asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has considered the case of Leonore Bendit about whose enlistment in the Auxiliary Territorial Service he has received the conditional approval of the Minister of Labour?

This lady was medically examined yesterday and has been passed fit. Subject to the usual security investigations, she will be enrolled in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in future, War Office letters advising parents of the loss of their sons may be specially typed on good class paper, instead of as at present being duplicated on cheap paper with the personal details filled in by handwriting?

The letters advising parents of the loss of soldier sons are sent out from Army Record Offices. The present form of letter, printed on white paper, with the personal details filled in in writing, was adopted in order to ensure rapid notification of casualties, especially when they are numerous. If the letters were specially typed in full there would at times be considerable extra delay. Quite apart from the difficulty, in present circumstances, of obtaining the extra clerical assistance that would be required, I think that, all things considered, the present method of notification is open to fewer objections.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the decision of the Air Ministry to increase the number of free railway passes to men in that service, it is the intention of the War Office to adopt a similar practice?

The concession to which my hon. Friend refers covers air crew personnel, flying instructors and pupils at flying training establishments. I am considering whether there are comparable classes of personnel in the Army to whom a similar concession should be applied.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the lack of care taken with service documents sent through the post in open envelopes; and what action he proposes to take to stop this kind of happening in future?

The document to which my hon. Friend refers is a summary of lectures given at the Osterley Park Training School for the Home Guard before it was taken over by the War Office. The pamphlet was in preparation when the change took place, and the War Office and the Stationery Office then assumed responsibility for editing and printing it. The pamphlet was not secret, but, like many other official documents of a similar kind, was marked as not to be published. Part of the arrangement was that a number of copies should be supplied to the firm which was originally concerned, for distribution to members of the Home Guard who had attended the lectures and had ordered and paid for the pamphlet. I understand that these copies were sent out by the firm in open envelopes.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many cases have been brought to the courts in which drivers of Army vehicles have been implicated during the months of October, November and December; whether he will undertake that all military drivers under instruction shall conform to the rules applicable on public highways to civil drivers; and that, in the case of a car being driven by a person under instruction, the letter L shall be prominently displayed both in front and at the back of the vehicle?

During the months of October, November and December, 1940, thirty drivers of Army vehicles were prosecuted by the police. Orders exist to the effect that all military drivers, both while under instruction and afterwards, shall comply with the speed limits applicable on public highways to civil drivers. There is only one exception to this, namely, when military necessity requires that a driver of a heavy vehicle should exceed the speed limit laid down by the Minister of Transport in respect of such a vehicle. In such a case, an officer not below the rank of lieutenant-colonel is empowered to give a driver an authority in writing to exceed this speed limit. In that event, the driver must carry such an authority on him and produce it to the civil or military police on demand, as well as to any other person entitled to call for it. Since the promulgation of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Provisional Regulations, 1940, on 20th May, 1940, the display of the letter "L" on a vehicle by a civilian driver is no longer necessary. Whether it should be displayed on military vehicles being driven by a person under instruction is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether there are any exceptions to the rule that service vehicles and drivers should in every respect conform to the police and Ministry of Transport regulations?

It is the aim of the War Department that service vehicles and drivers shall conform as far as possible in every respect to police and Ministry of Transport regulations. The Department is, however, authorised, under various Orders and Defence Regulations, to avail itself of certain exemptions to police and Ministry of Transport regulations in particular circumstances.These exemptions are as follow:(i)

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the release of service-men on compassionate grounds is now definitely ended; and, if not, will he state the medical grade and the conditions requisite for those who may be eligible to apply for release?

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No, Sir." Each case is considered separately on its merits, without regard to the medical category of the soldier, and no general conditions are laid down.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that various sums are now owing to Home Guard battalion commanders in the Western Command for works ordered to be carried out by the military; that these claims have been recognised and passed for payment but are being held up by the command paymaster; and will he expedite the matter?

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible. In the meantime, it would be helpful if my hon. Friend could give me details of any specific claims which have been brought to his notice.

