asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has given consideration to the scheme sent to him for increased production of gas from coal put forward by Mr. George Helps, of Nuneaton; and whether Mr. Helps has been invited to give any practical proof of his ability to increase the production two-and-a-half times from the same amount of coal previously used?

The principle of Mr. Helps' process is well known to the Ministry and to the gas industry generally, and it has been in practical use at Nuneaton for many years. A number of disadvantages would attach to its general adoption.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the proposed closing down of Whitburn Colliery, County Durham; and what action is being taken by his Department to keep the colliery in production?

My Department has been informed by the Harton Coal Company, Limited, of the proposal to close down Whitburn Colliery; in accordance with the procedure in such cases the proposal has been referred to the Durham District Production Committee which has been requested to provide me with a report and a recommendation as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour the names of the members of the committee established by the Emergency Committee of the International Labour Organisation to act as a bridge between it and the governments and responsible agencies who are forming economic plans for post-war reconstruction?

I have been in communication with the International Labour Office and understand that this question is still under consideration. It has not yet been possible to make definite proposals as to the membership of the committee.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he will take steps to ensure that an adequate supply of refractory material is available for the construction and repair of the furnaces in which metals are smelted and prepared for treatment, in order that there shall be no stoppages in the production of munitions on account of there not being sufficient furnaces in commission?

The supply of refractory material for furnaces is being kept under constant supervision and it is not anticipated that any serious difficulty will be encountered in meeting probable demands. If my hon. Friend has any particular case of difficulty in mind I shall be glad to have it investigated.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware of the large quantity of rubber, iron and other materials at the Bamfurlong tip, near Wigan; and whether he will take the necessary steps to utilise such material?

I understand that there is a certain amount of waste material at the Bamfurlong tip, near Wigan. This dump belongs to the London Midland and Scottish Railway, whose attention has been drawn to this matter and they have promised to take the necessary steps to secure the recovery of any valuable material.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production whether he is now in a position to announce the name of the new Director General of Aircraft Production and the terms of the appointment?

I have appointed Mr. Alexander Dunbar to be Controller-General of Aircraft Production.

asked the Home Secretary, with reference to Article 12 (5A) of the Aliens Order, 1920, in how many of the cases submitted to the Lindley Committee action has been taken contrary to the recommendations of that Committee?

In 15 of the 394 cases in which recommendations from the Committee have been received the action decided upon was not in accordance with the Committee's recommendation. In 11 of these 15 cases the Committee recommended release and in 4 cases continued detention.

asked the Home Secretary how many canteens have been authorised by him under the terms of Defence Order 60AA?

Thirty-nine have been authorised with my concurrence.

asked the Minister of Pensions, to what extent the granting of proficiency pay to His Majesty's Forces results in a corresponding deduction in the dependant's hardship allowance; and will he consider recommending an alteration in this system which, at present, tends to discourage progress and proficiency in the ranks?

In the calculation of war service grants the proportion of his proficiency pay which a soldier is expected to contribute for the benefit of his wife and family is governed by the provisions of Command Paper 6318. Until his pay exceeds 4s. a day he is assumed to contribute no more than the standard allotment required for purposes of family allowance. I have no ground for thinking that the existing regulations have the effect which the hon. and gallant Member suggests, and I am not prepared to recommend any alteration.

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1) how much money has been spent on building and equipping an aerodrome, of which he has been informed; and whether this aerodrome has been in regular use during the last three months;(2) why it has been necessary to keep a large number of officers and men on an aerodrome, of which he has been informed, for the last six months; and whether, in view of the fact that large sums of public money have been spent on this aerodrome, he will consider making full use of it again?

The Civil aerodrome in question was utilised for elementary flying training in the early days of the war. £39,000 was spent on the provision of buildings. Now it is being used for testing aircraft by the Ministry of Aircraft Production who have incurred expenditure of £146,000 on the provision of runways and flight sheds. The R.A.F. personnel at present stationed on the aerodrome are necessary for its defence and must be retained so long as the aerodrome remains in use.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many times the Lord Privy Seal, when he was English Ambassador to Russia, was received by Mr. Stalin officially?

On six occasions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider an abatement of Income Tax for blind persons employed in the various municipal and other approved workshops equal to the 15s. per week augmentation?

The augmentation allowance paid to blind persons does not constitute income liable to tax and instructions to this effect have now been issued.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give an indication of the proportion of civil servants in each Government Depart- ment who belong to the Home Guard either of that Department or locally?

Very large numbers of civil servants are serving in the Home Guard. I regret that I could not obtain the figures asked for without calling for a special return.

asked the Secretary of State for War what was the approximate amount of money spent in the last financial year on the work of the Army Education Corps, the regional committees of the Central Advisory Council for Adult Education in His Majesty's Forces and the Army Bureau of Current Affairs, respectively; and under which of these three organisations the Brains Trust meetings, so popular in the Services, are being organised?

The total sum spent in the past financial year on the war-time education scheme, in the administration of which the Army Educational Corps and the Central Advisory Council for Adult Education in His Majesty's Forces, with its regional committees, are both concerned, and within which their respective shares cannot be separated, was about £232,000, of which £21,000 was spent on the administrative work of the regional committees. This total does not include expenditure on the Army Bureau of Current Affairs, in the work of which the Army Educational Corps plays a part, or the cost of the Army Educational Corps personnel. During the six months of its existence which come within the time in question about £17,000 was spent on the Army Bureau of Current Affairs. Brains Trust meetings are held in certain units and stations under the direction of the Army Educational Corps, civilian members being usually supplied by regional committees for education among His Majesty's Forces. Any expenditure in this connection is met from the money allotments made to Commands for Army Education. A certain number of Brains Trusts are run by the Entertainments National Service Association and financed from their funds as a form of Sunday entertainment. Some units also organise their own Brains Trusts independently.

asked the Minister of Information what amount of newsreel material about China has been exhibited in Great Britain since China became an Ally; whether he is aware of the widespread ignorance in this country about our Chinese Allies; and whether he will give every assistance in putting this matter right?

The Ministry of Information does not, of course, produce the newsreels exhibited in this country but it provides the newsreel companies with all the suitable material it can get. There have been films showing China's troops fighting in Burma, but efforts to obtain newsreel material direct from China have not so far been successful. I share my hon. Friend's wish that the British public should be well-informed about China, and a considerable number of Ministry lectures and B.B.C. programmes have, in fact, been devoted to the subject. My hon. Friend will recognise that the difficulty of communication is a severe handicap in the way of obtaining first-hand material.

asked the Attorney-General on what grounds the Public Prosecutor decided that the complaint of the late Mr. David Thompson, of Brighton, against the issue of fraudulent Indian letters patent did not justify the institution of criminal proceedings?

On the ground that the communications from Mr. Thompson did not disclose or indicate evidence which in his opinion would justify criminal proceedings.