asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that some employers in the building trade have, during the period when we had rainy weather, sent their employés home when they had done only half-a-day's work; and whether he will make an appeal to employers to try and avoid this by arranging for other work to be done when building cannot proceed?

I have just made an Essential Work Order for the building and civil engineering industries and, in so far as undertakings and works are scheduled under that Order, the point made by my hon. Friend will be met.

I have seen that Order, and I am very pleased with it. I think it will meet the point that I have in mind.

asked the Minister of Labour the estimated total cost of the Central Register to the end of May and also the present number of the staff employed?

The total cost of the staff of the Central Register from December, 1938, when the Register was started, to the end of May, 1941, is estimated at £84,000. The present number of staff employed is 159.

As it takes each member of the staff more than a week to appoint one person, is it not time that this deplorable institution was wound up?

If that time, taken in investigation, keeps down jobbery in a war, it is worth it.

Will the right hon. Gentleman inform the House whether all the appointments have been made through the Central Register and whether it is not the case that, when the Minister wants to appoint someone, he asks the individual to go on to the Central Register? Is not the jobbery more in that direction?

No, Sir. There is careful investigation before anyone is appointed, to see whether anyone exists on the Register. If no one exists on the Register, then we have to go outside.

Has the right hon. Gentleman heard any suggestion of jobbery in connection with the Central Register?

No, Sir. I said the very opposite.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has now considered taking any steps against the employer who dismissed an employé, apparently at a moment's notice, though he alleged that he arrived late at work because his home was damaged by enemy action, bearing in mind that his Department had already taken legal proceedings against six men and one woman for striking in sympathy with him, and that they are now awaiting trial at the Old Bailey?

In view of the legal proceedings to which may hon. Friend refers, it is not desirable that I should make any statement at the present time, beyond mentioning that I must not be regarded as accepting the accuracy of the allegations made in the Question.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I am not raising the question of the present legal proceedings in respect of the employer, but the point whether the right hon. Gentleman is looking into the case?

The whole of the facts will be brought out in the case.

Is it not desirable for the Minister to have the legal proceedings withdrawn, and then to make a statement?

No, Sir. When the Minister makes an Order, with the consent of the Trades Union Congress and the Employers' Federation, it is his duty to see that it is enforced.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that a number of restaurants and stores in London employ men to call taxicabs and open the doors of motor cars for their patrons; and whether he will, in view of the urgent need of men for employment by the war agricultural committees, to do unskilled work under skilled supervisors in ditching and clearing land to be brought under cultivation, cause these men, by his compulsory powers, to be so employed?

Through the operation of the Registration for Employment Order, and other means, active measures are being taken to secure the orderly transfer to important work, including land drainage work, of members of all classes of the community who are not at present pulling their full weight in the war effort. The classes of men to whom the Question refers come within the scope of these measures, along with other men in their respective age groups, though I would point out that frequently their duties are not confined to those specified in the Question.

What are the duties, beyond the duty of opening doors for the patrons of these places?

Questions of public order are very often involved in the employment of people in these capacities in large hotels.

Is it not the case that these men are often elderly ex-Service men, many of whom were injured in the service of the country?

That is so.

In view of the admission of the right hon. Gentleman that there are many people who are not pulling their full weight in this war, will he say how soon he is going to have the manpower of this country organised for total war?

I am not suggesting —

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that expensive hotels in London and the provinces employ a larger number of waiters, mostly Cypriots and Class C Italians, than are necessary for a minimum service; and whether he will, as many of these men are of peasant descent, use his compulsory powers to have them transferred for work under the war agricultural committees?

Cypriots who are British subjects and are ordinarily resident in this country, are not exempt from the provisions of the National Service (Armed Forces) Acts, 1939 & 1940, the National Service Act, 1941, and the Registration for Employment Order, 1941, and I see no reason for treating them differently from other British subjects who are affected by these provisions and are being called up, according to age groups, for military service, Civil Defence duties, or civilian employment. Italians who are not interned or prisoners of war will shortly be registered under an International Labour Force Registration Order, after which steps will be taken to ensure that the services of each individual registered are utilised to the best advantage in present circumstances. I have no information about the hotels to which my right hon. Friend refers, but I will have inquiry made, if he can supply details.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, no doubt through no fault of the hotel proprietors or those employed by them, a large number of hotels of different classes have a greater number of persons waiting on customers than is justified, in view of the great shortage of labour on the land, and that many of these men would be only too glad to serve their country on the land?