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of fatal and nonfatal accidents in and around mines in this country during 1938, 1939 and 1940, respectively, giving, if possible, the percentages of accidents to the total employed?

Provisional figures for 1940 show 910 persons were killed and 3,186 seriously injured by accidents at mines under the Coal Mines Act. The figures for 1939 are 783 killed and 3,155 seriously injured, and for 1938, 858 killed and 3,157 seriously injured. As regards the last part of the Question, it is not in the public interest to publish figures of employment covering the war periods, but I am sending them to the hon. Member for his confidential information.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has considered the letter from the Executive Board of the Midland District, dated 18th January, again representing the serious situation arising in Yorkshire in regard to coal supplies due to shortage of wagons; what action he has taken thereon in view of the fact that representations on the matter have been made since October, 1939, without satisfactory result although approximately 24,000 wagons are surplus to requirements on the Great Western and Southern railways?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by me to-day to my hon. Friend, the Member for Normanton (Mr. T. Smith).

asked the Minister of Shipping (1) what arrangements exist for the inspection of the provisioning and seaworthiness of a ship's boats before the ship leaves port; and whether he will consider appointing additional inspectors in view of the greater danger of a ship being sunk in time of war than in time of peace;(2) whether his attention has been drawn to a recent case in which some men of a torpedoed crew, who for several days were at sea in a ship's boat, died from exposure and want of nourishment; and whether he will consider revising his regulations regarding the provisioning of ships' boats and include the provision of blankets therein?

Since the outbreak of hostilities, requirements as to life saving and other appliances have been revised from time to time in the light of information obtained. The provision of a suitable cover for providing shelter and of a number of blankets for injured persons was made compulsory in July last year, and where consideration of space and weight make it possible, masters often increase the quantities of food carried above the minimum required. A recommendation to this effect is about to be issued. Responsibility for compliance with the requirements in force rests on the owners of the ships concerned. It would be impracticable to inspect every ship before every voyage but inspections are made as frequently as possible by the Ministry of Shipping surveyors. Evidence in my possession indicates that in practice ships' boats are provided with the equipment required by the rules.

asked the Minister of Supply whether, in view of the prevalence of moles, he has considered using moleskins for service purposes?

I am advised that the quantity of moleskins available is negligible in relation to Service requirements and that the cost would be excessive. It would also be difficult to keep moleskins free from vermin under service conditions.

asked the Minister of Supply whether South Wales is getting a fair share of Government works and contracts; whether he is making full use of small factories and workshops in the area; and how many Welsh experts are employed in Wales as compared with persons employed from other parts of the country to look after Welsh interest?

So far as the Ministry of Supply is concerned, the answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. Efforts are continuously being made to utilise to the full the capacity available in small factories and workshops in South Wales, and this is a matter to which the Ministry's area officer, who is himself a Welshman, gives special attention. As regards the last part of the Question, comparative figures are not available, and I am afraid could not be given without detailed inquiry; but my hon. Friend can rest assured that the interests of Wales are given all proper consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the losses to the dairy industry of this country through sterility in dairy cattle, he will take early steps to ensure that stock-owners keep accurate herd records, and that veterinary practitioners to whom such records should be available should carry out regular periodic examinations of all breeding animals in the herds for the purpose of applying the necessary treatment?

Consultations are taking place with all interested parties, including representatives of the veterinary profession, with the object of securing the wider adoption of the most suitable methods of effecting a reduction of the losses caused by sterility and diseases of dairy stock.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the investigations of the National Veterinary Medical Association which have recently shown that there is a loss to the nation per year from the presence of mastitis, contagious abortion and sterility in dairy cattle of over 83,000 tons of solid protein, sugar and minerals, and a loss of over 31,000 tons of butter fat; and whether, in view of the urgent national importance of increasing home-produced food supplies, he will apply remedial measures in this field at the earliest opportunity?

I am aware of the calculations made by the National Veterinary Medical Association as to the economic losses caused by mastitis, contagious abortion and sterility in dairy cattle. As regards the latter part of the Question I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to-day to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Howdenshire (Colonel Carver).

