asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can now state the result of his inquiries into the action of a colonel at zone headquarters, Home Guard, with respect to the selection of officers?

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to a letter sent by Colonel Woods of zone headquarters, Home Guard, to all group and mobile battalion commanders under his command, enclosing copies of the recent letter of Lieut.-Colonel R. C. Bingham to the Press and indicating that Lieut.-Colonel Bingham's views should be borne in mind in selecting men for commissions in the Home Guard; and whether he will give an assurance that this officer will be replaced by one prepared to ensure that Home Guard officers will be selected on merit alone and issue an instruction to all the group and mobile battalion commanders to whom this letter was sent that it must be disregarded in the letter and spirit when making these selections?

My inquiries into this matter are not yet completed. It is an instruction to the Selection Boards which recommend appointments to commissions in the Home Guard that officers will be chosen primarily for their powers of leadership and the confidence they are likely to inspire in all ranks, and that business, social or political prominence will not be regarded as a qualification in this respect. The Command concerned in this case has been directed to draw the particular attention of the Selection Board to the instruction I have referred to, and has been asked for its recommendation regarding the zone commander. As soon as a decision has been reached, I will circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, as members of the Home Guard are to be compensated for loss of wages if general mobilisation for whole time emergency service in the event of an invasion should take place, he can give an assurance that similar compensation will be paid to members of the Home Guard on duty who are detained during working hours for fire fighting or other similar duties?

It is intended that compensation for loss of wages, under the general conditions applicable to Civil Defence volunteers, shall be paid to members of the Home Guard who are detailed for fire-fighting or similar duties as part of their Home Guard duty and lose wages in consequence of being detained on such duties with due authority. It is, however, hoped that the occasions on which such interference with a man's normal occupation arises will be very exceptional.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will go carefully into the particulars of the case submitted to him, and others of a similar kind, where residences and appurtenances have been taken over by the military authorities without adequate compensation being provided; and whether he will give instructions that all such persons shall receive a fair award for their houses and grounds so commandeered?

I am awaiting a report on the case to which my hon. Friend refers, and I am certainly ready to give sympathetic consideration to all such cases that are brought to my attention. As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, compensation payable for requisitioned property is governed by the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will institute a speed limit for all motor vehicles during black-out hours, of not more than 15 miles an hour, in order to reduce the loss of life and limb on the roads?

No, Sir. I do not think that the step suggested would have an appreciable result in reducing accidents and it would, in so far as it could be enforced, have a hampering effect on the war effort.

asked the Minister without Portfolio whether, in considering problems of reconstruction after the war is finished, any effort is being made to devise methods to prevent the poorest classes of the community from having their standard of living still further depressed as a result of the widespread loss of wealth due to the destruction of property by enemy action and to the cost of our own war effort?

Yes, Sir; the matter referred to in my hon. Friend's Question is one of the most important problems of social and economic reconstruction.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that collection of import duty seriously retards the war effort by causing delays at ports and, as any duty collected is eventually paid back by the Government, plus considerable profit to manufacturers, he will consider abolishing this useless and wasteful formality?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the Question he asked on 28th November last.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in order to avoid wasteful and unnecessary printing, he will instruct the revenue authorities not to require envelopes, which are unsuitable for postal purposes, to be printed as a condition of exemption from Purchase Tax?

Envelopes are prima facie stationery and therefore taxable unless in any case it can be shown, whether by the printing on them or otherwise, that they are suitable only for use as containers of goods or coin.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Post Office insist upon trustees and the beneficiary signing declaration before permitting the purchase of War Savings Certificates; that the difficulty of obtaining signature of a beneficiary in Tasmania is such that investment in War Savings Certificates will he prevented by the attitude of the Post Office authorities; and will he reconsider this decision?

In view of the limit upon the individual holding of Savings Certificates, the Post Office requires to be informed at the time of a purchase by a trustee of the name of the beneficiary. Under the Regulations the account is then dealt with as a joint holding by the trustee and the beneficiary and the Post Office accordingly requires to be furnished with specimen signatures of the parties. I would, however, point out that these requirements do not prevent, and need not delay, the purchase of Certificates by trustees on behalf of beneficiaries resident in the sterling area. Where a signature cannot conveniently be given at the time of purchase, arrangements are made to obtain the signature at a later date.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether an individual who holds £1,000 3 per cent. Defence Bonds for his exclusive benefit is permitted at the same time to enjoy a beneficial interest, acquired otherwise than by inheritance, in a further £1,000 of these bonds held by a trustee?

When the interest of a beneficiary in a trust holding of 3 per cent. Defence Bonds is an absolute interest, the trust holding and his personal holding must not together exceed £1,000 unless the excess is due to inheritance. As regards the purchase of 3 per cent. Defence Bonds by trustees on behalf of trusts in which the beneficiaries' interests are not absolute I would refer my hon. Friend to the Post Office Register Provisional Regulations and the Post Office Register (Trustee Savings Banks) Provisional Regulations, 1940.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether an individual who holds £1,00 3 per cent. Defence Bonds is permitted at the same time to hold as trustee a further £1,000 of these bonds in which he has no beneficial interest?

