnings of some person are involved inquiry of the employer is sometimes the only administratively convenient and practicable means of verification.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will arrange a register of local government officers who have become redundant in certain parts of the country for the information of local authorities whose staffs are continually being depleted through the operation of the Military Service Acts and other defence necessities on which they might draw for reinforcement of their staffs where such staffs become insufficient to deal with vital local government services?

The National Association of Local Government Officers, after consultation with the Ministry of Labour, have already made arrangements for keeping a register of displaced local government officials with a view to placing them with other local authorities, and I have commended these arrangements to the associations of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Supply whether provision will be made for the erection of hutments to accommodate workers now urgently wanted for the reopening of the ironstone mine at Ling-dale, in the county of Durham.

No, Sir. A survey of lodging accommodation in the district has shown that there should be ample lodgings for the workers without erecting new buildings of any kind.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons are now registered with the Central Register; what increase has taken place since he made a compulsory order on technical engineers; how many persons have obtained employment through the Central Register since it was established; and what has been the cost of the Central Register to date.

On 31st July, 1940, the number of persons enrolled on the Central Register was 121,479, excluding persons who applied for registration as required by the Specified Classes of Persons (Registration) (No. 1) and (No. 2)Orders. The estimated number of persons in course of being enrolled on the Central Register as a result of those Orders is 50,000 of whom some 42,000 are engineers. The number of posts filled through the Central Register up to 31st July, 1940, was 7,209. The cost of the staff of the Central Register up to 31st July, 1940, was £46,770. This includes the initial cost of establishing the Register as a precautionary measure in peace time when there was no substantial call on its services. Placings have recently reached the rate of about 1,000 a month and the staff costs are at the rate of about £4,000 a month.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider a scheme for enabling workers in industry who are working long hours to receive relaxation and holidays by drawing in voluntary workers and university students who are anxious to assist during vacations.

If the hon. Member will let me have the details of any scheme he has in mind I will gladly consider it.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make an early broadcast giving a clear lead and encouragement to the many people with special qualifications, such as languages and scientific knowledge, etc., who are anxious to make their contribution to the war effort and who have lost confidence in the central register?

I have already made the position clear in the replies given to the hon. and learned Member for East Leicester (Mr. Lyons) on 27th June, and to the hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. Joel) on 18th July, copies of which I am sending to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed miners in the administrative county of Durham who have been transferred to work on munitions during the past three months?

I am having the statistics collected and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the management of a hosiery factory in Mansfield gave their employés 10 days holiday, as from 2nd August, at the same time posting notices telling the employés not to register at the Employment Exchange; and, as there is no holiday-with-pay scheme at this factory and as the employés had neither holiday pay nor unemployment pay for this period, will he state what official authority there was for posting such notice?

I had not previously heard of this matter, but I am having inquiries made and will communicate the result to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that, when the application by Mr. John A. Brough, Perth, for postponement of his calling up for military service was before the Military Service (Hardship) Committee at Perth, after the applicant retired one member of the committee influenced the committee to refuse the application by making a statement derogatory to the applicant who was not given the opportunity to refute the statement; and will he have Mr. Brough's application reviewed?

I have no knowledge of the matter, but if my hon. Friend has any evidence which he can supply to me, I shall be glad to communicate it to the chairman of the committee.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can give the number of employés of military age in the Middlesex County Council; and whether any are exempt from military service?

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. As regards the second part, the age limits at which certain classes of local authority staffs are reserved are given in the Schedule of Reserved Occupations.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the growing unemployment and underemployment at several pits in the county of Durham; and what action he has taken to find useful employment for the men affected?

In view of the changed circumstances in the coal-mining industry the arrangements which had previously been made for retaining and adding to the personnel of the industry have been revised. The special suspension of calling up for the Forces has been cancelled and transfers of unemployed miners to the vacancies thus created, to employment outside the industry or to training will be effected as rapidly as possible. These arrangements are being made in agreement with my hon. Friend the Secretary for Mines.

asked the Home Secretary whether it is the intention of his Department that bottle parties should be allowed to continue, and, by evading the law, compete unfairly with bona fide licensed premises to which the law applies?

The question of competition with licensed premises is not a matter which can be dealt with by Defence Regulations. The object of the recent Defence Regulation is to enable the police to deal with premises where drunkenness or disorderly conduct takes place. Under that Regulation a number of bottle parties have already been closed in London, and if in any other cases there are grounds for police action, the Commissioner will exercise his powers under the Regulation.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can give any information in connection with the fire at St. Katherine's Wharf; how many tons of tea were burnt; the cause of the fire; and how many big fires have been reported in the Metropolitan Police Area during 1940, including the one at Leyton garage?

