asked the Minister of Labour the numbers of men and women registering for employment at the various Employment Exchanges in West Ham?

I will send the desired figures to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that medical practitioners are put to inconvenience as the result of maids and receptionists being called up; and whether he will consider a degree of exemption which will render a doctor's work less difficult?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 27th January, to the hon. Member for Denbigh (Sir H. Morris-Jones) in which it was stated that instructions had already been issued for special consideration to be given in the case of doctors' households.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will issue instructions that, in future, a separate record is to be kept by organisers of War Loan and War Weapons' Weeks, so that subscriptions by banks and insurance companies may be readily discerned and the total genuine savings of the people so invested made available to Members of this House?

I cannot accept the view implied in my hon. Friend's Question that subscriptions to Government securities by banks and insurance companies do not include genuine savings, nor would it be right for me, I consider, to place a further burden on the Voluntary Savings Committees by instructing them to keep a separate record.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a pension granted in respect of an award of the Victoria Cross is subject to Income Tax?

Such a pension, in accordance with the general rule applying to payments from public funds, is chargeable to Income Tax. The amount of tax, if any, payable in a particular case would, of course, depend upon the total income of the pensioner and the Income Tax allowance he could claim.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that a number of medical practitioners, connected with the emergency medical services, are sent to hospitals where there is no living accommodation, necessitating the obtaining of board and lodging for which they are entitled to an allowance; and whether he will consider relieving these medical men from Income Tax from this portion of their emoluments?

I do not see my way to adopt this suggestion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered the method of tax evasion of which details have been sent to him by he hon. Member for West Birmingham; have specific cases been brought to his notice; and will he make provision in his forthcoming Budget to prevent this scandal?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20th January to a Question by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Lewes (Rear-Admiral Beamish). If my hon. Friend has particulars of any actual instance of the type of transaction in question I shall be glad to receive them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the position of the owner of a property damaged by enemy action, the re-establishment of which has been agreed to, and urged by a war agricultural committee and the Ministry of Agriculture, is supported by a regional war damage commission, and a licence for materials, No. C.L. B/12/3412 granted by the Ministry of Works and Buildings but for which the owner is unable to provide the necessary finance; and whether such finance has been provided in similar instances is now obtainable and from whom?

The War Damage Commission has made arrangements to give priority in such cases to applications for payment on the completion of the work, or, in large works, to the payment of instalments as sections of the work are completed. In these circumstances, the person interested in the damaged property should have no difficulty in securing a contractor to carry out the work on the usual credit terms. If, however, he is unable to do so, the Commission will consider whether it is a case for special treatment provided the person concerned obtains from his county war agricultural committee a certificate that an advance would have been made under the Essential Building and Plant (Repair of War Damage) Act, 1939.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether claims for repair work assessed by local authorities to bombed houses are presented to the War Damage Commission by the local authorities concerned or by the victims of the damage?

Claims for repair work to damaged houses carried out by local authorities are presented to the War Damage Commission by the local authorities concerned, but the owners are asked in such circumstances to return the claim form issued to them by the Commission with a note to the effect that all the repairs have been done or ordered by the local authority.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will give an assurance that where apparatus, duly declared, is impounded under the Electro-Medical Apparatus Prohibition Order, 1940, either it will be returned at the end of the war to the owner in the same condition as when handed over or compensation paid for loss or damage; and what steps are taken to protect such apparatus from deterioration while stored?

Compensation would be paid for loss or damage due to failure of the Post Office to take reasonable and proper care of this apparatus, but I cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage due to other causes. The apparatus is stored in buildings where Post Office electrical apparatus is kept and this is the most suitable accommodation available.

asked the Minister of Supply what steps he proposes to take to prevent tyres in scrap piles being used for regeneration of rubber, which might be fit for repair and which, if used on spare wheels of vehicles now in use, would provide a get-you-home service and release good tyres, now on spare wheels, for more important use?

One of the purposes of the scheme for salvaging tyres and other scrap rubber through certified waste merchants with skill and experience in sorting and grading, is to secure that tyres suitable for repair or retreading shall be used in that way.

asked the Minister of Supply (1) whether, in the national interest, he will appoint a tyre board on the lines of the Petroleum Board, and by pooling eliminate the competitive selling and advertising of all brands of new tyres, used tyres and retreads, especially as all new tyres will now be produced to standard specifications;(2) whether, in view of the impending shortage of rubber for tyres, he will appoint a tyre distribution controller, with full powers, to ensure that the available supply of tyres is used to meet essential needs and permit the best use to be made of tyres on spare wheels of vehicles now in use and on all wheels of laid-up vehicles; whether he will indicate the number of tyres that could be made available from the latter and the steps he has in view for their control or acquisition?

