asked the Minister of Labour how many of the 773 workpeople prosecuted by his Department, and of the 91 who were imprisoned for offences against the several orders of his Department, were connected at any time with the coalmining industry?

The only information readily available is that out of 206 prosecutions in a recent calendar month, 101 related to colliery workers of whom 79 were fined and 22 imprisoned.

asked the Minister of Labour whether Jonathan Hurst, whose recent sentence to a month's imprisonment by the Stockport Police Court was suspended to allow him to determine whether he would return to the coal mine, has now gone back to the pit; whether he is aware that Hurst was employed in a local steel plant on work of national importance earning £8 per week; that he was directed by his Department to work underground for £4 per week; and that he presented a medical certificate from his own doctor stating that he was not physically fit to do underground work, but was certified as fit by the official doctor?

I am having inquiries made and will communicate with my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that at a certain shell factory in South Wales over 100 workers have been given one week's notice to terminate their contract; and has he any statement to make thereon?

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that a number of workers at a Royal Ordnance Factory have received notice that their services will not be required after 9th instant, on the grounds of redundancy; and will he explain the reasons for these dismissals, in view of the necessity for the maximum war effort?

Owing to the changing strategy of the war, demands for all kinds of munitions are constantly being varied. It follows that at certain factories, production adjustments have to be made, often at short notice. There are ample stocks of certain types of shell and the number of shifts working on those types is being reduced. The labour released will be absorbed on other work through the usual machinery of the Ministry of Labour.

asked the Minister of Labour, what steps are being taken to get domestics for hostels housing agricultural labour?

Suitable women falling within the Registration for Employment Order are, being submitted for vacancies in hostels for agricultural workers. The importance of filling these vacancies has been emphasised in recent instructions to Local Officers of my Department, and special preference will be given to demands which are urgent.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the wage policy of the Government?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 30th April by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. and gallant Member for the Isle of Wight (Captain P. Macdonald).

asked the Minister of Pensions why the payment book for a war service grant to the wife of a Streatham soldier he knows of is still not available, although she was informed on nth April that the payment book was at Norwood Road post office awaiting collection; is he aware that the woman has called there every weekday since nth April and at the Norwood district post office; that she has written two letters to his Ministry without any reply; and whether he will expedite the payment book as she is unable to secure payment of the grant, including arrears from 12th February, and is in serious need?

The payee asked that any grant authorised should be made payable at the Norwood Road post office. Her request was acted upon, but it appears that there are three post offices in Norwood Road and the order book did not reach the one she had in mind. The mistake was rectified on 30th April when she received the order book and drew her money.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that the Board of Trade recognise, by the issue of supplementary clothing coupons, excessive wear and tear of clothing in the case of pensioners wearing artificial equipment; and will he issue a special allowance to men with multiple amputations and whose maximum pension of 37s. 6d. excludes the allowance made in the separate assessments?

I am aware that supplementary clothing coupons may be issued to persons who, through the use of artificial limbs or appliances, subject their clothing to more than normal wear and tear, but I am not able to make any special allowance in such cases unless my medical advisers are satisfied that damage to clothing has resulted from a defect in the limb or appliance. I am not quite clear, however, what the hon. Member means by the statement that the maximum pension excludes the allowance made in separate assessments and if he has any special case in mind I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Home Secretary whether any decision has been reached regarding Civil Defence ambulances wearing the Geneva Red Cross in common with service ambulances; and whether the position of personnel has been considered in the event of invasion unless the vehicles they serve bore the conventional sign?

The use of the Red Cross emblem is governed by the Geneva Red Cross Convention, to which this country is a party. By the terms of that Convention the Red Cross emblem may only be used to protect or to indicate the medical services of the Armed Forces and the personnel and material of the voluntary aid societies which are authorised to assist them. Civil Defence ambulances bear clear markings, though not the Red Cross emblem.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been directed to the accumulation of dirt and in some cases of weeds in the static water in various parts of London; and whether consideration has been given to the necessity of steps being taken to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes?

