asked the Secretary of State for Air whether it is possible to relieve men of the Royal Air Force, including the ground staff, who have been in Malta without leave for over 12 months?

I much regret that I cannot give any undertaking in this matter at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will confidentially inform war agricultural committees now of any agricultural land likely to be wanted for aerodromes or landing grounds, so that the waste of autumn ploughing and seeding of such land can be postponed, anyhow, till the spring of 1943?

Arrangements have been made with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries to keep the county war agricultural committees informed confidentially and as early as possible of our requirements.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he his aware that much uncertainty exists in East Africa as to precisely what supplies of food the Government wishes that Colony to produce; and whether he will take steps to clarify the whole position so that immediate steps may be taken in East Africa to increase agricultural production?

As I informed my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Mr. Creech Jones) in reply to a Question on 1st July, production programmes are necessarily subject to variation owing to the changing conditions of war. It is the constant endeavour of my Noble Friend to secure as definite a programme as possible in conjunction with the authorities concerned, both in connection with the target for specific crops and the prices to be paid for them. I cannot at present add anything to that.

asked the Minister of Information whether he will see that every step possible is taken to make known to the hungry millions of Europe that 100,000,000 bushels of wheat will be available for them as soon as they can get free from German control?

Yes, Sir. This is already being done and will continue to be done.

asked the Minister of Information whether he is aware of the protests which have been made by associations of pawnbrokers in all parts of the country about the unjustifiable slur cast upon their trade by the film, "Partners in Crime," produced by his Department; and whether, as this trade is carried on under licence, is regulated by statute and is not concerned with the offences with which this film deals, he will arrange to amend the film before giving it further publicity and to extend an apology to the pawnbrokers?

This apparent slur on pawnbrokers was caused by the chance use of stock property in one brief scene. The Ministry has expressed to the Pawnbrokers' Association its sincere regrets for any distress that may have been caused; but it has not been possible to amend copies of the film already in circulation. Other copies of the film to be used later for non-theatrical distribution will, however, receive the slight alteration necessary to remove the objection.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, upon whose advice was a rate of 1s. per chip of 12 lbs. of cherries recently fixed by the Ministry of Food as a proper rate of remuneration for agents acting between producers and wholesalers?

The rate to which my hon. Friend refers was decided upon after consultation with the trade bodies primarily concerned.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, what services are normally performed by agents acting in fruit-producing areas and between producers and wholesalers; and what is the normal rate of remuneration received by agents in the fruit-producing areas acting between producers and wholesalers?

Agents in production areas provide services to growers by securing containers and arranging for collection and consignment. If the agent is acting for a market principal, he provides him with fruit, or if he acts for a grower, he provides a market. There are also manufacturers' agents. Normally, rates of remuneration vary widely. They may range from one to 10 per cent. according to the services provided and the circumstances. The lowest rates apply to manufacturers' agents.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will make a statement regarding the Government plans for the sale of plums and apples by the producers and allow the producers to sell to the public, where necessary, direct?

Maximum price orders will be made for both plums and apples and will prescribe maximum prices on the occasion of a sale by a grower, by wholesale and by retail. A substantial proportion of the plum crop will, however, be made available for jam manufacturers and for the pulp and canning industries, and the Order will fix the prices to be paid by these manufacturing users. Encouragement will be given, by means of an additional price, to growers who store their apples either in cold or gas storage. There will be a restriction on the movement of both plums and apples by road and by rail in order to secure the maximum transport economy, consistent with the full utilisation of the crops. A producer of not more than one acre of plums or one acre of apples who obtains a retail licence from the local Food Control Committee will be allowed to sell to the public at the maximum retail price. A grower with cultivations exceeding one acre, who sold as a grower-salesman in previous years, will be entitled to apply for a special licence enabling him to sell to the retail trade or to the public the same proportion of the crop as he was accustomed to dispose of in these ways.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, in arranging for the more economical distribution of milk, he will ensure that all milk consumers who object to pasteurised milk will be able to obtain the unpasteurised variety?

No, Sir. Although local schemes for rationalising milk deliveries may make reasonable provision for consumers to continue to obtain the kind of milk to which they are accustomed, it would not be possible to give any general guarantee as desired by my hon. Friend.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that restaurants in the Mayfair, Seven Dials and Soho districts are not carrying out either the spirit or the letter of the food price regulations recently imposed; and will he take steps to requisition places where the law is broken and administer the same on British Restaurant lines?