Would the right hon. Gentleman keep in mind the fact that many hotel proprietors in this country prefer foreign waiters to British waiters and give them special preference, and that some of the hon. Gentlemen sitting behind him are guilty of that in London?

I do not think that the Minister of Labour can be asked to decide the vices and virtues of Members of this House.

asked the Minister of Labour the work and functions of the newly-appointed Director-General of Man-power; whether he will consider applications for release or deferment of skilled men wanted for retention in the war effort; and whether he is empowered to hear representations on the general non-user of man-power now existing, to take immediate steps to end the wastage, and to organise the mobilisation of national man-power for intensifying the war effort?

The Director-General of Man-power is in general charge of the Departments of the Ministry which deal with labour supply and training, military recruiting and National Service. He is concerned with all the matters mentioned in the Question and will take action under my authority through the machinery of the Ministry, and subject to the usual arrangements for securing co-ordination of general policy.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman consider that the time is ripe that this officer should give immediate attention to the real wastage of manpower that now exists side by side with chaos in some of the essential industries, where men have been taken, while other people take no share in the war effort?

I am continually hearing these charges, but I never get any evidence in support of them. If my hon. and gallant Friend has these extraordinary charges to make, I would welcome evidence of them, and I would inquire into them. I do not think it helps the war effort to cast slurs continually on the great working people of this country.

No slur whatever is cast on the working class of this country, but is it not the case that a large number of people outside the working class take every opportunity of evasion and are not stopped?

Was this civil servant associated with persons of industrial, labour and trade union experience in the discharge of his duties? Is it always desirable to appoint a civil servant, however able he may be, to a post of this kind?

I appointed this particular civil servant because of his long association in the industrial relations department of the Ministry, his association with the insurance side and his experience on the production executive. He has been, the whole of his life, in constant consultation with both sides of industry

asked the Minister of Labour the functions and powers of Sir William Beveridge's Man-Power Examining Committee; whether the Central Register and the 199,000 names thereon will come under its review; whether it can hear evidence and take cognisance of present non-utilisation of man-power, and the scope for training in consequence, and the proper utilisation of trained men in essential war-drive industries; to whom will the committee make its report; and whether arrangements can be immediately made for additional and ready access, on any urgent recommendation, to the action-taking branch of the Ministry?

The task undertaken by Sir William Beveridge, to which I presume my hon. and gallant Friend refers, is that of acting as chairman of a small committee which has been set up, by arrangement with the heads of the Service Departments, to examine the employment of skilled men in the Forces. This task, though of great importance, will not have the wide scope suggested in the Question. The committee will report to me, and any recommendations it makes will be at once considered and, if approved, will be put into effect without delay.

Would the right hon. Gentleman consider the formation of a similar committee having the scope which I indicate in the Question?

No, I do not think it is necessary. The matter has already been dealt with under the supply arrangements.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the possibility of making the report of the committee available to the House in the form of a White Paper?

I will consider that suggestion.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that advertisements in the public Press for valuers in Government Departments as temporary assistant lands officers state that applicants should not be less than 30 years of age; and whether, in view of the national emergency and the fact that the duties concerned could be equally well performed by persons of 45 years of age or over, this age limit will be substituted?

The lower age-limit of 30, mentioned in the advertisement in question, was inserted as being the current age of reservation for members of this profession. Offers of service from senior members of the profession will, however, be welcome.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is his intention to set up machinery to obtain the closest coordination between management and men, for the consideration of outstanding problems of production upon a co-operative basis, in individual factories engaged upon war armaments?

It is my policy to secure joint consultation between managements and their employés on all matters in which they are mutually interested through joint standing committees and other joint arrangements, within the procedure agreed between the employés organisations and trade unions concerned.

Will the right hon. Gentleman take into consideration that, in individual factories where you get able leadership and cooperation between management and men, you get also not only the best conditions but the best output? Does he not think there is a case for encouraging or setting up, in individual factories, committees on output between management and men?

I took the step of trying some time ago to get that very proposal made compulsory, but there was great difference of opinion in industry whether it should be made compulsory, owing to the methods adopted in the relationships, in the variety of trades concerned. I have expanded it enormously, under the Essential Work Orders, and recently, in the Mines Order, pit committees have almost been made, as near as you can get to it, legal entities. The same is true in shipbuilding and other industries. The country is pretty well covered with joint committees of one kind or another in these undertakings.