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has considered the complaint of South Wales farmers that orders for lime are so long delayed in delivery as to have a serious effect on food output; and what steps he is taking to deal with the complaint?

I have received a number of complaints of delay in delivering lime in South Wales, which are being investigated. I am hopeful that plans recently brought into operation for accelerating the transport of agricultural lime will lead to an improvement in the position.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of cases, since September last, in which requests by the various county war executive committees to plough land have been refused; and what action has been taken in such cases?

There have been 351 cases where executive committees have applied for my consent to proceedings being taken against occupiers of land who have failed to comply with directions given to them under Defence Regulation 62. In 173 cases prosecution has taken place and in 165 of these convictions were obtained and fines to the total amount of £3,384 were imposed together with costs amounting to £399. With few exceptions the directions related to the ploughing of grassland.

asked the Minister of Labour how many industrial areas are increasingly dependent on woman labour; and how many of these areas have been provided with day nurseries in accordance with his pronouncement?

The programme envisaged by the Government and the demands on man-power by the Services will involve an increasing dependence on woman labour in all parts of the country. The position is being kept under constant review. The number of day nurseries established or in course of establishment is 30.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of full-time and part-time medical officers, respectively, employed by industrial concerns since the publication of the Factories (Medical and Welfare Services) Order, 1940?

Complete statistics on this subject are not available. The Department has specific knowledge of 34 whole-time and 103 part-time appointments since July, when the Order was issued; the number of part-time appointments made or in course of being made is believed to be much greater.

asked the Minister of Labour whether applicants who are registered at the Central Register are, when they apply, informed that they should equally pay attention to the large numbers of vacancies of all kinds in private employment which are being advertised in the public Press?

No, Sir. Persons accepted for enrolment on the Central Register, however, are sent a copy of a leaflet which explains the nature and purpose of the Register and makes it clear that the Register deals with offers of service, and not with applications for employment. I am sending a copy of the leaflet to the hon. Member. The names of persons, who apply for enrolment on the Central Register and who state that they are in immediate need of employment, whether or not they are accepted for enrolment on the Central Register, are sent to the Supplementary Register, which does deal with applications for employment.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the shortage of architects and architects' assistants in certain districts, where new construction in connection with Government contracts is necessary and where some reconstruction is also desirable in the public interest; and whether he will consider restoring some measure of reservation of these categories for certain selected districts where the need of their services is exceptionally urgent?

I have this matter under consideration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies between what persons or corporate bodies discussion is now taking place with regard to the appointment of experienced trade unionists in this country as Government labour officers in certain Crown Colonies for the purpose of encouraging and assisting the development of the trade union movement among the Natives; what Colonies are under discussion; whether these labour officers will receive remuneration from State funds; whether they will be required to refrain from all party political or economic propaganda; and whether, before the scheme is adopted, its proposals will be submitted to Parliament for approval?

The body with whom this project is being discussed is the Trades Union Congress. No decision has yet been reached as to the Colonial Dependencies in which it is considered that this experiment might with advantage be tried. Any candidates selected for Colonial labour appointments under this scheme will become members of the Colonial Service from the date of their appointment and will receive remuneration from the funds of the Colony to which they are appointed. As civil servants they will naturally be precluded from carrying on any propaganda of the nature suggested in the fourth part of the Question. With regard to the concluding part of the Question, I would emphasise once more the fact that this project is purely an experiment which will be tried in, at the most, three or four Colonial Dependencies (after consultation with the Colonial Governments concerned), and that it is contemplated that the selected candidates should be appointed in the first place on probation for a period of twelve or eighteen months. This should suffice to enable a reliable opinion to be formed whether any extension of the experiment is desirable.

asked the Minister of Transport, in connection with the road casualties referred to in his broadcast, how many vehicles of His Majesty's Forces were involved in these accidents?

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Aircraft Production if he is aware that the slow payment by the Government of accounts of main contractors and consequent non-payment of the sub-contractors is impeding production of aircraft and components; and whether he will take steps to remedy this?