The whole question of the organisation of the production and distribution of tyres is under active consideration, but I am not at present in a position to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Supply what quantity of cast-iron, alloy and non-alloy steel has been allocated for the purpose of extending their plants since June, 1941, to those reclaiming firms who are, and those who are not, members respectively of the Rubber Reclaimers Association?

It would not be in the public interest to publish particulars of the steel allocated for the extension of reclaiming plant.

asked the President dent of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Mrs. Annie Peake, 19, Birkbeck Road, Tottenham, who lost her home by enemy action in September, 1940, has made repeated applications to the Public Assistance Board and to the district valuer for payment of her agreed claim for £74 to purchase necessary furniture for tenancy of a house offered her by Tottenham borough council; that she has now been directed to apply to the local office of Customs and Excise and fill up Form W.D. A.1, giving the same information already given to the other departments, after which she will be again interviewed; and, in view of the delay and discontent caused in this and similar cases, will he take steps clearly to define the functions of the Public Assistance Board, the district valuer and Customs and Excise in regard to war damage claims with a view to simplifying procedure for obtaining payment?

The district valuer's function is to assess claims under the Private Chattels Scheme. He is not concerned with the payment of claims. The functions of the Assistance Board and the Customs and Excise are referred to in the explanatory memorandum P.C.S.5 and are more fully set out in Notice No. 123, copies of which I am sending to my hon. Friend; copies are available at local information centres and elsewhere. The function of the Assistance Board is to make advances to persons who, immediately after suffering war damage, are in urgent need of money to replace necessary clothing and furniture which have been damaged or destroyed, and that of the Customs and Excise is to make advances to persons, who, although not in such immediate need, cannot wait for their compensation until after the war without suffering undue hardship. The Assistance Board carry out their work with the bare minimum of inquiry, but the Customs and Excise must necessarily make a more detailed investigation into a claimant's circumstances. I am looking into the case of Mrs. Peake and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as I can.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will allay the unrest among vegetable growers, of whom a number are also wholesalers, by giving an undertaking that the 1942 crop of onions will be distributed through the usual channels?

In view of the importance which my Noble Friend attaches to the equitable distribution of whatever supplies of onions are available for domestic consumption, he is unable to give the undertaking asked for by my hon. Friend. The arrangements to be made for marketing next season's onion crop are being actively considered and a statement on the subject will be made as soon as practicable.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can give any information with reference to the five tons of corned beef stolen; how long this pilfering has been going on; and whether he has information about where the 160 cases, each containing 12 six-pound tins, were sold?

The corned beef was stolen from a Ministry of Food Depot and the thefts had probably been taking place for about three weeks before they were discovered. Fifty-four cases which were sold by George Sidney Neal to Frederick Kenneth Belsham were traced and both these men were prosecuted by the police for receiving stolen property and sentenced recently at the Old Bailey to four years' penal servitude each.

asked the Minister of Information whet steps he has in prospect to educate the public, and particularly the men who drive and maintain heavy commercial vehicles, in the best methods of maintaining tyres and securing the maximum mileage with the minimum use of rubber?

I have been asked to reply. The measures to be taken for securing the maximum economies in tyre usage are at present under examination by the Department concerned in collaboration with representatives of the tyre manufacturing industry, and will be announced in the very near future.

asked the Minister of Health the names of the medical organisations approached by the Central Medical War Committee for information required for the maintenance of the National Register of the Medical Profession; when and how the approach was made; and what was the result in respect of each medical organisation?

I cannot add to what was said in my replies to my hon. Friend's Questions on this subject on 18th November, 9th December and 27th January last.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will inquire further into the circumstances attending the refusal of a war pension to the widow of the late Gunner H. G., Williams, reference No. B/5/W2/3151, who enlisted in April last, was taken ill in September, and died whilst undergoing an operation in October?

In view of the somewhat unusual circumstances of this case I am arranging for it to be referred to an independant medical expert for advice.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether, in view of the definition of war injury and war service injury in the Memorandum recently issued by his Department, revising the Memorandum issued in September, 1939, persons suffering from shock or mental disability arising directly or indirectly from enemy action or from combating enemy action are entitled to injury allowances under the Personal Injuries (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1939; and, if not, why not?

The Personal Injuries (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1939, provides for the grant of injury allowances in respect of war injuries and war service injuries, both of which are defined in the Act as physical injuries. Injuries to the brain as the direct result of concussion, and cases of shock originating from direct exposure to bomb explosion or blast in which the resulting incapacity for work starts from the time of the incident, may be accepted as physical injuries for the purposes of compensation under the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme. Compensation is not payable under the scheme for neurasthenia and similar sickness induced merely by apprehension and fears occasioned by enemy activity in which there is no physical injury.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will give, for the year 1941 for England and Wales, the names and ages of all persons condemned to death for murder; the names, dates and prisons of execution of all persons executed for murder; the names of those reprieved; and the names, dates and prisons of execution, for the same period, of all persons executed for offences other than murder?