If it is fair and just, and will assist war production, will the right hon. Gentleman use the enormous power that this House has conferred on him?

In the exercise of power it is not my intention to ride roughshod over the long-established relationships in industry. To do that might produce much greater chaos.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the advisability of visiting one or two munitions factories in the country, as it would encourage the workers to make even a greater effort in their work?

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already been to several munition factories and tries to find at least one day each week to visit bombed centres or see the troops and the defences. He hopes to do more.

Is it not true that a great many people think the Prime Minister goes round the country too often, and is it not wrong that the House of Commons should urge him to do this? He ought to be on his job. The right hon. gentleman the Member for Carnarvon Boroughs (Mr. Lloyd George) did not do it during the last war.

But would not visits to men and women in aircraft factories give them an opportunity of showing their loyalty to the Prime Minister and their supreme confidence in his leadership?

I am sure that in this matter the House should leave it to my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour how many miners have been transferred during the past year from the mines to other work; and what steps are being taken to meet the demand for workers in the mines in view of the need for greater coal production?

Following the loss of the Continental markets there was heavy unemployment in the mining industry. I consulted with the industry and my hon.

Friend the Secretary for Mines as to whether steps could be taken to utilise these unemployed miners at that time in the mining industry, and as no opportunity was found for their use, I transferred considerable numbers of them to other industries. Complete figures are not available. In view of the new situation that has now arisen, I am in consultation with my hon. Friend the Secretary for Mines and with the production Departments regarding the return to coal mining of men who have left the industry.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will take every step to ascertain the exact number of miners who have been transferred and who are still engaged in other work; can he say whether it is true that there has been a decrease of 10 per cent, in employment in the mining industry in one year, and will he say whether his attitude is definitely against the taking of miners from the Army back to this nationally important industry?

In the first place I must point out to the House that, owing to the long unemployment of these miners, we went to enormous expense to train them for other industries, and there are other bottleneck industries where, if I took them away I should immediately create difficulty For instance, if I proceded to take miners whom I have trained as drop forgers from that employment I should immediately hold up aircraft production. The same thing applies to other industries, and great care has therefore to be used in this matter. There is also the position of the men to be considered. We have now stopped men being taken away from the mining industry, under the Essential Work Order, but I have asked the production Departments to go carefully through their lists and to return men wherever they can. I have gone further than that. If there is a falling-off in the coal trade at the end of the summer from some cause or another, it is not my intention to allow these men who go back to be stranded. I must put them back into the industries from which they are taken in order that their services can be used. With regard to the Army—

On a point of Order. Will it be possible for the Minister to continue his statement on the mining question at the end of Questions?

No, I think that would be a dangerous precedent to establish.

Further to the point of Order. While I fully recognise that neither a Minister nor an hon. Member is entitled to make a speech during Question time, as the Minister had just reached what is to many of us the most important part of his answer, namely, that dealing with miners who might be released from the Army, may I ask if he could be allowed to finish that part of the answer?

No we must get on with Questions on the Paper.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the rush that exists to purchase food and other commodities at the week-ends when workers have been paid; and will he investigate the advisability of encouraging the largest adjacent employers to stagger their pay-days, thereby reducing the necessity for queues?

The desirability of staggering pay-days with a view to reducing the concentration of shopping at week-ends, was brought by me to the notice of the British Employers' Confederation and the Trades Union Congress last December, and those two bodies have co-operated with me by communicating on the subject with organisations of employers and trade unions throughout the country.

Does not the confusion referred to largely arise from the fact that the shops are denuded of assistants?

asked the Minister of about whether he is aware of the factory output that is being lost by workers arriving late in the mornings; and can he see his way to encourage better time keeping by appeal or otherwise?

I lose no opportunity of impressing upon all persons engaged in industry the importance of punctuality and efficiency at work. It is equally necessary to recognise that insistence on excessively long hours of working over considerable periods of time is one of the underlying causes of difficulty which should be removed. In the case of undertakings scheduled under the Essential Work Order, there is now machinery under which the National Service Officers and the Local Appeal Boards can deal with cases of absenteeism or persistent lateness reported to them. I am endeavouring to make this machinery as effective as possible.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that those factories which are not working exceptionally long hours are getting to be considerably worse timekeepers than they were before the war? I am much obliged to the Minister for emphasising the importance of this question.