I am not aware of any undue delay in the payment of sums due to aircraft contractors. On the contrary, this Ministry has made very complete arrangements for the prompt settlement of sums due to them. These arrangements provide for progress payments to main contractors of the full amounts paid by them to sub-contractors. If, however, my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of any cases he has in mind, I shall be glad to look into them.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the fact that many men in the Royal Air Force are frequently moved from station to station, and the consequent difficulty in many cases of commanding officers getting to know these men with a view to putting them forward for commissions, he will make it a general rule for all stations that men be permitted to make direct application to their commanding officers to be considered for commission?

It is open to an airman who thinks that his claims to considera- tion for a commission have been over-looked to represent his case to his superior officer, but I will look into the procedure having regard to the difficulty referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether many men selected as suitable for training as air-crew are employed for months on general duties; and whether sufficient facilities exist to enable their education to be taken In hand at once?

Men selected for air-crew duties have the choice of either being placed on deferred service and remaining in their civil occupation until their turn for training comes or, if they so desire, of being accepted for immediate service on ground defence duties during the waiting period. The period of deferred service or of employment on ground defence duties is the same in either case and varies according to the number of recruits awaiting training in each category of air-crew. For those who choose immediate service on ground defence duties, educational facilities are already provided at Royal Air Force stations and arrangements are in hand for additional instruction to assist them in their air-crew training.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that in many cases the advancement of convoy signal ratings is being unduly delayed owing to the loss or mislaying of their service papers in depot; that some who have passed for leading signalman are still drawing the pay of ordinary signalmen for the same reason; and whether he will authorise the issue of duplicate papers in cases where there has been a delay of three months or more?

Some delay in tracing the papers of convoy signalmen is often unavoidable, in view of their frequent changes of base. In only three cases, however, has this delay been substantial. The man's advancement is, of course, always antedated and arrears of pay made up. As soon as the loss of papers is established duplicates are prepared, but I should prefer not to bind myself to the time limit suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether His Majesty's Government in Australia have been kept fully informed of the dissatisfaction felt in this country with Japanese policy in relation to the Axis, with the object of avoiding public official statements which may conflict with such a point of view?

It is the practice of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom to communicate fully with His Majesty's Government in Australia on all important questions of international concern. I can assure the hon. Member that there is no divergence between the two Governments with regard to this matter.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware of the expense and inconvenience caused to persons settling up small estates of between £500 and £1,000 gross, due to the fact that Somerset House is closed for probate registration, and there is no district probate registry anywhere near London thus necessitating a long and expensive journey or the employment of a solicitor; and will he take steps to obviate this hardship?

It became necessary to remove the Principal Probate Registry from London in September 1940, owing to the damage caused by enemy action to the Estate Duty Office, with which this Registry acts in the closest collaboration. The very fact of removal combined with the resulting separation from the bulk of the records, which remain in London, inevitably throws additional burdens on the staff. The staff of the Registry has also been seriously depleted by the calling up of the younger members for service with the armed Forces. In these circumstances it was necessary to absorb those officers who are normally employed in the Personal Application Department into the general body of the Registry staff, and it would be impossible to detach them as a separate unit for work in London without seriously impairing the efficiency of the Registry as a whole. No improvised substitute for this Department would be satisfactory, as it is a specialised branch which combines, in effect, the functions of a solicitor to the applicant with those of an Officer of the Registry. Accordingly by the Principal Probate Registry (Non-Contentious Business) Order 1940, of the 17th September last this Department of the Principal Probate Registry was closed and my Noble Friend the Lord Chancellor is unable to hold out any hope that this decision can be reversed. The facilities for dealing with estates not exceeding £500 through officers of His Majesty's Customs are not affected by this Order. It is not understood why the figure of £1,000 is mentioned in the Question, as no such limit is imposed on the operations of the Personal Application Department. As regards the statement in the Question that there is no district probate registry anywhere near London, there are in fact within less than 70 miles of London, five district probate registries, Ipswich, Oxford, Winchester, Lewes and Northampton, at all of which facilities for personal applications are still provided.

asked the Home Secretary what measure of protection wardens are expected to use against incendiary bombs?

