asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Government add the usual allowance of 17s. a week to the obligatory allotment made by a soldier to his wife in cases where, prior to enlistment, such soldier was making her a weekly payment of £1 under a court order?

Family allowance is not payable in such a case. Where a wife has a court order against her husband, he is required to contribute from his pay towards her support so much of the amount prescribed in the order as is possible within the limits laid down in Section 145 (2) of the Army Act, and, if this amount is less than that prescribed in the order (or such less amount as she may have previously agreed to accept), an addition is given to her in the form of a supplementary allowance from Army Funds, provided that the total payment does not exceed the amount which she would have received by way of allowance and qualifying allotment from the soldier's pay if she had not been separated from him.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can make arrangements with the Assistance Board to disregard a soldier's proficiency pay as household income if the soldier should allot this pay to his dependants?

As I explained to my hon. Friend in answer to a Question last Tuesday, a soldier is required to allot part of his pay towards a dependant's allowance, and may also make a voluntary allotment as a clear addition to that allowance. For this purpose, there is no reason to distinguish between proficiency pay and other pay. If my hon. Friend has in mind the assessment of household income for the purpose of an allowance granted by the Assistance Board, that is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service.

asked the Secretary of State for War, whether he has caused inquiries to be made into conditions at the Scottish barracks, of which particulars have been sent him by the honourable Member for West Fife; what representations have been made to put forward the normal time for men to report back from 9.30 p.m. to midnight, or at earliest 11 p.m., with, in the latter case, opportunity for two late passes a week.

I have called for a report, and will inform the hon. Member as soon as it has been received and considered.

asked the Secretary of State for War his reason for failing to have the commanding officer of a training centre, of which he has been informed, court-martialled for brutality on conscientious objectors, as he was aware of, and responsible for, such brutal treatment?

The proceedings of the court of inquiry did not disclose any facts on which such a charge could be made against the commanding officer.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that contrary to his instruction, referred to in his answer of 6th August, 1940, sick soldiers discharged from hospital have still to report at their depots before proceeding on leave to their homes thus causing unnecessary travelling and expenses; and whether he will make the instruction generally known to the officers concerned?

The rule that a man may be granted leave direct from hospital applies except where he has been in hospital for less than 21 days. In the latter case, he will normally be near his unit, and little extra travelling will be involved. I am, however, having the matter further examined.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will state, with reference to the substitution, as from 28th December, 1940, of a cash allowance for other ranks in place of certain items of food previously issued to all ranks in kind, the grounds upon which officers have been excluded from receiving since that date either those items in kind or the cash allowance in lieu of them?

:When in 1937 an improvement in the Army ration was made so as to provide the soldier with a supper meal, it was not considered necessary to make similar provision for the officer, whose daily meals are differently arranged and who has always been expected to contribute towards his messing from his pay. In June last, a service ration in kind was introduced for the Army at home and it was not practicable to differentiate between officers and men in the quantities issued. When the change was made to which my hon. Friend refers, the reason for giving the same ration to all ranks disappeared.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that when swill is collected callers are often given small lots of ordinary food stores either for money or free; and whether any periodic and unexpected tests are made of what is disposed of as swill?

The officer commanding a unit is personally responsible for ensuring that no edible food is disposed of as swill, and he has the assistance of a messing officer who has received special training with regard to the proper conservation of food. In addition, surprise inspections are carried out regularly by inspectors of messing by products who have been appointed for this express purpose, and disciplinary action is taken in all cases where irregularities are discovered.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give the House any information about any steps being taken to impress German and Italian prisoners of war with our own point of view and war aims?

German prisoners of war, and also Italian prisoners of war so far as is possible in present circumstances, are given full opportunity to read British newspapers and listen to the B.B.C. programmes, and I think that that is the best method to employ.

asked the Secretary for Petroleum how many officials employed at the divisional petroleum office at Cambridge were employés of political organisations prior to receiving their present appointments; and how many officials in this office are in receipt of pensions in respect of previous employment in the Colonial service.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "two" and to the second part "one."

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has considered the resolution passed by the Greenock Cooperative Party protesting against sending unemployed girls from Greenock to work in England, a copy of which was forwarded to him with a covering letter by the secretary; and whether he has any statement to make on the subject?

:I have received a resolution on this subject from the Greenock Trades Council and Labour Party, but not, so far as I can trace, from the Greenock Co-operative Party. Full account of the circumstances is taken in every case, but I could not consistently with my responsibilities agree to the proposition that employment in England is in no circumstances suitable for persons of Scottish nationality.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the officials of the Sussex Women's Land Army have suggested to the Sussex Wages Committee that the rate for women, already below the rate fixed in several other counties, should be substantially decreased; and whether, as this is a disservice to agriculture and the national effort, he will deprecate such action?

I am aware that representations were made by the Sussex Women's Land Army to the Sussex Agricultural Wages Committee to the effect that the particularly high minimum wage rate fixed in that county for women workers of 21 and over working on a weekly basis was proving prejudicial to the employment of these women, and that as a result adjustments have been made by the Agricultural Wages Committee so that the minimum rate for all women workers of 18 and over is now the same, as is the practice in many other counties. The action taken was designed to deal with the difficulty caused by divergencies in women's wage rates throughout the country. Those now fixed in Sussex compare not unfavourably with the wages payable in other counties.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will define a surplus farm; how many such farms there are; whether these farms have to sell any surplus cereals; whether enough is left to them for their milch cows and lambing ewes; and whether he will investigate the complaints that this is not the case?

