asked the Minister of Supply whether any effort has been made since the outbreak of war to make use of the vast quantities of leather scraps which at this moment lie wasted on the refuse dumps of towns concerned in boot and shoe manufacture?

The use of leather waste in the boot and shoe, fertiliser and paper industries is being much extended, but I understand that the bulk of the material on the dumps to which my hon. Friend refers has been there a long time and I am advised that it is doubtful whether more than a small proportion of it is at present usable.

asked the Minister of Supply on what dates the Advisory Committee on Jigs, Tools and Gauges, appointed in December last, were called together; whether he can state the reason for dissolving this committee; and whether he will give the names of the members of the sub-committee who attended on the eight occasions on which they were called together between December last and the end of June last?

The Advisory Committee on Jigs, Tools and Gauges met on 14th December, 1939, and on 27th June and 1st August, 1940. When a Director of Gauges, Jigs and Tools was appointed on 1st July last it was decided to dissolve the original committee and to appoint two advisory panels to give specialised advice as and when required in respect of two of the main divisions covered by that directorate, namely, one on gauges and measuring instruments and the other on jigs and fixtures. By this means the waste of time of those not directly concerned on one or the other side of the work was avoided. The names of the members of the sub-committee on gauges who attended meetings of that subcommittee during the period referred to in the Question were Messrs. H. H. Harley, Baty, Bell, Cook, Horstman, Mollart, Rolt, Simmonds and Tournier.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he has taken or proposes to take to issue to local authorities and other appropriate bodies, such instructions as will secure the compulsory provision and use of seats for women workers on transport vehicles?

On many vehicles the provision of a seat on the conductor's platform would he structurally difficult. On many routes traffic conditions are such that conductresses would have little or no opportunity of sitting down if a platform seat were available. But, where conditions allow, a conductress can occupy a vacant seat in the bus, provided it does not interfere with the execution of her duties.

asked the hon. Member for Central Leeds, as representing the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, what arrangements have been made to compensate from funds under their control, or from any other sources church authorities in respect of damage caused by enemy action to churches, schools, and other ecclesiastical property?

The Ecclesiastical Commissioners can make no arrangements for compensation. Churches and schools are outside the objects to which their funds are assigned by statute, except where they have definite responsibilities as owners. Churches, schools and ecclesiastical property in common with all property are within the Government Compensation Scheme.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that Greenock telephone subscribers are being repeatedly rung up to answer calls intended for subscribers with the corresponding Gourock number and vice versa; what steps he proposes to take to eliminate this inconvenience; and when the new automatic exchange for the area will be put into operation?

Calls for subscribers on the Greenock and Gourock exchanges are occasionally misrouted to the corresponding number on the other exchange. The trouble is largely due to the wrong exchange being asked for by the caller although there are, of course, cases of error due to phonetic similarity. The operators are well aware of the circumstances and when they find that any particular subscriber has been troubled by wrong numbers, they check every call to him before setting it up. The introduction of automatic working will remove the trouble, but I regret that in present circumstances I am unable to give even an approximate date for the change over.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, owing to the dissatisfaction in Northern Ireland at the prices fixed to be paid to the producers of potatoes and eggs, he will review the position and fix these prices at a rate more in keeping with the increased cost of production?

So far as potatoes are concerned, the increased costs of production were taken into account in fixing the maximum and minimum growers' prices for the months of August and September. The whole position, however, is now under review in connection with the fixing of prices for maincrop potatoes as from 1st October.The maximum prices of eggs are kept under constant review, and the increased cost of production has been taken into account when the prices have been fixed. I cannot agree that producers of eggs in Northern Ireland have any ground for dissatisfaction in this respect.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that articles on aviation subjects intended for publication in British journals have to be submitted to Department A.I.6 of the Air Ministry in addition to the Ministry of Information; and what is the reason for this dual censorship which causes delay in publication?