Cannot the right hon. Gentleman, in consultation with the Minister of Transport, endeavour to see that more travelling facilities are provided, so that these people can get to and from their work on time?

Would the right hon. Gentleman make an investigation into the fact that in Glasgow and other towns groups of 10, 20 or even 30 men are sometimes left standing, and cannot get to their work for lack of transport?

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and I have set up joint bodies to consider the transport problem, in regard to both the staggering of hours and time-keeping. I would like to take this opportunity of asking the management of industry to co-operate with those bodies. There is a tendency in industry on the management side to leave everything to everybody else, but it should be a joint effort to try and simplify the problem.

Is the Minister not aware that much more time is lost through the inefficiency of the managements than through the fault of the workers?

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered resolutions from the Nantyglo and Blaina, Ebbw Vale, and Porthcawl Urban District Councils asking that consideration should be given to an increase in the rate of billeting allowances upon the ground that, having regard to the increase in the cost of living, the existing rate is inadequate; and whether he will state the nature of his reply?

asked the Minister of Health whether he will now reconsider the adequacy of billeting allowances?

A resolution passed by the Ebbw Vale Urban District Council was forwarded to me on 28th April, and I have been informed by the Nantyglo and Blaina Urban District Council of their desire to support it. I have replied to the Ebbw Vale Urban District Council that increases have twice been made in the rates of billeting allowances since they were first settled and that, in my view, they are now generally adequate. In the circumstances I should not feel justified in making any further increase at present.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that there has been a considerable increase in the cost of living since the last increases were made in billeting allowances?

I am not sure that that increase is so considerable.

Will my right hon. Friend publish an analysis of the average cost to householders of having people billeted upon them?

Is the Minister aware that the inadequacy of allowances is a real fact and that there is in consequence considerable irritation in many homes, and for the sake of the children will he not remedy the situation immediately?

I cannot debate that at Question time. There is a long list of all kinds of arrangements, which the House knows about, which have been put into operation since the first arrangements were made.

In view of the position and the nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I wish to raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Minister of Health, whether the Ministry has entered into consultation with the Council of the British Medical Association as to the instruction of the medical profession in the treatment of gas casualties; and with what result?

Lectures to general practitioners on the treatment of gas casualties are now being arranged throughout the country, through the co-operation of the British Medical Association. They will be given by distinguished medical teachers with practical experience in this special subject, and will be open to all general practitioners.. In addition, an authoritative memorandum on the subject has recently appeared in the medical Press, and a copy will shortly be sent direct to every registered practitioner in this country other than those serving with His Majesty's Forces.

asked the Minister of Health what steps have been taken in accord with Recommendations 30 and 32 of the Select Committee on National Expenditure, in their 14th Report, for the wider use and co-operation of nurses attached to first-aid posts and hospitals according to respective temporary need?

I am not at present satisfied that the recommendations that compulsory powers should be taken are necessary or advisable.

Can some steps be taken to see that greater use is made of these nurses, by interchange, according to requirements, as many are idle for months on end?

I am endeavouring to do everything possible to increase mobility. That is, of course, a different method of approach from the use of compulsion.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has issued instructions to local authorities in regard to the framing of model by-laws governing the erection of temporary buildings; and whether he can indicate the nature of the instructions issued?

Local authorities are empowered by the Public Health Act, 1936, to make by-laws for regulating the construction of buildings, and these may embody special restrictions upon materials which are, in the absence of special care, liable to rapid deterioration or are otherwise unsuitable for use in the construction of permanent buildings. Model bylaws have been issued, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the observations made by the judges in two recent habeas corpus actions arising out of detentions under Regulation i8b, whether he is now prepared to recommend any additional safeguards?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the full statement which I made in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Wallsend (Miss Ward) on 10th June.

Does my right hon. Friend not think it time to make some modification in the Regulations, giving greater security to the individual?

No, Sir.

Why, since it was necessary to detain all these people from the time they were put into custody —

asked the Home Secretary how many British citizens interned under Regulation 18b have now been brought to trial; how many convicted and how many acquitted; and how many of those acquitted have not been released but kept interned?