Alleged infringements of the Meals in Establishments Order, 1942, are under investigation by my Department at the present time. If my hon. Friend will furnish me with particulars of any cases of which he has knowledge, I shall be glad to have them investigated. The answer to the last part of the Question is "No."

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is instituting an outward airgraph service to India; and when will such a service be available to the relatives of members of the Armed Forces?

I am glad to inform the hon. Member that an outward airgraph service to India was instituted on 21st May. It is available to the public for messages both to members of His Majesty's Forces and to civilians in India.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the urgency for reasons of health, he has now, in accordance with his promise, been able to arrange for the necessary labour for giving effect to the Broom Leys Road Sewer Scheme promoted by the Coalville Urban District Council?

I am in further communication with the council and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible. My hon. Friend will of course appreciate that the allocation of labour priorities and the provision of the necessary labour are matters for my Noble Friend the Minister of Works and Planning and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will advise inspectors of taxes who receive notices of appeals from accountants, acting for their clients, to issue to such accountants notice to attend personal hearings, as instances have arisen where notices of hearing do not ultimately reach the accountants and appeal hearings have resulted in confirmation of erroneous assessments which then become irrevocable, without the accountants receiving any notice of appeal, such notices being in addition to that now sent to the clients?

By law, notice of the day for hearing appeals is given to the appellant, and is required to be given by the General or Special Commissioners, as the case may be, and not by the Inspector of Taxes. It is common practice for solicitors or accountants acting for the appellant to be notified also, but it is of course for the appellant to instruct his advisers to attend the hearing. Perhaps my hon. Friend would be good enough to let me have particulars of whatever case he has in mind.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that assurance companies are obliged to supply lists and particulars of all annuities issued by them and that special Income Tax returns exist in the case of persons over 65 years of age whose total income does not exceed £500 per annum, he can state the approximate cost of treating annuities half as repayment of capital and half as interest for Income Tax purposes in the case of such persons as are over 65 years of age and are in receipt of incomes not exceeding £500 per annum, partly or wholly derived from annuities?

The lists received from assurance companies do not cover all annuities paid but relate only to annuities payable to individuals who are exempt from tax or liable only at the reduced rate of tax. To obtain the estimate desired it would be necessary to examine all the claims for relief made by taxpayers aged 65 and over and I do not think that the labour involved in such an examination could be justified in present conditions.

asked the Attorney-General whether he can give the age of the two magistrates who formed the Appeals Committee of the county of London on Tuesday, 2nd June; and will he take steps to ensure that no justices over 65 years of age shall serve on appeals committees?

The Appeal Committee of the Quarter Sessions for the County of London did not sit on 2nd June. If my hon. Friend refers to the committee who, on 9th June, heard the case of Berstein and Berstein, London, Ltd., to which reference appears to be made in another Question standing in my hon. Friend's name, that case was heard by a committee of three justices consisting of the chairman of the court and of two chairmen of Petty Sessional divisions who served as representing those divisions in accordance with Section 8 (2) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Appeals) Act, 1933. There is no power to ensure that justices over the age of 65 shall not serve on Appeal Committees, and my Noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor does not think that it would be desirable to impose an age limit of 65. Official records of the ages of magistrates are not kept and though the information may be available in some cases in books of reference my Noble Friend feels it would be invidious to give information which can be obtained from such sources.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will reconsider the hours of work required of persons engaged in occupations demanding concentrated attention, in view of the scientific observation that concentrated attention cannot be maintained continuously for more than relatively short periods, that output is likely to decrease with extension of hours and the liability to accidents to increase?

I am not aware that any special measures are necessary in this connection other than those already operative. Rest pauses where the spell of work is relatively long are required for women and young persons in factories and have been recommended for men in leaflets widely issued by my Department, and proper weekly rests and holidays are also required or encouraged.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he can make a statement about the agreement made between the shipowners and the Joint Maritime Commission giving seamen the right and freedom to organise throughout the world, which was agreed to at the International Labour Office in London?

The official report of the Joint Maritime Commission has not yet been issued; but I understand that the Commission adopted the view that there should be freedom of association throughout the world both for employers and workers.