Under the terms of the Regulations governing the matter, no account is taken in calculating a person's holding of 3 per cent. Defence Bonds for the purposes of the maximum limit imposed by the prospectus, of any bonds held by him as a trustee in which he has no interest other than as trustee. Only £1,000 of bonds may be held for any one trust. When the beneficiary in a trust has an absolute beneficial interest in the trust, any bonds held by the trust on his behalf must be included in the calculation of his total holding for the purpose of the maximum limit of £1,000.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that hardship has ensued as a result of the decision of his predecessor, made in February, 1940, that the spouse's contributory pension must be included in the joint yearly means for the purposes of a contributory pension under the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936; and whether, having regard thereto and to the terms of Section 1 (b) of the First Schedule of that Act, he will state the grounds for that decision and reconsider the matter or, if necessary, introduce amending legislation?

There is no provision in the law which permits the exclusion of a contributory pension from the calculation of the joint means of a married couple to determine the title of one of them to a non-contributory pension under the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936. I am not aware that cases of hardship arise from the operation of the law, and any cases of need would be eligible for consideration under the scheme of supplementary pensions embodied in the legislation of last Session.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, whether His Majesty's Government has received any information as to the origin and circulation of forged British banknotes in Switzerland?

Reports have recently been received of the circulation of forged Bank of England notes in Switzerland and the matter has been referred to Scotland Yard for investigation. My hon. Friend will appreciate that I am not in a position to make any public statement as to the origin of these forgeries but I should say that the few specimens of forged Bank of England notes which have been received in this country in recent months are all easily recognisable as forgeries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that British firms who sold goods to Germany before the war had to accept property in Germany in payment for such goods; that these British firms had their premises confiscated by the Nazi Government before the outbreak of war, and that such firms were paid nominal compensation in blocked marks; and whether he is prepared to give the Enemy Trade Debts Committee power to make advances to such traders whose property has been so confiscated in the same way as advances are being made to those having goods immobilised in enemy territory and debts in respect of goods due from German firms, in order that such British firms may continue their export trade?

I am not aware of any general application of the principles referred to in the first two parts of the Question, though I am aware of a particular case (to which my hon. Friend referred in a Question to my predecessor on 1st February, 1940) where property was accepted by arrangement with a German importer. The answer to the last part of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, since oats are now almost unobtainable by poultry keepers throughout the country, and as this is to a large extent brought about by the labelling of all available supplies of oats as seed oats, irrespective of whether they will ultimately be sold as seed oats, he will take steps to ensure that some supplies are available to the poultry keepers throughout the country?

It is usual at this season of the year for a large part of the sales of oats to be devoted to seed. The ration coupons or cards issued to poultry keepers will enable them to purchase other suitable feedingstuffs if oats are not available in sufficient quantity.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, with a view to ensuring that the maximum number of chicks possible is reared this season, he will confer with the Minister of Food with a view to ensuring an immediate release of an adequate quantity of cut wheat to assist the poultry keepers to rear their chicks?

It is not desired that poultry keepers should rear the maximum possible number of chicks this season. The second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he. is aware that a large number of pregnant sows and gilts have recently been slaughtered; and, as this practice was prohibited in the Great War, whether he will arrange for feeding-stuffs to be allocated to these in preference to other stock?

I am aware that there has been an increase in the number of sows and gilts offered for slaughter and this is to be expected in view of the need to reduce the pig population in consequence of the shortage of feeding-stuffs. I have no evidence, however, of excessive offerings for slaughter of pregnant sows and gilts. In general, pig keepers must adjust their operations to accord with the supply of feeding-stuffs available to them.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether members of the general public have access to the official stenographic reports of the proceedings of Royal Commissions sitting in public; and what facilities are provided for their consulting such records?

Publication of official reports of the proceedings of a Royal Commission is a matter for consideration by the Commission itself. Members of the general public are of course at liberty to take notes of any proceedings held in public.

asked the Home Secretary for how many hours out of the 24 those detained in Brixton Prison under Regulation 18B are placed in solitary confinement in locked cells; what is the size of the cells; and what temperature is maintained throughout the 24 hours?

The answer to the first part of the Question is 13½ hours; and to the second part, 13 feet by 7 feet 3 inches by 9 feet 6 inches. As regards the third part, the temperatures during January varied between 49 degrees and 54 degrees.

asked the Home Secretary whether a decision has been reached as to the release of Mr. Jabob Wolloch, whose application was supported by the Divisioner Controller, the Ministry of Labour, as far back as August last?

From the inquiries which I have made it appears that the suggestion that the certificate required for the purpose of Category 6 of the White Paper was furnished to the Home Office in August last is mistaken, but I am looking into the case and will communicate with my right hon. Friend.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will consider substituting a pro rata reduction of supplies of manufacturing meat to all retailers alike instead of cutting off supplies entirely from certain retailers only?

The change in the method of allocating meat for manufacturing to certain butchers has not resulted in the cutting off of all their supplies; the retailers affected will, in future, receive an additional 2½per cent. of the supplies they are entitled to purchase for their registered customers, this addition being allocated to them for manufacturing purposes. This is the same arrangement as applies to all retailers who do not benefit by the special arrangement which, prior to the change, was in force in the case of those retailers whose utilisation of meat for manufacturing amounted to at least 10 cwts. per week on the average in 1938. This minimum has now been raised to one ton. The change was introduced after consultation with the national organisations of the retail meat trade and has generally been approved by them. Its object is to make supplies of manufacturing meat available to pork butchers in lieu of pork since, with its inclusion in the meat ration, pork may be sold only by general butchers.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will issue a statement saying what wild plants and herbs may be used beneficially, either cooked or raw, in place of cultivated vegetables?

My Noble Friend has considered the suggestion made by my hon. and gallant Friend, but he is advised that at present no useful purpose would be served by adding to the existing published material on this subject already available to the public.