The object of this Regulation is to provide in time of war a power to detain on grounds of national security persons of hostile origin or associations and persons whose dangerous activities cannot be dealt with by criminal proceedings. As a general rule, therefore, no question arises of bringing to trial persons so detained. In two exceptional cases, however, criminal proceedings have been instituted. One of these two persons was sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude; the other was acquitted on the particular charges which were the subject of criminal proceedings but is still detained in preventive custody under the Regulation.

Does not my right hon. Friend agree that to bring a man to trial, and then to acquit him and keep him in prison, is repugnant to the thousand years' tradition of British justice, and will he take steps to avoid this kind of thing in future?

It must depend upon the circumstances of the case. I was pressed in this House once to detain some persons who had served a sentence, and I thought that they ought not to be further detained, but the circumstances vary. It may well be, as I think it was in this case, that a person who is charged with a particular offence and acquitted might still be an appropriate person for detention on security grounds.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will consider the advisability of issuing passes valid for some months to enable alien seamen employed in the Mercantile Marine to travel freely in the country on behalf of which they are risking their lives?

I am anxious that all proper facilities shall be given to these alien seamen who are giving the same service and facing the same risks as our own men, and from time to time, as a result of experience and after consultation with the Ministry of War Transport and the Allied authorities concerned, modifications of the scheme of control have been made for this purpose. The most recent concession is the waiving of the requirement under which a foreign seaman serving in the coastal trade had to report and obtain permits before landing and embarking. Further, the police and the immigration officers have been instructed to grant all reasonable exemptions to foreign seamen from the restrictions on travel. It is, however, essential in the interests of security that some control of the movements of members of the crews should be maintained, and for this reason I regret that it is not practicable to adopt my hon. Friend's suggestion.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that up to within the last day or two there has still been considerable variation in the practice and policy of the various chief constables, and is nothing to be done to even out these differences and make the matter more uniform?

We have given general advice which we hope is followed, but there may be, of course, differences of view taken in certain localities. I think that this is the only way in which I can administer these regulations, but if my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of the kind of cases that he has in mind, I shall be very happy to look into them.

asked the Home Secretary when he will be in a position to make a statement on the subject of steel helmets and respirators for Civil Defence messengers?

I am not yet in a position to make a statement on this subject, but I hope that a circular, covering this point among others, will be issued to local authorities in the near future. I will send a copy of the circular to my hon. Friend when it is issued.

Can my right hon. Friend define a little more closely what he means by "in the near future"?

Yes, Sir. I hope it will be in the next week or so.

Can my right hon. Friend say whether there is any other material besides steel which can be used?

We have carried out various experiments of an interesting kind, but it is felt that steel of some sort is the appropriate material to use. My mind is quite open to consider any suggestions that may come along.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will make a statement indicating what assistance is available to local authorities to enable bombed sites to be cleared of debris; and what arrangements exist in regard to the salvage of material of value to the war effort?

Full guidance has been given to local authorities regarding the clearance of debris from bombed sites, and they may claim reimbursement for reasonable expenditure incurred. Steps for the recovery of goods and materials are taken by the owner or by the Department having a direct interest, and local authorities have been asked to assist where necessary.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the offices of Industrial and General Information News Agency were raided by officers of the Special Branch on 6th March, the staff were searched, the use of the telephone prohibited, and the work of the agency stopped; that many documents were taken away and detained until 26th May, causing inconvenience to the business; and whether, now that the Director of Public Prosecutions has notified that he does not intend to commence proceedings against them, compensation will be paid to the agency for the loss of business and inconvenience caused by the police action?

A search was made at these offices in pursuance of the powers and duties of the police under the Defence Regulations. There were proper grounds for this police action, and according to my information the search was properly conducted. The fact that no proceedings were subsequently instituted affords no ground for suggesting that the search was unwarranted, and I know of no grounds for considering any question of compensation.

Will the Home Secretary explain why it took from 6th March until 26th May to decide that there were no grounds on which a prosecution could be instituted?

I cannot say without notice on the particular point, but these things have to be considered, evidence has to be examined, and further evidence may have to be sought, and there is no particular failure, I think, that there should be that period of time.

Is it not the case that, if there had been any grounds for a prosecution, an effort would have been made to impose punishment of some kind upon the people responsible, and, if there is no ground for prosecution, is it not only just and fair that some consideration should be given to the loss that they have sustained as a result of the action taken against them?

I do not agree with that argument, otherwise we could not make a search unless we were sure that a prose- cution was to follow. One of the reasons for searching premises is to see whether a prosecution ought or ought not to follow.

