asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will arrange the provision of a greater supply of milk to old age pensioners than is at present permitted?

No, Sir. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 19th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing (Sir F. Sanderson).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why the urban district of Whitley and Monkseaton is excluded from the Third Schedule of the Rabbits (Maximum Prices) Order, 1941, and from the Schedule to the Poultry (Maximum Prices) Order, 1941, having regard to the fact that the neighbouring towns of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, South Shields, Tynemouth, Jarrow and Wallsend are included; and whether he will consider removing this discrimination which has the effect of preventing the offer of rabbits and poultry to shopkeepers in the district by wholesalers and thus depriving the public of valuable food?

The object of the differential prices for poultry and rabbits is to steer supplies into the larger industrial towns which have in the past suffered from a shortage. The inclusion in the Schedule of other urban districts such as Whitley and Monkseaton, which are adjacent to the towns in which the higher prices apply, would defeat the object in view. In these circumstances, the answer to the last part of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what representations he has received against the growing practice in the West of Scotland of direct trading in fish supplies between coastal wholesalers and retail fishmongers and fish friers; and whether he proposes to take any steps to remedy the position, thus ensuring a more equitable distribution of available supplies amongst retailers in the area concerned?

My Noble Friend has received through the Glasgow Wholesale Fish Traders' Protection Association a petition signed extensively by retail fishmongers and fish friers in Glasgow and district, making representations against the practice mentioned to which my hon. Friend refers. It is undoubtedly desirable that wholesale fish traders should distribute equitably available supplies of fish among their normal customers and close attention is being given to the steps needed to secure this.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, as the potato processing factories for Northern Ireland cannot be erected and in operation for some time, he will have transferred to Northern Ireland at the earliest possible moment the potato processing plant in Scotland that has been brought under his notice which, although in complete working order, has not been in use for some time past, in order that the work of potato pressing may be begun at once in Northern Ireland while the potatoes are in condition for giving the best results?

The potato plant in Scotland to which my hon. Friend refers, which has not been in operation for about 15 years, is equipped only for the manufacture of potato starch. For this purpose the processing season ends in December or early January. Even if it were desirable, therefore, it would not now be possible to transfer the plant to Northern Ireland for production from the current potato crop. The proposal was very carefully considered early in the year, when the desirability of producing potato starch was under examination, and rejected on the grounds that the erection of new plant in Northern Ireland would be both quicker and less expensive than the transfer of plant from Scotland. Later it was decided that more satisfactory outlets existed for surplus potatoes than the production of potato starch and orders were therefore placed for the drying plant now being made. Both the types selected can be operated, if necessary, until June or July, and will produce dried potatoes suitable for human or animal consumption. Where the potatoes are not used for human food in the form of potato flour they will be distributed for animal feeding and thus help to maintain the ration for dairy cows. It is not possible at present to form a close estimate of the quantity of potatoes likely to be available in Northern Ireland for processing before the next harvest, but I am advised that the factories in course of erection may be able to deal with the whole quantity.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what was the total number of eggs imported from America during the past two months; and how many of these were found to be unfit for human consumption?

It could not be in the public interest to disclose the quantity of any foodstuff imported into this country at the present time. I can, however, assure my hon. Friend that the percentage of eggs from America found to be unfit for human consumption is not greater than 5 per cent. of the imports.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why he granted licences for the sale of a number of products consisting almost entirely of flour and salt as substitutes for powdered milk; and what conditions he attached to the licences?

No licences have been granted by my Department which permit the sale of any milk substitute to the general public. There are, however, certain manufacturing food operations where milk is employed on account of properties other than those of nutrition and a number of substitutes suitable for this purpose and useful to the trade have been evolved which have been licensed under the Food Substitutes (Control) Order. These licensed products are based on soya flour which is entirely different in composition from wheaten flour. The conditions attaching to all licences in respect of milk substitutes provide (a) that the product must not be sold to the general public and sales must be restricted to the food manufacturing trades and (b) that the manufacturer must remove from all labels and literature any words suggesting an equivalence to milk and discontinue any trade name or description associated with the word "Milk."

asked the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the discontent in Jamaica owing to the continued destruction of bananas; and what action is being taken to utilise this valuable foodstuff by manufacture into various edible products for which there is a ready sale in this country and America?

My Noble Friend has no reason to believe that the considerations which have obliged the Government to suspend imports of bananas from Jamaica are not fully understood and appreciated locally. As my hon. Friend will be aware, steps have been taken to preserve the banana industry by a guarantee of purchase by United Kingdom funds, and active and successful steps have been taken to increase sales of bananas to Canada and the United States. The question of importing bananas into this country in manufactured or processed form has been considered in consultation with the Ministry of Food, but as I informed my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Creech Jones) on 8th October, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food has decided that the nutritive value of dried bananas is not sufficient to justify the allocation of shipping space for their import into this country. Fresh bananas and banana flour are extensively disposed of locally, and my Noble Friend has received no report that it has been found necessary to destroy any surplus bananas.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that the present method of collecting Income Tax at source from wage-earners is efficient, and that the tax could be collected under the present system if there were, at a later date, a material fall in the earnings of those concerned?

