asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what quantity of fresh tomatoes were allocated for sale for Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Northampton and Coventry, respectively, in the week ended nth July, 1942; and on what basis the allocation was made?

The total allocations of tomatoes per head of population during the present season up to nth July were, for the places named, as follow:

				Ounces.
Nottingham	…	…	…	13
Derby	…	…	…	12
Leicester	…	…	…	16
Northampton	…	…	…	16
Coventry	…	…	…	22

And for the week ended 11th July, were:

				Ounces.
Nottingham	…	…	…	4·3
Derby	…	…	…	5·7
Leicester	…	…	…	6·5
Northampton	…	…	…	6·5
Coventry	…	…	…	4·6

In the week specified by my hon. Friend the allocations to Coventry were below average to adjust the unduly heavy allocations to Coventry in the earlier part of the season.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is in a position to make a statement concerning the Government's post-war policy with regard to British Restaurants?

No, Sir. I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer to a Question on this subject given to my hon. Friend the Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander) on 22nd January, 1942.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will inquire into the system of issuing permits to canteens, in view of a recent conviction of a man who drew foodstuffs for seven months for a canteen that did not exist?

I am unaware of the conviction to which my hon. Friend refers but if he will provide further details I will have inquiries made. The system of issuing permits to catering establishments is kept under constant review and my Noble Friend does not consider that there is any need for revision at the present time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why the factory of J. E. Downs and Sons, at Bilston, the best equipped in the district, has been closed for the production of bacon, leaving no pig slaughter-house in the town; is he aware of the inconvenience to the whole district arising from the loss of unrationed food caused by the consequent absence of the offal products and that the borough council has protested; and will he take steps to reverse this decision?

Concentration of bacon production has been undertaken primarily to release labour and space for urgent national requirements. To that end consultation took place with the Ministry of Labour and the Board of Trade before it was decided that bacon production should cease in any premises. I am assured that both the primary requirements of concentration will be secured by the cessation of production at the factory of Messrs. J. E. Downs and Sons. There is no reason to anticipate that offal products will not still be available in Bilston. The firm's appeal from the decision to close bacon production has been fully considered but my Noble Friend does not see his way to modify the decision.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, as the fowl industry is most important to the country and the nutritive value of eggs makes for the health and stamina of the people, he will apportion at least 25 per cent. of the cereals at present assigned to the brewers to those engaged in raising fowls and producing eggs?

No, Sir. My Noble Friend considers that the present restrictions on the output of beer are sufficient in existing circumstances.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will give an assurance that food licences to voluntary or private licensed canteens for the Forces will be maintained and no change of policy in this respect is imminent?

Catering licences will continue to be granted to all voluntary Service canteens which are approved by Service authorities as necessary for the welfare of members of the Forces, but I understand that the Army authorities consider it necessary to review the arrangements from time to time so as to ensure that the number of such canteens in any area is not in excess of requirements.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can make any statement on the nature of the draft scheme submitted to him by a trade organisation for the regulation of the sale of table poultry; and whether he is aware of the opposition to it?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Howdenshire (Colonel Carver) on 1st July. [Official Report, col. 217, Vol. 381.] The scheme is being examined together with other proposals with the same object but I am still unable to make any statement upon it at present. I am aware of the opposition to the scheme from certain quarters.

asked the Minister of Information why Mr. J. B. Priestley has been allowed to broadcast views tending to show that the Nazi party and the rest of the German people are different and that they should be considered and treated separately, whereas those who were anxious to broadcast the contrary view were not permitted to do so?

My hon. and gallant Friend is referring no doubt to a broadcast by Mr. Priestley in the North American Service entitled "Allies inside Germany." I do not know what other case he has in mind, but I am assured by the B.B.C. that they certainly would not turn any broadcast down just because it contained views contrary to those expressed on this occasion by Mr. Priestley.

asked the Minister of Information whether he has made any progress in his conversations with the Service Departments on the subject of a joint-service communiqué concerning operations on land, sea and in the air?.