If after a long delay on that account it is discovered that, in fact, there were no grounds for prosecution, ought not any loss suffered by the individual to be made good to him in some way?

I am not at all convinced that any loss was sustained, but it could not be material in any case. I am not disposed to think that it would be right that the police should be fettered in making appropriate inquiries into various organisations and bodies who were active, and I must fully maintain the right of the police to make these searches.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can furnish the address of the Regional Commissioner for the London Area, having regard to the difficulties in obtaining replies from this department when letters are addressed to a Post Office box number?

For reasons of security it would not be in the public interest to publish this address, but I will give it to the hon. Member.

Can I be given any reason why it is more necessary that the Regional Commissioner should have an anonymous address than the Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Admiralty and everybody else; and is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this office is so incompetently run that it hardly ever answers anybody's letters?

I think that that is a sweeping statement and one that ought not to have been made. The hon. Member has said that the office is so incompetent that it never answers letters. That really is a sweeping statement to make, and I do not believe that it is true. On the point of whether the address should be published, the address of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been well-known for a long time, and there can be no question, therefore, of its not being known, but the Regional Commissioner, in the circumstances of London, thought that it was best to use a box office number, and I do not see my way to intervene. The letters get there just as quickly, and possibly more quickly at these times.

Is the Home Secretary aware that not one of the 10 letters that I have addressed to that department over eight months has been answered or acknowledged?

Perhaps the hon. Member will let me have particulars, and I will go into the matter.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the increasing practice of furniture warehousemen in using private dwelling-houses in residential areas for the storage of furniture, and of the in creasing danger from fires as such dwelling-houses are closely stocked; and whether he will consider requiring such tradesmen to store these goods in specially approved warehouses?

Yes, Sir. Private dwelling-houses converted for use as furniture warehouses are, however, business premises under the Fire Prevention Orders and the occupier of such premises is responsible for making proper and adequate arrangements in regard to fire prevention. I have under consideration whether the existing powers in this respect need to be strengthened, but the considerable demands on storage space, many of which must have priority over the needs of furniture warehousemen, appear to render impracticable the adoption of the course suggested by my hon. Friend.

Is the Minister aware that the complaint contained in this Question comes from the chairman of the watch committee of a large authority on Tyne-side where there is great anxiety on this head?

I follow that but I think the Answer I have given will help the chairman of the watch committee, and if my hon. Friend will be good enough to let me have particulars of the complaint, I will examine it in further detail.

asked the Home Secretary whether his Department has agreed to nominate any of its officers to serve on the General Council of Affiliated Spotters' Clubs; if so, what is the constitution of the rest of the Council; and whether the Ministry is sponsoring meetings in the London region, with a view to encouraging the formation of spotters' clubs?

I have agreed that one of my officers should accept the honorary post of President of the Affiliated Spotters' Clubs, and though officers of the Ministry will not be members of the General Council, they will from time to time attend its meetings. The General Council will, I understand, be composed of one representative of each of the Regional Councils (which, in turn, are composed of one representative from each club in the Region) and a small number of officials of the Council. Meetings have been held in London Region to encourage the formation of spotters' clubs, and these meetings have received the support of the Regional representatives of the Ministry.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this is a rather unusual and odd piece of machinery. for taking part—a very important part—in our national defence, and will he assure himself that the security officer he has appointed will attend the meetings of the General Council?

I will do what I can about that, but the officer has other duties. I entirely agree with my hon. Friend that this is a voluntary movement of the people that should have every encouragement.

asked the Home Secretary whether and to what extent Auxiliary Fire Service personnel will be permitted to enlist in the military Forces?

Only in exceptional cases will a whole-time auxiliary fireman be permitted to leave the Fire Service. Part-time auxiliary firemen, whose calling up for service with the Armed Forces has been deferred owing to the requirements of the local emergency fire precautions arrangements and who are of the requisite medical standard, will be called up for whole-time fire-fighting duty under the National Service Act, 1941. Others serving in a part-time capacity will be permitted on registration or on medical examination to indicate their preference for service in any of the Armed Forces, although such men are encouraged to enrol for whole-time fire-fighting duty.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has any information respecting the arrest and imprisonment of Ganpat Sahai, chairman of Sultanpur Municipality; why he was acquitted and yet, under Defence Regulations, arrested five days later; and whether he is now released?

