asked the Home Secretary whether the issue of overcoats and second uniforms to members of the Auxiliary Fire Service has now been completed?

As my hon. Friend is probably aware, uniform clothing for members of the Auxiliary Fire Service is provided by local authorities. I understand that the supply of lined waterproof coats is proceeding satisfactorily and over 140,000 have already been issued. Except for men on specially exposed duties the issue of overcoats has not been authorised. The position with regard to the provision of a second uniform for whole-time men varies in different localities, but considerable progress has been made in spite of manufacturing difficulties and I hope that in most brigades the issue will be completed within the next three months.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the scheme, whereby full-time Civil Defence employés can obtain cheap fares to visit their evacuated families, is now in operation?

There is no special scheme for full-time Civil Defence workers to obtain cheap fares to visit their families, but the cheap facilities available in evacuation areas for visits to evacuees are, of course, open to these workers on the same conditions as to others.

asked the Minister of Health whether owners wishing to return to their furnished houses, which in their temporary absence have been occupied by evacuees or bombed-out tenants, have any right of displacement?

There is no such right of displacement. I have, however, made it clear to local authorities that they should not requisition furnished houses until all other accommodation has been exhausted, and where such houses have been requisitioned I have no doubt that they would, where circumstances permit, give sympathetic consideration to applications from owners who wished to resume occupation.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has considered the letter from Mr. Arthur E. Wilson, 10, Austen Walk, Lincoln, drawing his attention to the position of blind workers, and, in particular, to blind machine knitters; and has he any statement to make?

I have received this letter. It contains proposals for the allocation of woollen yarn and of contracts for knitted goods on which I am consulting the other Departments concerned.

asked the Minister of Labour whether proposals are being considered for fresh medical examination of those in the younger age groups who have previously been rejected for military service; and whether service of those still medically unfit will be made available for work of national importance?

:A fresh medical examination is made in any case where special reasons exist, but I am advised that there is no sufficient reason for a general re-examination. Subject to their physical capabilities, those concerned have the same liability to be directed to undertake work of national importance as any other men who have not been called up to the Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the military authorities have recently requisitioned Sunday schools for the use of troops in a certain town; that in these Sunday schools the military officers have provided bars at which intoxicating beverages are supplied in spite of the protests of the trustees; and whether the provision and sale of intoxicants in these Sunday schools has the authority of the War Office?

The provision and sale of intoxicants in requisitioned Sunday schools is contrary to War Office policy, and instructions to this effect were issued shortly after the outbreak of war. I am informed that in the town to which my lion. Friend refers, a case recently occurred in which these instructions were not observed. An apology was immediately offered by the unit commander concerned, and I understand that the matter was settled amicably. No other case has been brought to notice.

asked the Secretary of State for War when he will be in a position to make a statement on the question of the investigation of household incomes for purpose of soldiers' dependants allowances, and their relation to the Determination of Needs Bill?

I am afraid that I have nothing to add at present to the statement made by my right hon. and gallant Friend on this subject on Thursday last.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many cases have been brought to his attention of the alleged employment of Home Guards for police purposes in connection with industrial disputes; and whether he will consider if any action is required to prevent employers wrongfully involving the Home Guard in circumstances concerning their business or of an industrial nature.

My right hon. and gallant Friend is at present investigating a case of the alleged employment of members of the Home Guard in connection with an industrial dispute which was brought to his attention by my hon. Friend the Member for North Lambeth (Mr. G. Strauss). No other cases have come to notice, and I think that employers generally are well aware that the Home Guard has no duties whatever in connection with factory disputes.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the urgency of the problem, he anticipates being able to introduce before Easter the promised measure modifying the Landlord and Tenant Act, 1939?

I regret that I am unable to say whether the measure to which the hon. Members refers will be ready for introduction before Easter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can give the latest figures showing the increase of land placed under the plough during the past winter?

I do not think it would be in the public interest to publish the figures asked for by my hon. and gallant Friend but I can assure him that satisfactory progress continues to be made with the ploughing-up campaign.

asked the Ministry of Agriculture whether he will take steps to make available supplies of strychnine for the destruction of foxes on estates which have been as denuded of labour as to make impossible ordinary methods of dealing with this nuisance?

I am not satisfied that there is sufficient justification in any circumstances for an amendment of the Poisons Rules to enable this dangerous poison to be purchased for the purpose of killing foxes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can make a statement as regards the methods employed by his Department to co-operate with the Ministry of Supply in the allocation of superphosphates to growers of sugar-beet and other essential foodstuffs, since in Worcestershire and other parts of the country many of the recognised suppliers have not been made familiar with the modus operandi of the scheme which has been communicated to the county war agricultural committees throughout the country?

My hon. Friend possibly has in mind an arrangement made last January whereby limited quantities of superphosphate were earmarked as county reserves. This arrangement was fully explained to suppliers at the time and has worked satisfactorily. No other special procedure for allocating superphosphate is in operation, and in any case the reserves available for use this spring are practically all exhausted and the productive capacity of manufacturers of superphosphate and compounds is fully occupied in complying with outstanding orders for delivery before the end of April.

asked the Home Secretary whether casuals by adopting a vagrant life avoid any form of national service; of how many cases has he been notified in which casuals, having no identity cards, have wandered indiscriminately even in defence areas; whether the police have been empowered to arrest for failure to produce identity cards; and whether he will order that casuals, having no identity cards, may be detained pending registration or production of evidence of registration?