The surplus farmer is one whose production of corn is in excess of the total supplies of concentrates required for his livestock on the ration scales allowed under the Rationing Scheme. The number of such farmers is not known. The surplus farmer is not compelled to sell his surplus, but unless he sells it or uses it for seed on his own farm or gives an undertaking that it will be disposed of in one or other of these two ways, he cannot obtain coupons to enable him to purchase other kinds of cereals of other concentrates that he may need. The Scheme provides, in the opinion of the committee of experts by whom it was devised, adequate rations for milch cows and lambing ewes, but if any farmer can satisfy his county war agricultural executive committee that there are special circumstances in his case which result in his supplies being inadequate, he may on application to the committee, receive authority to buy additional supplies.

asked the Minister of Health what is the relation between communal centres for feeding evacuees and the communal feeding centres proposed by the Ministry of Food; and, in particular, whether centres established under the Ministry of Health can be opened to categories of persons proposed to be provided for by the Ministry of Food?

It has been arranged that responsibility for feeding centres for evacuated persons shall be transferred to the Ministry of Food as from the 1st March, 1941. Following this transfer the centres will be open to all members of the public.

asked the Minister of Health, by whom, and when, was the suggestion made for a meeting of local medical war committees to be addressed by him in London; and whether he is aware that there have been few, if any, meetings of the committees to enable them to appoint the representative to attend the meeting in London?

The suggestion was made in January to my predecessor by the Secretary of the Central Medical War Committee. I am not aware what steps the local medical war committees took to appoint their representatives.

asked the Minister of Health why, having regard to the assurances given in this House that the Central Medical War Committee and local medical war committees are independent of, and nothing to do with, the British Medical Association, he arranged for the meeting of representatives of the local medical war committees, to be addressed by him, to be held at the British Medical Association House?

Neither ray predecessor nor I arranged where the meeting called by the Central Medical War Committee was to be held, but as British Medical Association House is the office of the Committee it is natural that the meeting should be held there.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will publish the conclusions of the committee recently appointed to advise as to the distribution of medical man-power between the several civil and fighting services and general medical practice?

Yes, Sir. I shall shortly be in a position to publish these conclusions.

asked the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether he has considered the desirability of establishing a university in Jerusalem with power to issue degrees in law and in the liberal professions, modelled upon the University of London Act and on the Orders in Council establishing the universities of Hong Kong and Malta?

Suggestions have been made from time to time for the establishment of a British university in the Middle East either at Jerusalem or some other centre, but no practicable scheme is in sight. As the hon. Member will be aware, there is already a Hebrew University at Jerusalem which confers Degrees in Arts and in Sciences. The Arts courses cover, besides Jewish Studies and Oriental Studies, General Humanities; but do not include Law.

asked the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether he will take steps to amend the Western Wall Order of 1931 in order to enable His Majesty's subjects of the Hebrew persuasion to worship at the Wailing Wall on the Day of Atonement by permitting the blowing of the ram's horn, a vital item of the religious service on that day?

The Secretary of State is not aware of any reasons for amending the provision in question, which formed part of the conclusions of the Commission set up in 1930 by His Majesty's Government, with the approval of the Council of the League of Nations, to determine the rights and claims of Moslems and Jews in connection with the Wailing Wall.

asked the Minister of Information whether he can make any statement as to the use made by foreign propaganda machinery hostile to this country of the recent broadcasts by Sir Robert Vansittart?

The machinery to which the hon. Member refers has attempted to make use of the broadcasts in question and to misrepresent them. No attempt however has been made to deny the accuracy of any of Sir Robert Vansittart's statements.

asked the Minister of Information whether he is aware that announcements are frequently made over the wireless on agricultural and other matters without any indication being given as to whether they do, or do not, apply to Scotland; that much confusion and inconvenience has resulted during recent weeks because of this; and will he take steps to ensure that a clear indication is given as to which countries are affected when such announcements are made?

Yes, Sir, I find that the instructions previously given on this subject have not succeeded in avoiding all confusion. I am seeking the co-operation of the other Departments concerned in improving the present machinery in order to ensure that each announcement is clearly worded and clearly addressed to the audience for which it is intended.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the average payment, and the maximum payment in any case, made in respect of claims for the replacement of essential furniture in houses destroyed by enemy action?

:I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave him on 28th January. Information is not available as to the maximum amount paid in any one case. The nature and amount of the payments to be made in future have been reviewed in connection with the War Damage Bill, and I hope to make a full statement on the matter when the Bill has been recommitted.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that, in Lancashire, fish friers who used to sell cooked peas can no longer buy them in bulk, with the result that these are virtually unobtainable except in packages, which cost far more than can be passed on to the consumers; and what is the reason for this particular regulation which prejudicially affects the supply of cheap popular food?

Imports of dried green and blue peas, which before the war formed the major portion of our total supplies of this food have been very drastically curtailed since the invasion of Holland and Belgium, and the closing of the Mediterranean, with the result that for some months there has been a unavoidable general shortage of this foodstuff. Supplies of home-grown peas have by directions of the Ministry of Food been offered by the pea-pickers to canners, packeters and wholesale grocers in quantities proportionate to their sales of the 1938 crop to each class of buyer but the supplies available, except for seed purposes, are nearly exhausted. It is hoped that a larger acreage will be planted for the crop of edible threshed peas this spring, and the Ministry is preparing plans for the equitable distribution of the crop when it is marketed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can now make a statement as to the proportion of calcium to be added to the Ministry's fortified loaf; and whether, in view of the fact that the clinical effect of adding calcium in unspecified quantities to the diet is a matter to be determined by clinicians rather than by laboratory observations, the committee which it is stated is examining this question has in its composition the weight of clinical authority necessary to decide a purely clinical question?

I am not yet in a position to indicate what amount of calcium will be added to flour. All the medical aspects of this question will"be borne in mind by the Medical Research Council when formulating their advice.