I have sent my hon. Friend the particulars specified in the first, second and third parts of the Question. The particulars for which he asks in the last part involve certain categories of cases in regard to which, as I explained in my answer to a Question by the hon. and gallant Member for Handsworth (Commander Locker-Lampson) on 18th December last, all the information which can properly be given has already been made public.

asked the Home Secretary how many appeals had been received up to 31st December, 1941, under the Police (Appeals) Act, 1927, from men who had been dismissed, or ordered to resign in lieu of dismissal, from the Metropolitan police, City of London police, county police and borough police, respectively; in how many cases were inquiries held; in how many cases was legal aid allowed, and in how many refused; in how many cases were the appeals dismissed without an inquiry being held; in how many cases were the appeals dismissed after inquiry; in how many cases were the punishments appealed from varied; in how many cases were the appeals allowed; and how many appeals were outstanding on 31st December, 1941?

asked the Minister of Health whether the allowances for billeting bombed-out persons are assessed to cover the cost of the wear and tear thereby often entailed; and, if not, how such cost is to be recovered?

Yes, Sir. The billeting allowances payable in respect of homeless persons cover all services which the householder on whom they are billeted is required to provide, including any incidental wear and tear. Compensation may however be claimed from the local authority for actual damage caused by the billeted persons.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give any information in connection with the firm of Messrs. Porters, Limited, contractors to the Admiralty, who had wrongfully obtained about £500,000 by fictitious wage sheets prepared in their office, which came before the Liverpool police court on Wednesday last?

The firm in question acts almost exclusively as sub-contractor to another firm who, since the outbreak of war, have carried out a considerable amount of work for the Admiralty and the Ministry of War Transport. It is alleged that by falsifying wages records Messrs. F. H. Porter, Ltd., have charged to the main contractors sums considerably in excess of the sums actually expended for their account. In this event a corresponding overcharge will have been

The information desired by my hon. Friend is set out in the following table.made against the Admiralty and Ministry of War Transport. The matter is at present being investigated by both Departments and meanwhile it is not possible to state the total of these discrepancies. The question of the conditions for the execution of any further work is receiving the attention of the two Departments.

asked the Prime Minister whether it is intended to issue a White Paper, similar to those published after the declaration of war with Germany and Italy, containing despatches regarding the position in the Pacific, prior to the entry into the war of Japan?

The negotiations with Japan which preceded hostilities and which were in fact in progress when the Japanese attack began were in the hands of the United States Government, who have already published the material documents. His Majesty's Government do not consider it necessary at this stage to make any independent publication. I will, however, make available to the House if desired a copy of the United States publication when the full text has been received.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will inform the House the amount of money in sterling that was paid out as unemployed pay to men and women, respectively, from 1929 to 1939?

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 22nd January, 1942; col. 403, Vol. 377], supplied the following statement:—The following table shows approximately, in respect of the calendar years 1929 to 1939, the amounts of unemployment

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of men who have joined His Majesty's Forces since the beginning of the war, in the county of Durham, that have since been discharged on medical grounds; and the number that have presented themselves for enlistment and turned down by medical boards as unfit for general service?

I regret that the information asked for is not available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate amount of labour.

asked the Secretary of State for War why an officer of the Home Guard who receives no remuneration, is allowed only a third-class railway warrant when travelling on duty, whereas officers of the Air Training Corps, who receive certain emoluments, are allowed first-class railway warrants?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) what are the allowances paid to persons billeting members of His Majesty's Forces in the London area; and what amenities are to be provided for such allowances;(2) whether he is aware that the present billeting allowances for members of the armed forces are inadequate to meet the cost of food, service, fuel, etc., and is causing great hardship to hotel and boarding-house keepers, and private householders; and if he is considering any increase in these allowances?

The rates payable under the Army Act for the billeting of the Armed Forces are uniform throughout the country. Details of these rates, and the services for which they are paid, were given in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for East Rhondda (Mr. Mainwaring) on 19th November, 1941, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy. The rates are constantly under review and on present information are considered adequate for the meals and services required. Supplementary payments may be claimed for certain additional services when these are provided. In a few cases, where the continuous billeting of troops has been likely to cause undue hardship to householders who normally derive their livelihood from accommodating visitors, contracts are being entered into by which the whole of the accommodation (with a minimum of six beds) has been reserved for the use of service personnel at a special inclusive rate.

asked the Secretary of State for War what new arrangements have been made in order to allow members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service to serve near their homes?

Subject to the needs of the Service, which must, of course, be paramount, members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service will as far as is practicable be posted for service in localities adjacent to their homes. Owing to the nature of their work it will, however, be impossible for the present to apply this policy to personnel in mixed anti-aircraft units. In any case the process must necessarily be a very gradual one, but compassionate cases will be given priority.