Wardens have already been instructed in this matter and they are kept informed of developments in technique.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements have been made for the evacuation of mothers and children from this country to Eire; and what billeting allowances are paid in respect of such evacuees?

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the circular recently issued which sets out in detail the arrangements agreed with the Government of Eire.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the grow- ing practice of discharging patients admitted to central London hospitals from peripheral emergency medical service hospitals, thus involving them in substantial fares from the point of discharge to their homes; and whether he will arrange for all such patients to be transported free of cost from the peripheral hospital to their admission hospital, prior to discharge?

It is right that patients transferred from central London hospitals to peripheral hospitals should, when ready for discharge, be discharged from the peripheral hospital. To return them to the hospital of admission would be of no advantage and would involve the inner hospitals in a great deal of unnecessary work. Instructions were, however, given to all hospitals soon after the beginning of the war that where a patient is transferred to a hospital some distance out, and payment of the fare home would involve serious hardship, the cost of the railway fare may be paid by the hospital and will be reimbursed by my Department. I am not aware of cases in which hospitals are failing to carry out this instruction and I should be glad to investigate any of which the hon. Member may have knowledge.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will reconsider his decision to insist upon wooden slats for bunks in shelters in view of the fact that where wooden slats have been installed in the bunks they are frequently broken and harbour vermin?

The contracts for the supply of bunks for public air raid shelters were placed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Home Security. My hon. Friend will realise that it was necessary to secure delivery and installation of the bunks without avoidable delay, and they had to be made of such materials as could readily be obtained without interference with the production of supplies of more direct and vital importance to the national war effort. The local authorities who control the shelters will, I am sure, take every practicable step to reduce breakages to a minimum and to disinfect any equipment which may be found to be verminous.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can now make some statement regarding the Government's intention to adjust the payment to old age pensioners, having regard to the increased cost of living?

I would refer to the answer which I gave on 23rd January to the hon. Member for West Fife (Mr Gallacher).

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered, or will consider, increasing the rate of pension and allowance to widows of between 50 and 60 years of age with dependent children, particularly in view of the hardships prevailing among this section of the community?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Glenvil Hall) on 28th January.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that many business concerns in Northern Ireland have low pre-war profits, if any, and for the purpose of determining the amount of Excess Profits Tax, will he arrange that a Board of Referees under Clause 13 is set up in Northern Ireland, as it is within the powers of the Board of Referees to determine such profits and not the Commissioners?

I have this matter under consideration and I will communicate with my hon. and gallant Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total of the advances by the clearing banks to farmers outstanding, prior to the outbreak of hostilities, at the 31st January of each year for the period 1930–1939?

I regret these figures are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will convene a conference of bankers for the purpose of discussing with them an extension of the scheme by which the banks have reduced the interest rate on deposit to encourage subscriptions to National War Bonds, which now only relates to deposits taken on special terms, so as to make a deposit rate of 10s. per cent. extend to all deposits, with a view to enabling the banks to offset the lesser amount they would have to pay out by way of interest by reducing the rate of interest to agricultural borrowers and Government contractors and sub-contractors for armament work from 5 per cent. to 3 per cent.?

No, Sir. I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement of the Financial Secretary on 6th August last.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that many premises in the East End of London, seriously damaged by enemy aircraft, have not been visited by representatives of the Treasury to ascertain and assess the degree and amount of damage to the stock and premises; and whether he will expedite such necessary inquiries.

Compensation for damage to stocks insurable under the Commodities Insurance Scheme is a matter for my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, to whom any question on the subject should be addressed. As regards damage to premises, the hon. Member will appreciate that the position is affected by the provisions of the War Damage Bill which is at present under consideration by Parliament.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will receive a deputation from the Conjoint Conference of Public Utility Undertakings with regard to the provisions of the War Damage Bill and kindred matters?