My hon. and gallant Friend is under a misapprehension. Only a very small proportion of articles of the kind referred to have to be so submitted. Submission is required in two cases only; first, where the article results from the grant by the Air Ministry of special facilities such as permission to enter an R.A.F. aerodrome, or from access to sources of confidential information. In these cases, for security reasons, the Air Staff must wish to see the article before publication. Secondly, where in any particular instance the Air Adviser to the Censorship Bureau at the Ministry of Information is not himself prepared to give a ruling involving some important aspect of security without reference to the Air Staff. In both these cases the branch known as A.I.6 is responsible directly to the Air Staff for effecting the necessary consultations and works in close contact with senior officers of the Air Staff. I would add that for the convenience of the Press, arrangements are now being made for the scrutiny of material in the first of these two classes to be carried out by the Air Ministry's representatives at the Ministry of Information.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the fact that there are now over 20,000 air defence cadets of whom nearly half propose to apply for air-crew duties on reaching the age of 18, he will give the Air Defence Cadets Corps the same recognition that is given to the Officers Training Corps?

The suggestion made by the hon. Member has been recently considered. I am, however, unable to accept it since the qualifications of aircrew personnel for commissions as pilots or observers cannot be judged alone by standards reached in ground training received before or after joining the Royal Air Force, but must include proficiency in the flying syllabus.

asked the Secretary of State for War who was responsible for the transfer of Peter Horn, a boy of 16½ years of age, to Australia, without any communication whatever with the person in this country who had made herself responsible to the Home Office for his education, training and maintenance until he was 18 years of age; and who is responsible that no accurate lists have been kept of those so transferred

Peter Horn was sent to Australia on 10th July as the result of a general order that all single male enemy aliens over the age of 16 were to be sent in preference to married men. It was not possible in the time available to consult parents or guardians. Accurate lists are in possession of the War Office.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a German from Oxford, interned in the Central Promenade camp, Douglas, was informed that his four sons had been sent to the Onchan camp and that arrangements were being made for their transportation overseas; that he was given five minutes in which to decide whether he would approve of their going, and that he consented on condition that the youngest son, a boy of 16 years of age, should be allowed to travel in the same boat with the older boys, age 22 to 26, but he was not allowed to see them during their internment nor before they sailed, and that he later discovered that the youngest boy had not been allowed to travel with his elder brothers but had been sent in a separate boat; who was responsible for this; and will suitable action be taken against him?

I am informed that Professor Pringsheim and his three eldest sons were interned at Central Promenade Camp; the youngest was at Onchan Camp. The professor was not asked to approve of their going overseas. The three eldest were sent on a general order to send all single men between the ages of 20 and 30. They sailed on steamship "Ettrick" on 3rd July. The professor saw them before they went. The youngest son did not go with them because the lower age limit was then 20. For the next ship, steamship "Sobieski," which sailed on 4th July, the age limit for single men was lowered to 16 in order to send as few married men as possible. Owing to the very short notice at which the ship sailed, it was not possible for the professor to see this boy before he sailed.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether his attention has been called to the fact that orders for wire-netting from South America are being lost to this country by reason of the present temporary embargo on the export of such material and that further difficulties are being created by the fact that German manufacturers are guaranteeing delivery of such materials to South America by the autumn of this year; and whether he will take steps to make the true position known in South America and to preserve this trade for Great Britain?

Concentration upon the nation's war effort has during recent months resulted in an inevitable curtailment of exports of wire and wire products but it is hoped that in the near future the position in this respect will become easier. I have been informed that offers for delivery in October have been made by Germany but it seems hard to believe that such offers can in the light of circumstances be taken seriously. None the less action is constantly being taken to keep before the notice of South American purchasers the ability of this country to manufacture and to deliver a very wide range of their normal requirements

asked the Minister of Health whether he will hold an inquiry into the administration of supplementary old age pensions, especially directed to the principles upon which old age pensioners living in separate establishments but in the same house as relatives are refused any supplementation unless the means of the said relatives are disclosed?

As my right hon. Friend stated in reply to a Supplementary Question on 5th September by the hon. Member for Gorbals (Mr. Buchanan) he does not think that any general inquiry into the administration of supplementary pensions is required. Moreover the implication of the last part of the Question cannot be accepted. Where the Assistance Board's officer is satisfied that an old age pensioner is not living as a member of a household an assessment of the appropriate supplementary pension is made without regard to the means of anybody other than the pensioner himself.