I have discussed my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion with the Service Departments. It seems clear that the issue of a daily combined war communiqué in existing circumstances would be impracticable and could, in any case, only be arranged at a sacrifice of some of the advantages conferred by the present practice. The issue of joint communiqués about joint operations will continue as at present.

asked the Minister of Information what decision has been reached on the curtailment of hours of broadcasting so as to effect economies in light, fuel and power?

Yes, Sir. It has been decided that the economy in fuel which would be secured is not large enough to justify a reduction in broadcasting hours.

asked the Minister of Information whether, in view of paper shortage, he will recommend to the Governors of the British Broadcasting Corporation that their publications, "Radio Times" and' World Radio," be published alternate weeks or amalgamated into one periodical?

"Radio Times" and "World Radio" were amalgamated at the outbreak of war into one periodical publishing the weekly programmes.

asked the Minister of Information whether he will permit collections in aid of approved objects, such as medical supplies for Greece, Soviet Union and China, to be made at meetings organised by his Ministry?

We do occasionally allow collections to be taken at meetings organised by the Ministry of Information. But I cannot make any general promise on the subject, since in practice it is very difficult to distinguish between numerous deserving objects and it is not really the purpose of these meetings that they should be the site of charitable collections.

asked the Minister of Information whether he will arrange, in the broadcasts to foreign countries, to reassure the people of those countries in regard to the trivial outbreak of smallpox in Glasgow, in view of the German broadcasts alleging thousands of cases; and whether he will at the same time point out that the sanitary condition and the food situation in Glasgow are so good that during the first two weeks of the outbreak not one child under 10 years of age in Glasgow contracted the disease?

According to my information the misstatement to which the hon. Member refers has not been given wide currency in German broadcasts. In the circumstances there seems no reason to issue a denial on the lines suggested. The hon. Member will appreciate that if we denied every misstatement broadcast by the Germans, there would be little time for broadcasts of a constructive character.

asked the Minister of Information whether, in view of the speech by Sir Gervais Rentoul at Bournemouth, he will see that his services as a speaker at the Ministry's meetings are not utilised in future?

No, Sir. I have received satisfactory assurances from Sir Gervais Rentoul as to discretion in any future speech that he may make on M.O.I. platforms, and I have been glad to accept them.

asked the Minister of Information whether he is aware of the private publication of incidents and activities within Germany, Austria and Italy that are hostile to the Axis Powers; and whether his Ministry will itself publicly issue such a report periodically?

I will bear the suggestion in mind, but it is difficult for me to issue a regular official account of incidents which I have no means of verifying.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he can now make any further statement regarding the productive position of the factory of which he has been informed by the hon. Member for Maryhill (Mr. Davidson)?

Improvements of weapon performance have made it unnecessary to keep this factory in full operation on the particular warlike stores for which it was originally planned. The managing agents have now been instructed to proceed with the manufacture of a different class of store which is urgently required and which will maintain full production on the great majority of the plant. Of the specialised machine tools which are unsuited to this alternative work, some are being retained as an essential reserve and certain others have been moved elsewhere.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the transfer of workmen from small firms of builders to large contractors is ruining the small builder and also, as a result, is wasting the usage of a considerable amount of plant and machinery which lies in small builders' yards; and whether he will reconsider his policy?

Labour is at present being transferred to work of special urgency to the war effort irrespective of the size of the existing or prospective employer. The sole criterion is and must be the relative importance of the work. As to the position of small firms of builders not engaged on work of the highest importance, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Works and Planning, to his Question on this subject. [Official Report, 28th July, columns 346–7, Vol. 382.]

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what changes have been made, or are contemplated, in the arrangements for the release of women civil servants to take up war work; and whether he is prepared to release women with first-aid, or other qualifications, who are anxious to use these qualifications in the national effort?