Yes, Sir. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I have lately issued instructions to the National Fire Service and local authorities respectively, about the steps to be taken to prevent mosquitoes breeding in tanks and other collections of water stored for fire-fighting purposes.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the extension of indiscriminate bombing and as reception areas have now become vulnerable, he proposes to reconsider his attitude towards the problem of evacuation?

The Government evacuation scheme is kept under constant review in the light of all current developments; but the incidents to which my hon. Friend refers have not disproved the wisdom of the policy of dispersal on which the scheme is based.

asked the Minister of Health how many full-time tuberculosis officers have been taken into the Armed Forces from London, the rest of England and Wales, respectively; and whether he is satisfied that in every case where such officer has been taken from civilian work suitable alternative arrangements have been made?

One full-time tuberculosis officer in London and nine in the rest of England and Wales have been recruited for the medical branches of His Majesty's Forces on the recommendation of the Central Medical War Committee. In each instance I was advised that suitable alternative arrangements could be made by the employing authorities, and in five of the cases, the one in London and four elsewhere, recruitment was delayed for varying periods for this purpose.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amounts and percentages of direct and indirect taxation for the financial years 1939–40 to 1941–42, respectively; and the estimated figures under the 1942 Budget?

The following are the figure:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will investigate certain towns where the gas supply during the last 12 months has been of very poor quality; and whether, in any scheme of rationing, he will guarantee both the quantity and quality of the supply?

Existing law enables the quality of gas supplied to be tested on the initiative of local authorities or consumers, and in fact some three-quarters of the gas supplied in Great Britain is so tested. I regret that under war conditions it is not possible to give guarantees nor is it possible in all cases to maintain pre-war quality, but if the hon. Lady will give me particulars of any cases she has in mind, they will be investigated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information as to any other belligerents in the present war having instituted a system of comprehensive fuel rationing; and, if so, on what lines?

I am informed that solid fuel is rationed in all European belligerent countries and that schemes for rationing gas and electricity as well have been instituted from time to time in some countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give an assurance that, in any fuel rationing scheme, he will not prevent local authorities from providing essential heating in air-raid shelters under cold weather conditions?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps have been taken to trace and utilise the services of qualified rubber planters who were able to escape from Malaya?

The members of the Rubber Growers' Association have very kindly furnished the names and whereabouts of those of their Malayan staffs who are known to have escaped. Staff requirements for rubber production in West Africa have been almost completely met; this, among other problems of production in East Africa, is now receiving urgent attention.

asked the Postmaster-General whether postal services between this country and Ethiopia have now been restored, or when it is anticipated that this will be effected?

The Ethiopian authorities have been informed that my right hon. Friend is ready to resume postal services between this country and Ethiopia; but no notification has yet been received that the Ethiopian Government has set up its own postal organisation. Postal services both air and surface, are of course in operation to members of His Majesty's Forces in Ethiopia.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works and Buildings whether any list has been compiled of subjects his Ministry considers desirable to investigate in the United States of America in connection with the work of the building industry in our postwar development; and how it is intended to make this investigation?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply to a Question on this subject which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for East Leicester (Major Lyons) on 29th April.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has any information to give about coal supplies in Northern Ireland?

The question of supplies of coal to Northern Ireland has recently been under discussion with representatives of the Northern Ireland Government. A provisional programme has been agreed and is now being put into force. The programme will be subject to review in the light of any changes which may occur in the general coal supply position or in the coal requirements of Northern Ireland.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether His Majesty's Government has considered the reduction in coal production consequent upon the loss of good will among sections of the miners through the prosecutions which have been instigated against some of them by the Ministry of Labour; and what conclusions have been reached?

Such prosecutions have been instituted either for refusal to obey a direction issued on the advice of a pit production committee or for an illegal strike. Prosecution of strikers has been undertaken in only a small proportion of the possible cases and in no case without full consideration of all the circumstances and consultation with my Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the present position concerning the investigation taking place in his Department into the political, territorial and economic problems likely to arise at the peace settlement; to what extent this is taking place on an inter-Allied basis; and through what machinery?