Babu Ganpat Sahai was detained under Defence of India Rule 129(1) (a) on 17th January, 1941, on suspicion that he was about to act in a manner prejudicial to the public safety or to the efficient prosecution of the war. I have no later information, but will make inquiry of the Government of India.

Can I take it that that information, when available, will be communicated to those hon. Members who are interested?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has any further statement to make respecting political developments in India?

I am not in a position to add anything to the statement which I made in the House on 22nd April.

Does the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that there is growing concern regarding the political deadlock in India, particularly as evinced at the recent Labour party conference? When is he likely to be able to make another statement on this important matter?

I am aware of the situation, but I cannot say when I shall be in a position to make a statement.

Is the light hon. Gentleman aware that the political situation in India is retarding the national war effort?

I am not prepared to say that that is so.

asked the Secretary of State for India how many persons were killed and wounded when the police fired on the people in Bombay on Friday, 23rd May; and what was the cause of the disorders which necessitated police action?

I have not yet received the details asked for in the first part of the Question. The disorders in Bombay, which lasted for some days, were purely communal in character. The total casualties reported up to 5th June were 42 dead and 220 injured. The greater part of these are attributable to the isolated stabbing attacks which were the main feature of the disturbances; there was little actual rioting. My latest information indicates an improvement in the situation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give the total number of men and women employed in agriculture in Warwickshire according to the June returns, 1939; and the approximate total number to-day?

The total number of workers, men and women, on agricultural holdings exceeding one acre in Warwickshire was returned in June, 1939. as 8,200 It is not in the national interest, however, to publish figures of workers at the present time.

Is the Minister aware that more land coming under the plough necessitates more labour and that farmers are concerned for fear that their present labour will be taken from them? Will he give some assurance that there is no necessity for this fear?

I have no reason to suppose, although I cannot give the exact figures, that the 4th June returns for this year will not show that there has been an increase of labour available in Warwickshire.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has been furnished by the county war agricultural executive committees with an estimate of the additional numbers of skilled agricultural workers needed for the harvest period; and what arrangements he has made with the Service Departments for the temporary release of such men?

I have not asked committees to furnish me with the estimates mentioned in the Question. A scheme is already in operation, however, whereby agricultural workers serving in the Army at home can be released for periods up to 28 days in the year to return to their former farms to help at times of seasonal pressure. Moreover, instructions have been issued by the Army Council which permit of soldiers, when not required for military duties, helping local farmers under certain conditions. As the amount of assistance that can be given by the Armed Forces must depend on the military situation, I have urged committees to see that the fullest possible use is made of local part-time civilian volunteers and of schoolboy camps.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will now confer with the Minister of Labour and the Secretary of State for War with a view to in creasing the man-power for labour on the land for the purpose of securing increased production of food in the national interests?

As I stated on 22nd May, additional man-power is being made available for work on the land.

Is it not an unassailable truth that you can neither fight nor work without food, and can the Minister explain why it is that the War Office and the Ministry of Labour continue to frustrate the provision of adequate supplies of labour for food production?

I have already stated that additional supplies of man-power are being made available.

I propose to raise this matter again at an early date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give an estimate of the average additional number of agricultural workers required in Warwickshire for every additional 100 acres ploughed up; and whether he is advised that sufficient labour will be available for the harvest?

No reliable estimate can be formed. As regards labour for harvest, instructions have already been sent to war agricultural executive committees.

Did not the Ministry of Agriculture obtain information on the point raised in my Question before launching the ploughing-up campaign?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the urgent need for keeping gardens capable of food production under cultivation, he is considering the provision of the necessary labour; and whether there are any schemes for training girls for use in food production in private gardens receiving his support and approval?

The heavy calls on manpower make it necessary for owners and occupiers of private gardens themselves to give all the help they can in food production and to try to manage with the assistance of women and part-time local labour. Women's Land Army members are available for employment on food production in private gardens. Although farmers' demands must take precedence, a substantial number of volunteers have been placed in employment in private gardens after a short horticultural training.

Can the Minister say how many members of the Women's Land Army are being employed full-time in gardens?

Not without notice.

Can the Minister say how many spend a substantial period of their time filling up forms on which there are over 100 questions?

Is the Minister aware that hundreds of thousands of small gardens have been left entirely uncultivated? Cannot he do something by encouragement and propaganda to deal with this position?