As my hon. Friend will be aware, war damage to the properties of Public Utility Undertakings will be the subject of separate legislation, and I should prefer to make further progress with the present Bill before receiving such a deputation as he proposes. This course will not in any way prejudice the position of the undertakings and will enable the Government to give further consideration to the complicated issues involved.

asked the President of the Board of Education what was, on 6th December, 1940, the average attendance of the 942,278 elementary schoolchildren in evacuation areas who were enrolled with full and half-time education at that date; and whether any later figures are available?

Of the 849,030 public elementary schoolchildren in evacuation areas, other than Southampton, who were enrolled for full-time instruction, 652,209 (76.8 per cent.) were in attendance on 6th December. Of the 93,248 enrolled for half-time instruction 71,386 (76.6 per cent.) were in attendance. No later figures are available.

asked the Minister of Health the amounts advanced to approved societies to meet claims for benefits and administration expenses for 1939 and 1940, respectively; and whether, bearing in mind the considerable number of insured persons serving in the Forces who are not entitled to most of the benefits, he will give an assurance that no undue strain is caused on the funds of the National Health Insurance Scheme?

As regards the first part of the Question, the sums issued from the National Health Insurance Fund (England) to Approved Societies to meet the cost of benefits and administration were as follow—

	£
1939	20,613,000
1940	21,249,000

As regards the second part, the hon. Member will appreciate that while a member is serving in the Forces he is not entitled to sickness and disablement benefits and that the expenses of administration are also reduced. The special contribution for this class, namely, 3d. a week, together with the State grant, is estimated to be sufficient to provide for the limited benefits during service and for the man's resumption of ordinary insurance after discharge.

asked the Attorney-General (1) whether any steps are in contemplation to induce persons who have reached the age of 75 years to offer their resignations as Justices of the Peace; how many Justices are over the age of 80 and continue to perform their duties on the Bench; and whether he will consider giving discretion to the Lords Lieutenant of counties, in consultation with the Lord Chamberlain's Office, to write demanding resignation of any Justices of the Peace who, through infirmity, either mental or physical, are unable satisfactorily to carry out their duties;(2) on what grounds, under present circumstances, he demands the resignation from the Bench of a Justice of the Peace?

The Commissions of the Peace are, of course, under the control of the Lord Chancellor and a system was introduced in 1938 under which magistrates who, for reasons of age or other infirmity, are no longer able to discharge their duties in Court with full efficiency can be placed upon a Supplemental List so that, while no longer sit-sing on the Bench, they continue to hold the position of Justice of the Peace for administrative purposes. This system has produced good results in many cases, and moreover, since November, 1940, it has been a condition of the appointment of all persons to the Commission of the Peace that they should apply to be placed upon the Supplemental List on attaining the age of 75. Further on the 22nd November, 1940, the Lord Chancellor addressed a circular letter to the Chairmen of all his Advisory Committees, both in counties and boroughs, requesting them to bring the wishes of the Lord Chancellor to the notice of Justices in all appropriate cases. Justices are removed from the Bench in cases of serious misconduct, or conviction for crime, but my Noble Friend considers that the use of the Supplemental List is more appropriate for cases of failing physical powers, such as deafness. If the present system does not result in an adequate transfer to the Supplemental List, the Lord Chancellor will not hesitate to ask Parliament for further powers. It would not be possible to say with precision how many justices over the age of 80 continue to perform their duties on the Bench without very considerable research and the examination of an immense number of files.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, as representing the Ministry of Food, whether, if people withhold edible articles such as poultry and rabbits because of the controlled prices, he will consider taking powers to requisition these commodities wherever they may be found and to pay for them at such controlled prices?

My Noble Friend has now made an Order fixing maximum prices for poultry from the producer to the consumer. In addition, maximum wholesale prices were recently fixed for rabbits supplementary to the retail prices which were fixed some time ago. My Noble Friend is of opinion that these prices are such as to encourage the flow of poultry and rabbits. I might add that my Noble Friend already has the powers of requisition which it is suggested that he should take. The compensation for the property so requisitioned is payable in accordance with the provisions of the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food the articles and quantities of food rationed during the Great War and the present war, giving the dates when they were imposed in each case?

I am having this information extracted and will send it to my hon. Friend. I will also arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.