Departments have been authorised since the beginning of 1939 to release women civil servants for nursing or first-aid services, irrespective of their age or grade, provided they can be spared. That position is unaltered. In addition, Departments were instructed in December, 1941, to release a proportion of young and mobile women officers in the clerical and sub-clerical grades for recruitment to the women's forces, the nursing and Civil Defence services, and vital war industries. Names of officers available for release have accordingly been forwarded to the local offices of the Ministry of Labour and National Service. The method of selecting for release women in the clerical and sub-clerical grades was left to each Department, but I understand that in most cases they called for volunteers, and thus women in these grades possessing special qualifications have had an opportunity of volunteering for the service they prefer.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what are the regulation hours worked by the higher grade of civil servant in his Department before they can claim overtime; what is the highest salary on which overtime rates may be paid, and what rate per hour is paid for overtime on the different grades over £500 per annum?

Payment of overtime for authorised attendance is excess of 184 hours in any period of four weeks may be made to officers of the junior executive and high clerical grades which are the highest eligible for overtime. The maximum salary payable in these grades is £525 a year. The rate of overtime payable to officers with salaries from £500 to £525 a year varies from 4s. 7d. to 5s. an hour. These conditions are common throughout the Civil Service.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the total staff so far engaged in connection with the rationing of fuel; and what is the cost of the same?

Six persons are engaged either wholly, or partly in conjunction with other work at headquarters, on the administrative preparations for the action which will be necessary if rationing is introduced: the cost is at the rate of approximately £3,000 per annum. Temporary staff has been engaged locally to deal with the household fuel assessment forms; the immediate purpose of that work however, is not rationing but the provision, for the purposes of distribution of solid fuel, of estimates of the requirements of consumers and their merchants.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he has any further statement to make as to the unnecessary railway travelling caused through the action of Government Departments instructing people to undertake long journeys for the purpose of brief interviews in those cases where the Government Departments concerned have offices all over the country?

All Government Departments are constantly reminded by my Ministry that the unnecessary use of transport services must be avoided. When we learn of apparent breaches of this rule, we notify the authorities concerned, so that inquiries can be made and any necessary action taken against those responsible. My hon. Friend's Question and this reply will, no doubt, serve as a further reminder, and I will see they are brought to the attention of all Departments.

asked the Home Secretary how many wardens' posts there are in the London area; how many air-raid precautions wardens are there employed; and what proportion of these are on full pay?

My right hon. Friend does not think it desirable to make public in any detail the numbers and dispositions of particular units or establishments of the Civil Defence services. I may, however, inform my hon. Friend that approximately 18 per cent. of the wardens now enrolled in the London Region are paid whole-time personnel and the proportion is in process of reduction as part-time enrolments increase.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, contrary to information given by his Department last February to the effect that evacuees who returned home would not be re-evacuated at the Government's expense, out of 282 unaccompanied schoolchildren evacuated at Kettering on 18th June, 98 had been evacuated for the second time, 72 for the third time, 15 for the fourth time, two for the fifth time and one for the sixth time; and whether he will take steps to prevent this unfairness imposed upon foster-parents which amounts to providing compulsory holiday homes for children who are free to return at will?

The arrangements to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers were designed, as was explained in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Anglesey (Miss Lloyd George) on 19th December last, to check the re-evacuation of children who had been previously brought back from reception areas without reasonable excuse. Some of the facts to which the present Question refers are in dispute, but information which has come to my notice has suggested that the arrangements were not being operated wholly in the manner intended. Steps have now been taken which it is hoped will more effectively prevent unnecessary re-evacuation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government propose to take to meet the following types of cases which have not been brought within the supplementary pension provisions now before the House; widows under 60 years of age in receipt of 10s. widows' pension, plus children's allowances, who, because of their family responsibilities, cannot seek radical readjustment of their lives which a return to single woman's working status implies; widows under 60 years of age who, because of ill-health or long-established domestic environment, are unfitted for return to industry; and persons under 70 years of age not entitled to Contributory Old Age Pension, who, by reason of advancing years or indifferent health, are unable to secure employment?

