asked the Minister of Labour what steps are being taken to check those persons of military age not in reserved occupations and who have not been medically rejected but who are evading registration or call-up for National Service?

It would not be desirable to describe the steps in detail, but full use is made of the National Register, and my Department has the active assistance of the police in tracing men who may be evading their obligations under the National Service Acts.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Dr. P. G. Harvey, a graduate of London University, and his son practising in Monmouth; and, in view of the local Medical War Committee of Newport having rescinded their original decision that the son should be recommended for a commission in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and have now decided unanimously that his services are indispensable to the district, whether he will take steps to obtain his immediate release?

Yes, Sir. This case was brought to my notice and I concurred in an application by the Central Medical War Committee to the War Office for the temporary release of the younger Dr. Harvey, in accordance with arrangements which I have made with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War.

asked the Minister of Health the number of doctors of military age in practice in rural districts and the industrial areas of Monmouthshire, and in Newport itself; the numbers who have been granted exemption in each class of practice by the Monmouthshire Medical War Committee; and whether any person so exempted stands in any professional relationship to any member of the committee?

I am asking the Central Medical War Committee to obtain the information desired by my hon. Friend and will communicate with him on the matter as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the number of men already called up in the food distribution trade and the necessity of preserving the distribution of foodstuffs, he will arrange that men of 30 years of age who are holding managerial positions should be reserved, where such a reservation is necessary, to leave at least one competent man in each shop?

I am not prepared to alter the age of reservation. Special cases can be dealt with by deferment, after consideration of all the circumstances.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the obligation to pay wages to employees in an undertaking scheduled under the Essential Work (General Provisions) Order, 1941, when work is not available, operates also in the case of employees who are rendered idle by a strike caused by a number of their fellow-workmen in the same undertaking?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) whether the interests of stewardesses, of the families of seamen visiting them in ports other than their home ports, and the provision of hospitality for foreign seamen by their own nationals, are matters which fall within the scope of port welfare committees; and, if so, whether women are appointed to these committees to represent such interests;

The matters mentioned by the hon. Member are not excluded from the scope of port welfare committees. They do not at present include any women members and the question of appointing women members has not come before the Seamen's Welfare Board. I have just received a letter from the National Council of Women of Great Britain suggesting that women members should be appointed and have this under consideration.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can yet state who has been appointed chairman of the Unemployment Assistance Board?

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is not yet in a position to add to the reply which he gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chislehurst (Sir W. Smithers) on 8th July last.

asked the Lord President of the Council what individuals have been selected on the advice of the Scientific Advisory Committee for particular lines of scientific inquiry of membership of committees on which scientists are required?

The Committee advise in these matters when invited to do so, and they have been able to assist in a large number of cases covering a wide range of subjects. I regret that I am unable to give particulars in view of the confidential nature of most of the problems dealt with.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that fanners in urban areas, with little pasture for feeding purposes, are suffering an acute shortage of cattle food with damaging consequences to the production of milk; and can he release for their benefit further supplies of cake, meal or other foods.

The main problem is to safeguard the milk supply in winter. Owing to the short supplies of imported feeding stuffs and the need to establish reserves for winter use it is essential that dairy cows should be kept to the maximum extent on pasture during the summer. Farmers who keep cows intensively and who normally buy large quantities of feeding stuffs in relation to their milk output were warned in April that they should make arrangements to adjust themselves to the conditions of shortage of concentrates that would obtain during the summer months. A supply of concentrated feeding stuffs has been placed at the disposal of each county war agricultural executive committee for issue to dairy farmers whose pasture deteriorates quickly in quality and quantity and a number of other measures have been adopted during the summer to counteract deficiencies in pastures. I regret that in view of the present supply position it is not possible to make available any further quantities of concentrates at the present time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that some local authorities have made arrangements for the acquisition of oranges and for their sale, through welfare centres, for consumption by young children; and whether all local authorities will be recommended Lo adopt this course?

I am not aware of the extent to which arrangements on the lines mentioned are being made by local authorities, but the Ministry of Health, who have been consulted in the matter, are not prepared to recommend their general adoption as the most suitable means of ensuring supplies of oranges to young children.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether plans have now been settled by which to distribute and supply all available herring and pilchards to inland towns of central and southern England?