These subjects inevitably occupy so large a place in the ordinary day to day business of my Department and in their dealings with our Allies that I am afraid it would be impossible for me to make a reasonably comprehensive statement within the compass of a Parliamentary answer. It would, moreover, be difficult and almost certainly not in the public interest to go into details regarding the stage actually reached in considering any particular problem.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the numbers of the African population and the total amount estimated to be spent on their education for the current year, in Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda, respectively?

The estimated African population of Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda in 1940, the latest year for which figures are available, was as follows:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is satisfied that adequate attention is being given to the proper housing of non-European Governmental employees in the various African Colonies; and whether he will insist on the provision of modern amenities, such as allotments, lighting, water-borne sanitation and the like?

Neither my Noble Friend nor Colonial Governments are satisfied with all of the housing provided for Government employees in the African dependencies, but in present war conditions it is not practicable to make all the progress which might be desired. Nevertheless, in various places steps are being taken to deal with the matter. As the most recent example I may mention an application from Nigeria for a grant from the Colonial Development and Welfare Vote to enable an extensive housing scheme to be carried out at the Enugu colliery. As regards the last part of the Question, my hon. and gallant Friend can be assured that in places where modern amenities of the kinds which he mentions can be secured efforts will be made to provide them when housing schemes are undertaken. I may add that a study of Colonial housing requirements is being undertaken in the Colonial Office with a view to affording Colonial Governments assistance in planning such developments.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will permit air gunners in the Fleet Air Arm to wear a similar badge to that worn by air gunners in the Royal Air Force?

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now able to give information as to the decisions of the Army Council concerning the new regulations which are to determine the duties of officers, non-commissioned officers and men in the Army who are regarded as entertainers, artistes and bandsmen, or members of official or unofficial orchestras or concert parties; and whether he will publish a précis or copy of the regulations in the OFFICIAL REPORT?

The question of introducing a flying badge for naval air gunners is under consideration.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the respective numbers of Dartmouth cadets and public school direct entries into permanent commissions in the Royal Navy for the last three years, that this information can be publicly stated?

I append an analysis which shows the number of officers who were given permanent commissions during the last three years, and who entered the Service through the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, the Special Entry examination and the Merchant Navy Training Establishments.

It is desirable that the Army should, as far as possible, provide for its own entertainment. The creation by units or formations of "concert parties" has accordingly been encouraged. The expression "concert parties" includes bands, orchestras, choirs, theatrical companies or any other body of military entertainers other than military bands with an approved establishment. It is of great importance, however, that these entertainment activities should be conducted in a manner which will not prejudice the good name of the Service or interfere with the training or military duties of the soldiers concerned.

It has been decided, therefore, to lay down certain general rules for the guidance of all concerned. The primary purpose of concert parties is the entertainment of soldiers and their friends. No remuneration is, however, to be accepted by individual performers for such entertainment, and any box office takings are to be paid into the welfare funds of the unit or formation to which the performers belong, after the deduction of out-of-pocket expenses. The entertainment of the public is not properly the function of the Army and such activities are, therefore, to be kept down to a minimum. However, for special military, public or charitable purposes, such entertainments may occasionally be sanctioned by the Divisional or equivalent Commander. No remuneration will be accepted by individual performers and any box office takings or fees will be paid into welfare or charitable funds at the discretion of the Commander concerned.

Apart from this, individual soldiers and concert parties will not be allowed to perform in public theatres, music halls, dance halls, etc. However, soldiers on periods of leave of not less than 48 hours will continue to be free to perform in theatres, etc., provided that they wear civilian clothes. Soldiers will not, of course, on this account be granted any leave other than that to which they would be normally entitled. These regulations are not intended to restrict in any way the playing of military music by military bands in the streets, squares and parks of towns and villages, which, insofar as military duties permit, will at all times be encouraged.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many servants of firms violating the law have been prosecuted by his Department since the outbreak of hostilities; and what is the percentage of such to the total prosecutions?

I regret that the information is not readily available. The time and labour involved in obtaining it would not, in my view, be justified.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, in view of the fact that the new ration books, to be issued in July, are to be called for personally and that all identity cards will be checked, he will ensure that the hours of food offices will be very elastic during this period, in order to avoid queues and waste of time?