On 9th August a large dock warehouse building and its contents were severely damaged by fire, the cause of which is unknown, and about 200 tons of tea were destroyed. There have been 34 large fires in the Metropolitan Police District during 1940.

asked the Home Secretary whether the tea warehouse at St. Katherine's Wharf, London, recently destroyed by fire, was equipped with adequate automatically operating fire prevention apparatus?

I am informed that no automatic fire appliances were installed on these premises.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that, on the authority of the police, seven men of long service and good record have been dismissed from the Barking Power Station for a reason undisclosed to the trade unions of which the men are members; and whether, in view of the feeling which has been created by these summary dismissals, he will accede to the request of the unions who have asked him for an interview to discuss the matter?

I have made inquiries and an informed that the police were in no way concerned in the discharge of these men, I have, therefore, no responsibility in the matter and an informing the union that in the circumstances no useful purpose would be served by my meeting their representatives.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will publish a list of persons who have received exit permits to leave this country for business reasons since the beginning of the war?

No, Sir. The labour and expense involved could not, in my view, be justified.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of shell-shock cases still being treated from the great war, 1914–18; what is the annual cost of such treatment; and whether any new remedies have recently been tried to cure shell shock?

I am advised that no cases which could, as such, properly be described as "shell shock" are now, or have indeed for many years been, under treatment by the Ministry. Shock and other war neuroses are fully dealt with in the report of a conference of neurological specialists convened by me last year, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can arrange, for the convenience of passengers, for the names of stations to be called out by porters when the nameplates have been obliterated, thereby avoiding the waste of time when passengers descend to ascertain the station and lose their train; and whether he is aware that in various places this procedure is not followed?

Platform staffs and guards are instructed to call out the names of stations. If my hon. Friend will give me the names of any stations at which the instruction is not observed I will have inquiries made.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in order to increase the supply of home-produced food and to enable rabbits to be placed on the market in as fresh a condition as possible, he will cause an investigation to be made as to whether firms, both game dealers and others, accustomed to the collection in rural areas of rabbits from farms, etc., should be less restricted at this time of the year in their petrol allowance in order that prompt arrangements may be made for the collection and transportation of rabbits to the market?

Persons engaged in carrying foodstuffs should apply in the normal way for any supplementary fuel rations required. Provided they show the need for using road transport, I have no reason to think that they will be refused the necessary fuel. I shall be glad to investigate any individual case of difficulty if my hon. and gallant Friend will give me particulars.

asked the Minister of Information whether it is his intention to invite representatives of all political parties to broadcast in support of the national war effort?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply to a similar Question which I gave to him on 17th July. Steps have been taken, and will continue to be taken, to see that invitations are extended to Members of the various political parties whose broadcasts would assist in supporting the war effort.

asked the Minister of Information the number of sermons and material for sermons supplied to clergy and ministers by his Department; to what extent advantage has been taken of these sermons; and whether he will make available to members specimens of the material supplied?

No sermons or material intended solely for the preparation of sermons have been issued by the Ministry of Information. Six pamphlets and other literature on the moral and spiritual issues of the war have been circulated to clergy and ministers to assist them in their war-time work. Copies are available in the Library. A large number of letters of appreciation of this literature has been received from clergy and ministers in many parts of the country.

asked the Minister of Information whether he is aware that private correspondence is arriving from the United States of America in which comments on the political situation here has been censored on arrival; and by whose order this censorship is carried out?

I shall be glad to have details of any case where the contents of incoming private correspondence from U.S.A. have been deleted or altered by censorship officials. The censorship instructions provide that no such action should be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Burma whether he is aware that there is grave dissatisfaction in the European community in Rangoon at the inaction of the administration in the face of the activities of Germans, Danes, Dutch and Italians who are still permitted to carry on business there, and are at the same time actively decrying Britain and British interests; and whether he will make an inquiry into this position, and act accordingly?

I am not aware of such dissatisfaction or of any reason for it. Only nine male Germans, who are over military age, are at liberty in Burma, and these are under surveillance. All Italians who are at liberty are under surveillance, and of these all but two are Catholic priests and lay workers.

asked the Home Secretary whether he contemplates any arrangement, through the British Red Cross Society or otherwise, to forward relief to residents in the Channel Islands who may be in danger of starvation?

The first step must be to do everything that is possible to obtain information about present conditions in the Islands and particularly about the food position; and efforts are being made to this end.