Arrangements have been made whereby herring and pilchards can be forwarded from the ports of landing by merchants without payment of carriage. This should encourage equitable distribution to all centres to which such fish can be sent with a certainty of arriving in a marketable condition.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food at what date were the first releases of the 20,000 reserve tons of potatoes held by his Department made, and what quantity have they still on hand?

The whole of the 20,000 tons referred to in the Question, forming part of a larger reserve which was being held by my Department for end of season requirements, was already allocated to merchants at the time when their release was announced to the Press on 1st July. Daily deliveries have been effected since that date, but the quantity still to be delivered is negligible.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether eggs produced in Lancashire are being sold in that county as fresh eggs or, if not, what becomes of them?

The majority of the eggs produced in Lancashire are sold in that county and the balance in adjacent counties. They are sold as fresh eggs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the £13,587,000 realised from the flotation of the American Viscose Company represents the total sum realised from the assets taken over by His Majesty's Government from Messrs. Courtaulds or whether this excludes the value of any of the other assets which were shown in the balance sheet of the old American Viscose Corporation?

The Treasury did not purchase the assets of American Viscose Corporation, but purchased the greater part of the shares of that Corporation from Messrs. Courtaulds Limited. The figures circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT of 3rd July show the full amount receivable by the Treasury in respect of the transaction.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the total annual emoluments paid to all Foreign Office and consular officers, including commercial councillors and secretaries; and to what extent these payments are made free of Income Tax?

The information desired by my hon. Friend will be found in the Civil Estimates for 1941; for the Foreign Office in Class II (1) pages 3 to 9; for the Diplomatic Service abroad in Class II (2) pages 14 to 34; for the Consular Service in Class II (2) pages 36 to 59; for the Commercial Diplomatic Service in Class VI (3) pages 49 to 51. Income Tax is payable on the salaries and allowances of all officers employed in this country but is not charged on the frais, foreign,' rent, representation or local allowance of officers employed abroad.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a committee, in December 1921, recommended that a pharmaceutist of commissioned rank not lower than that of captain be appointed at the War Office to act in an advisory and inspectorial capacity; that this recommendation has not been put into operation; and, inasmuch as the need for such advice has increased with the advance of the science of pharmacy since the date of that report, whether he will now take steps to make such an appointment?

Two highly qualified civilian pharmaceutists have been employed at the War Office in an advisory and inspectorial capacity for a number of years, and an additional seven qualified pharmaceutists have been employed in a similar capacity since the outbreak of war I am satisfied that all the necessary advice and inspection on this subject are available under the present arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for War, whether he will consider in the public interest; revising the Army Regulations which prescribe that officers selected for the staff college course at Camberley have to relinquish any acting or temporary rank they may hold and the pay of such rank, and revert to their substantive rank and pay, unless they have held the acting rank for a specified period of months, as officers of admitted ability and distinction are thereby deterred from availing themselves of selection for the staff college and decline to undergo the course?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for South Nottingham (Captain Markham) on 4th March last, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether farmers will be expected to pay wages for soldiers engaged for day or week-end work on the harvest?

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend is referring to the arrangements by which soldiers may assist farmers in the areas in which they are stationed on days when they are not required for military duties. In such cases the soldiers concerned continue to draw their normal Army emoluments and Army rations, but the farmer is charged by the Army a sum equivalent to the rates normally payable for such work, less the cost of any liquid refreshment supplied by him. This charge is recovered from the farmer through the county war agricultural committee.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will give types of the average menu on a troopship chartered by his Department for officers and rank and file, respectively?

I am sending my hon. Friend the particulars for which he asks.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Trans- port on whose authority the railway companies have stopped the exchange of Members' travelling vouchers at local railway, etc., ticket agencies, thereby causing inconvenience and loss of time in ticket queues; and why Members have been informed by the local agents that they must get their tickets at the stations or from a representative in attendance at the House of Commons, thus, in the latter case, creating a monopoly for one particular firm?

I am unable to ascertain that any change of procedure has taken place. Perhaps my hon. Friend will furnish me with particulars of any case where there has been such a change.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the names and qualifications of the various scientific advisers attached to his Department; and what are their particular functions?