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, there must always be an interval between the receipt of wages and the collection of the tax appropriate to the wages, and I do not consider that the difficulty to which my hon. Friend refers has been materially increased by the introduction of the deduction scheme.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, why reclaims of Income Tax made by wage-earners, whose tax has been deducted at source, are only considered every six months; and why repayments do not commence until seven months later?

Claims for repayment of Income Tax deducted from wages are dealt with as soon as the title to repayment is established which may be before the period of six months is completed. My hon. Friend will appreciate that where the title depends on the total income for the year it may be impossible to make repayment until after the end of the Income Tax year.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty to what extent the training of ratings of the paymaster's department of the Navy by their own petty officers in ships and establishments has failed and when and how the failure was discovered; and whether the recent establishment of a separate depot for their training is part of a plan for creating appointments for overborne senior accountant officers?

Before the war, new entries of the Writer and Supply branches were instructed at the naval depots by accountant officers. Owing mainly to accommodation difficulties which have greatly increased during the last year, effective training at the naval depots has ceased to be practicable. Nor has it been possible to train men from the start in seagoing ships in view of the demands that this practice would make upon the time of the senior and more experienced members of ships' complements. It was for these reasons, and not for that suggested by my hon. Friend in the second part of his Question, that the Admiralty decided to concentrate the training of the ratings concerned in a central establishment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply in how many Royal Ordnance Factories has production work on Sundays been stopped since the publication last summer of the Seventeenth Report of the Select Committee on National Expenditure?

Since the publication of the Seventeenth Report from the Select Committee on National Expenditure, the number of shifts worked in Royal Ordnance filling factories has been reduced from 20 to 18 per week by the discontinuance of the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning shifts. This has eliminated work on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the explosives factories, where continuous working is necessary, women work on a rota system, under which they have one day's rest each week. At the engineering factories, the position is that at seven factories no production work is done on Sundays; at seven others production work is done on alternate Sundays; and at one other factory production work is done on two Sundays out of three. At five other engineering factories, production work is done on a three shift basis; at three of these, women work 18 shifts a week and at two, 19 shifts a week.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Supply whether the paper quota of 21½ per cent. of pre-war consumption, for ordinary periodicals, is rigidly applied; whether he is aware that advertisements now frequently occupy 50 per cent. to 85 per cent. of the whole space; and whether, in view of the shortage of paper, he will arrange for its use in advertisements to be limited to such as are not in effect paid for at the expense of the Excess Profits Tax and are of goods and articles reasonably available to the purchaser?

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the affrmative, except for such extra quantities as are specifically permitted for a limited number of periodicals in special circumstances. Advertisements in periodicals are in future not to occupy a larger proportion of space than pre-war, and with regard to the last part of the Question I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. Member for Shipley (Mr. Creech Jones) on 16th December.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he can make a statement regarding the imposition by the Southern Rhodesian Government of a £10 annual licence on itinerant hawkers and pedlars; and what are the grounds of justification for the imposition of such a prohibitive licence on African pedlars?

The annual charge of £10 for a hawker's licence has been in force in Southern Rhodesia for a very considerable period of years, and my Noble Friend has no information before him to suggest that the fee is regarded as a prohibitive one. A hawker's licence is not required for the sale of goods which are the growth or produce of the Colony, or which are manufactured locally from such produce.

asked the Prime Minister whether steps are being taken to coordinate plans of campaign by land, sea and air, between the Empire, the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and China?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave yesterday in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Bellenger), a copy of which I am sending to him.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he has considered a letter and resolution from the Southall Trades Council dealing with the question of transport and workmen's tickets; and what steps is he taking to secure better facilities for workers travelling to and from the factories?

The answer to the first part of the Question is Yes, Sir. In regard to the second part of the Question, in the Debate on nth September I referred at considerable length to the steps being taken to secure good transport facilities for workers.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware of the hardship suffered by merchant seamen who are not being paid when sick, or who must establish themselves with clothes suitable for industry if they are discharged from the Merchant Navy through being unfit; and whether he is taking any steps to organise the Merchant Navy as a service which will cater, as do other services, for such contingencies?