Yes, Sir. Sub-offices will be opened at various points and at varying times for the purpose of receiving applications for the next edition of the ration book, and every effort will be made to meet the convenience of the public. It is hoped that personal application will be made, but where this is not possible application by post will be accepted.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is satisfied that adequate credit facilities have been placed at the disposal of the Chinese Government; and, if not, whether he will consult with the United States authorities as to what more can be done?

I have been asked to reply. Yes, Sir. I would refer my hon. Friend to the official announcement made on 3rd February last regarding the £50,000,000 loan for war purposes and the lend-lease arrangements for munitions and military equipment which His Majesty's Government are making available to the Chinese Government. The United States Government have been and are being consulted in these matters.

asked the Home Secretary in how many instances, prior to January of this year, were justices and justices' clerks also special constables or officers of the special constabulary; in how many instances have resignations been offered from one or other capacity following his circular on the subject; and whether, in view of the importance of avoiding any action which might destroy the confidence of the public in the impartial administration of-justice, he will make a definite order that individuals so circumstanced should resign from one or other of these offices?

I have no figures to enable me to answer the first part of the Question but I believe that a number of justices of the peace who have been anxious to do all they possibly can to assist the war effort have rendered valuable voluntary service as special constables. I do not think the matter could be properly dealt with in the manner suggested in the last part of the Question but I fully recognise the importance of not exposing Courts to any suspicion of bias, and accordingly I have, after consultation with the Lord Chancellor, expressed the view that a justice who is acting as a special constable will be well advised not to sit on the Bench when the police cases are being heard (whether such cases are brought by the regular or auxiliary police) and to take part only in other types of Court work.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of deaths from respiratory tuberculosis and other forms of tuberculosis, and also from tuberculous meningitis, among males and females in Scotland in 1941; and, for

asked the Home Secretary whether he is contemplating the establishment of the police forces of the country on a national basis analogous to the National Fire Service?

No, Sir. The necessary co-ordination of the police service to meet war-time needs can be secured under the existing system.

asked the Minister of Health the number of deaths from respiratory tuberculosis and other forms of tuberculosis, and also from tuberculous meningitis, among males and females in England and Wales in 1941; and for comparison similar figures for 1938, 1939 and 1940?

The number of deaths in England and Wales from respiratory tuberculosis and other forms of tuberculosis, also from tuberculous meningitis in the years 1938, 1939, 1940 and 1941 is as follows:

comparison, similar figures for 1938, 1939 and 1940?

Comparative figures for the years 1938–41 are given in the table below:—

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the living conditions and wages paid to females engaged in fruit picking and hop picking in the Worcestershire, Malvern and Vale of Evesham areas; and does he propose to take steps to improve their conditions this year?

I have received no complaints on either matter. If, however, the hon. Member will send me particulars of any cases he has in mind I will make inquiries.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many farms were graded C in the 1940 survey; and how many of their occupiers have since been dispossessed because of their unsatisfactory farming?

It would not be in the public interest to give the information asked for in the first part of the Question. As regards the second part of the Question, my hon. Friend will appreciate that these "C" farms may be occupied by tenants or by owner-occupiers. In the former case, dispossession by a war agricultural executive committee takes place by the termination of the tenancies; in the latter case by taking possession. While the Ministry has records of the number of cases in which tenancies have been terminated without taking possession, the records of cases of taking possession are not kept in such a way as to distinguish the categories of owner-occupier and tenant, or of farms, derelict land, undeveloped building land, common land, etc. Moreover, many changes of tenancy and ownership have been brought about by the intervention of agricultural executive committees without the actual exercise of powers, and the Ministry has no record of individual cases. For these reasons I cannot supply figures in reply to the second part of the Question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the limited amount of raw materials available, he will take steps to enforce, by regulation, that all packages and containers of animal medicines give an indication of the composition of the contents, as in the case of proprietary medicines for human consumption, in order that farmers can be certain that they are suitable and necessary for the purpose?

I have no powers under existing legislation to impose a requirement of the kind suggested. Nor have I any reason to suppose that it would achieve the purpose indicated in the last part of the Question.