The only scientific advisers holding definite appointments from the Board of Trade are Sir Charles V. Boys, F.R.S., and Mr. W. J. A. Butterfield, F.I.C., F.C.S. These gentlemen formerly held office as gas referees under the Gas Regulation Act, 1920, and in 1939 were appointed to advise the Board of Trade as to the improvement of the methods and apparatus for testing gas. Sir Charles Boys has great knowledge of calorimetry and has been responsible for a number of inventions in that field. Mr. Butter field, who is a consulting chemist, has a long experience of the problems associated with gas testing.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department the nature of the political work, other than that of a confidential type, upon which his Department is engaged; whether it includes personal visits to various chambers of commerce in the industrial North for the purposes of guiding them on export trade matters; and which are the chambers he has offered to address for that purpose during the past year?

The work of the Department of Overseas Trade is commercial rather than political, and in general the Department's function is at present to assist exporters to overcome the many difficulties with which they are confronted in carrying on export trade. As to the second and third parts of the Question, chambers of commerce and, in particular, Export Groups are in constant touch with the Department, and the specific problems which arise are best dealt with by discussion rather than by a series of addresses. If, however, particular chambers of commerce wish to receive a visit either from myself or from officials of my Department, I shall always be prepared to consider such requests. None has so far been received.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that there is difficulty in obtaining clothes for private patients in mental hospitals; and whether any decision has been come to in regard to their supply?

I am in communication with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade in this matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if it is the intention of his Department to ration motor-car tyres in the near future?

No, Sir.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why he encourages the export of cotton goods and textiles from this country to the United States of America, in view of the shortage of clothes in this country?

There is a sufficient supply of clothing in this country for our necessities if properly distributed. Our need for dollars is very great and it is essential that we should make the most of the export capacity which we still possess, even at the cost of some self-denial.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that some tenants of houses badly damaged last year by blast are still being harshly treated by landlords, who refuse to do repairs even when they are drawing money for the purpose; and will he confer with the local authorities with a view to securing that money paid for repairs is spent on that object, or that the local authority will undertake all repairs Under their supervision?

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No," but I shall be glad to look into any cases which my hon. Friend cares to bring to my notice. In reply to the second part I would point out that where the owners are unwilling or unable to do the repairs themselves, local authorities have full powers to do the necessary work under the Housing (Emergency Powers) Act, 1939.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether members of the Home Guard are entitled to make use of the activities of Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes; and whether this organisation draws any cigarettes or chocolate rations for members of the Home Guard?

Members of the Home Guard when in uniform are entitled to make use of Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes canteens. The answer to the last part of the Question is "No, Sir."

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, to help the small tobacconist who is endeavouring to carry on business against the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes' competition, he will leave the tobacco supply of small military units to these traders, who can adequately accept the responsibility?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 26th June. As the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes cater for service personnel only, there is, of course, no question of competition between tobacconists and the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes with regard to the former's ordinary customers.

asked the Secretary for Petroleum what are the reasons for refusing supplementary rations of petrol to contractors engaged on first-aid repairs on bombed cottages whilst supplies are issued for luxury coach trips in the Welsh division?

If my hon. Friend will give me particulars of the cases he has in mind they will be investigated immediately.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has any statement to make regarding his recent visit to Northern Ireland, and, in particular, what further steps he is prepared to take to control the circulation of travellers between Eire and Northern Ireland; and whether he has considered the possibility of closing the border between Northern Ireland and Eire to all who do not produce passports with photographs showing clearly their identity?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I have given to-day to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Down (Dr. Little).

asked the Attorney-General whether his attention has been called to the statement made at Maidstone Assizes by Mr. Justice Humphreys, regarding the law which requires cases of bigamy to be tried only at assizes and the Central Criminal Court; and whether he will consider the desirability of introducing legislation extending the jurisdiction of magisterial courts to such cases?

This matter was considered when the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1938, was before Parliament. That Act as introduced proposed that this offence should be triable at any court of quarter sessions which is presided over by a legally qualified chairman. After discussion this proposal was deleted by an Amendment moved in another place. It would not, I think, be an appropriate jurisdiction to confer on magisterial courts. My Noble Friend the Lord Chancellor realises that different views are held on this question, but does not think that legislation should be introduced to alter the decision taken by Parliament in 1938.