Officers are at present entitled to sick leave up to two months a year, and men receive the same insurance benefits as other industrial workers. Arrangements have been made by the industry under which, from 1st January, 1942, officers and men if sick abroad will receive up to 12 weeks sick leave. I am not aware that officers or men leaving the Merchant Navy on grounds of ill-health have difficulty as regards clothing. Such-cases are not likely to arise for, in general, the clothing worn at sea, or carried to sea by officers who wear uniform, is suitable for ordinary purposes ashore.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will obtain from the railway companies a return, showing the loss sustained by pilfering, of articles usually supplied for the benefit of the travelling public, such as towels, soap, napkins, glasses, brushes, etc., indicating the various articles and their value, that were lost in the three months, September, October and November; and whether in future he will warn the public to provide their own requirements?

Precise information is not available but I am told that the loss of towels, soap, etc., through pilferage is large. The difficulty in obtaining replacements has resulted in the curtailing of the supply of these articles on trains and if pilfering continues it may become impossible for the railways to continue to provide these requirements.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport how many drivers of Service and contractors' vehicles have been involved in fatal accidents, each separately, during the last six months in this country and in Northern Ireland; and whether the Air Ministry, Ministry of Aircraft Production, Ministry of Supply and, the War Office have prohibited the practice of paying to drivers engaged on work connected with the construction of aerodromes, factories, etc., of a bonus for the number of trips made in excess of four or five in accordance with the distance?

I am sorry that the information sought in the first part of the Question is not readily available. None of the Departments mentioned pays bonuses for the number of trips to the drivers they employ; nor have they evidence that the payment of such bonuses by their contractors is widespread. My Department does not deal with road transport in Northern Ireland.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will arrange for a wider extension of broadcasts on the lines of one recently given in the Children's Hour containing some admirable instructions by an expert for the avoidance of road accidents?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his appreciation of this part of our road safety campaign and I will consult with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Information as to the possibility of similar broadcasts.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the gross railway traffic receipts for the present year at the most recently recorded date?

A return showing the gross railway traffic receipts for the present calendar year will be issued as soon after its conclusion as possible.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport what was the average cost per ton to railway companies of steel rails, coal and sleepers at the outbreak of the war, or the nearest available date, and at the most recently available date in 1941?

I am making inquiries and will let my hon. Friend know the result.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport what amounts have been paid to the railway companies in 1939, 1940 and 1941 for Government work undertaken by them in railway workshops; and whether these amounts are included in or are additional to the declared gross railway receipts for the same periods?

The greater part of the charges raised by the railway companies against Government Departments for work done in railway workshops is for wages and materials and the payments in respect of these items are not included in gross receipts for railway workings. Payments covering workshop expenses are credited to maintenance expenditure and supervision is credited against the sums shown as

"other items of receipts and expenditure included in the Pool (net)"

given in the estimates of pooled revenue receipts and expenses. Information as to the amounts paid by the various Departments for work done in railway shops is not. readily available, but under the new financial terms of control the net result is credited to the Government's control account.

asked the Minister of Information how many men of military age, and fit for military service, are employed in the Censor's Department of the Ministry of Information?

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to the Press Censorship Division of the Ministry. The total number of men employed in this division is 279, of whom 76 are of military age, i.e., between 18 and 41 years of age. Twenty of these have been medically examined, of whom 13 were found unfit for active military service.

asked the Minister of Information the cost of the agricultural propaganda films already made and distributed by his Department; and the names of the three most popular films?

The production costs of the films already made and distributed for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries were £6,082. From such tests as it is possible to apply, the three films with most popular appeal were probably "Dig for Victory," "Kill that Rat" and "New Acres."

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the shortage of clog soles is causing great inconvenience to many workers, who wear them for travelling to their work; whether this is due to shortage of labour; and, if so, whether he will consider recalling to the industry experienced clog-sole cutters who have taken up other work?

I have been asked to reply. I am aware that there is a shortage of clog soles. This is due to the heavy increase in demand for clogs and to the difficulties of the firms concerned in obtaining the increased labour necessary. The Board of Trade and the Ministry of Labour are ascertaining how many clog-sole cutters have in fact left this industry and what steps should be taken to correct the position.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give any estimate of the varying sums paid as compensation from nucleus firms to those persons whose businesses have been concentrated therein; what, in general, is the basis on which the amount is reached; and whether, and on what determination, payment is made in respect of those concerns which, at the time of merger, were not profit yielding?

The amount of compensation paid to firms whose factories have been closed under the concentration policy is in general a matter for private negotiation between those firms and the nucleus firms with whom they are asso- ciated. In the majority of cases the nucleus firm manufactures at cost for the firm with the closed factory and the latter continues to sell the goods so produced on its behalf. In these cases no question of compensation, as the term is generally understood, arises. In a few industries, however, a central compensation fund has been set up. In these cases the Board have examined the compensation schemes so as to ensure that the payments will be sufficient to provide for the adequate care and maintenance of the premises closed down, and that they will be applied in the first instance for those purposes. Neither in the usual case in which the compensation is a matter of private negotiation between two firms, nor in the exceptional case in which there is a central compensation fund, does the question of whether at the time of the concentration the closed firm was making a profit or not arise.