In reply to the first part of the Question, I would refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour to a Question by the hon. Member for Tamworth (Sir J. Mellor) on 19th February. I have no information as to the number of cases of vagrants found wandering without identity cards, but I have no reason to think that the number is substantial. I do not think that the special steps which my right hon. Friend suggests should be taken would be justified or would offer any effective safeguard from the point of view of public security.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is his intention to treat loss due to looting from premises damaged by enemy action as a risk covered by the Commodity Insurance Scheme?

No, Sir. Loss by looting is not a risk to which Part.II of the War Risks Insurance Act, 1939, applies.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the plight in which many single women find themselves on reaching the age of 60 because, although, in many instances, they had paid health insurance for many years without receiving benefits, yet were unable to get insurable employment in the years immediately preceding their attainment of the age of 60; and whether he will introduce amending legislation enabling single women to obtain old age pensions at the age of 60 providing that their previous contributions reach a sufficient aggregate, irrespective of the years during which they were paid?

I am not aware that the position is as stated in the first part of the Question. The existing law makes generous provision to avoid loss of health insurance and pensions rights owing to prolonged unemployment, and no such loss can arise in the case of any person who has been insured for 10 years before becoming unemployed. I cannot consider that the circumstances are such as to call for amending legislation.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in assessing non-contributory old age pensions, he will consider waiving during the war any assessment of income from the possession by such pensioners of property which cannot be advantageously used owing to the war?

Yes, Sir. Instructions were given some time ago that property vacated by pensioners or their tenants could be disregarded in assessing means for old age pension purposes in cases where to do so would involve hardship.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now able to make any report in public or in private to this House on his visits to the Near East and contacts with Russia?

I shall be happy to bring the right hon. Gentleman's suggestion to the attention of my right hon. Friend when he has finished his present task.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the average daily sales of the Official Report for the months of November, 1938, 1939 and 1940?

:The average number of copies sold of Daily Reports of House of Commons Debates published during the months of November, 1938, 1939 and 1940, is as follows:November, 1938—1,202 copies.November, 1939—1,353 copies.November, 1940—1,380 copies.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will discuss with the Government of the United States of America, in relation to the Japanese restrictions on foreign trade in China, the practicability of following up verbal protests with retaliatory restrictions on Japanese foreign trade?

I regret that I have nothing at present to add to the answer given to my hon. and gallant Friend on 26th Febuary last

asked the Minister of Labour whether the Purchase Tax operates as a load-factor in calculating the cost-of-living index; and, in future, will he show separately its estimated rough effect on the index total, so as to disclose whether this revenue tax tends to defeat one of its purposes by inflating the index when the index is used to regulate a war bonus under a wage agreement?

In the calculation of the cost-of-living index figures, account is taken of increases in retail prices resulting from the operation of the Purchase Tax. An estimate of the effect of the tax on the index figures has regularly been published, both in the statements in which the index figures have been issued to the Press and in the monthly issues of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette"

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the amount allowed for uniform to officers in the Air Training Corps.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what amount has been raised by the National Savings Movement in the cities of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, respectively, since the establishment of the campaign in November, 1939, to the present date; and also the amount per head of the population which this represents in each case?

The figures asked for are as follow:

An outfit allowance of' £15 is issuable to officers of the Air Training Corps.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether his attention has been directed to the case of stealing from a Royal Air Force depot which was heard at Kingston county court on Saturday, 1st March; and whether any investigation is being made into the condition of affairs which was disclosed in this action?

I am aware of the case in question, and I am having inquiry made into the circumstances in which the losses occurred.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the fact that, in spite of reminders addressed to highway authorities during the present winter to act promptly in clearing the roads of snow, certain important roads have 'been blocked by recent snowfalls, and road transport on them has been much delayed by the failure of the highway authorities to clear the snow; and whether he will direct the local officers of the Ministry of Transport to ascertain and report whether the highway authorities responsible for those roads have an efficient staff properly organised for snow clearing and adequately equipped with appliances for the purpose?

I am aware that certain roads were blocked by recent exceptionally heavy falls of snow, and, as I said on 5th February in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Westhoughton (Mr. Rhys Davies), special efforts were made within the limits of labour available to clear the roads for traffic as promptly as possible. The creation of a reserve of labour and plant on a scale which would be adequate to deal satisfactorily with abnormal weather conditions would involve the immobilisation of our resources to an extent which would be quite unjustifiable at a time when they must be devoted to the immediate needs of the war effort.

asked the Home Secretary the figures of drunkenness, proceedings, convictions and charges proved in the Metropolitan and City of London police areas, respectively, during the year 1940?

The following table gives the figures for 1940, to which those for 1939 have been added for convenience of comparison:—

asked the Under-Secretary for State for the Colonies whether he can make any statement as to why the Government of Trinidad have ordered the detention of Miss Donnellan, Miss Cahill and Mr. Dudley Mahon?

The Governor of Trinidad has reported that these persons have been detained as they had engaged in anti-British and anti-war propaganda calculated to diminish the war effort in Trinidad and to encourage the use of violence.