Such cases as my hon. Friend refers to will no doubt be the subject of consideration in the course of the discussion in the House to-day. Certain provision is already made so that public assistance is given if the means of the persons concerned are inadequate for their support.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware of the complaints made by old age pensioners regarding the searching inquiries made by the Assistance Board into the amount, kind and state of repair of clothing; and whether he will take steps to ensure that the more tactful methods of the public assistance committees are brought to the notice of the Assistance Board?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to my hon. Friends the Members for Bedwellty (Sir C. Edwards) and West Leyton (Mr. Sorensen) on 8th and 16th July. The Board inform me that they have no reason to think there is any lack of tact on the part of their officers who are making the inquiry, and they are receiving increasing evidence of pensioners' appreciation of the action taken when its purpose and nature are explained to them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a general statement giving in round figures the result of the Warships Week appeal; and the percentage of the result attributable to small savings?

One thousand one hundred and seventy-eight Warship Weeks have been held in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The total amount raised during these weeks was £546,000,000 of which £141,000,000 of 25.8 per cent. was subscribed through the channels especially designed for the small investor.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the recent decision to allow the estate of a member of the Home Guard whose loses his life in the course of his duty to be treated for Death Duty purposes in a similar manner to the estate of a soldier killed on active service, he is prepared to extend this concession to members of the Civil Defence services killed whilst carrying out their duties?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Hampstead (Flight-Lieutenant Challen) on 28th July.—[Official Report, col. 328, Vol. 382.]

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when the nationwide campaign for voluntary fuel rationing is to be made?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when the promised campaign for greater economies in the use of coal is to begin and what is to be its character; and whether it is intended to support the recent measures for increased coal production by a similar campaign to ensure that the coal industry is aware of the duty placed upon it by the nation?

I would refer my hon. Friends to the statement on this subject which I made in the House yesterday in reply to Questions by the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Colegate) and the hon. and gallant Member for Loughborough (Major Kimball).

asked the Postmaster-General whether the system of Government priority calls has now been revised to prevent urgent business calls being crowded out by personal calls of Government servants?

The privilege of making priority calls is restricted to a limited number of individuals in Government Departments, the Fighting and Civil Defence Services, and important war industries. The use made of the priority facility is constantly checked to ensure that Government servants and other users do not invoke priority on private calls.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the prevalence of bicycle stealing and the inconvenience caused thereby to members of the public who, under present circumstances, are using such means of transport, he will take the necessary steps so to amend Section 28 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, as to make it an offence to take and drive away a bicycle without the owner's consent or without lawful authority?

I have been asked to reply. The information which is at present before me shows that the main difficulty experienced by the police in dealing with this mischief does not arise from any difficulty in supporting a charge of larceny, but is the practical one of identifying and recovering a bicycle which is reported as missing. I am informed that there are comparatively few cases in which a charge of taking and using a bicycle without the owner's consent could usefully be preferred as an alternative to a charge of larceny, but I am looking further into the question whether an amendment of the law in the sense suggested would be advantageous.

asked the Minister of Health whether there has been any change in the nomenclature of deaths in respect of certificates attributing death to diabetes and one or more other diseases?

In years prior to 1940 the statistical classification of deaths in respect of certificates attributing the cause to diabetes in conjunction with one or more other diseases was decided by means of rules giving the precedence of one disease over another as laid down in the Registrar-General's Manuals of the international list. These rules gave a high precedence to diabetes over other diseases. From the year 1940 classification in such cases has been carried out in accordance with the order of statement of the various causes on the certificate by the certifying medical practitioner, with certain exceptions laid down in the manual issued in 1940. Since diabetes is frequently certified as merely a contributory cause of death, in association with another disease considered by the certifier as more important, the effect has been to reduce the number of deaths classified to diabetes in the statistics of cause of death, and the corrective factor to be applied to numbers of deaths in years prior to 1940 is 0.69. In the recent quarterly returns of the Registrar-General the necessary correction has been applied to the diabetes deaths there shown for years 1938 and 1939.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that owing to faulty construction the runways of aerodromes, the names of which he has been given, have become unuseable; that several aeroplanes have been smashed up on landing because of the concrete being badly mixed; what was the name of the contractor employed on these aerodromes; and if this contractor has been given any further contracts by his Department?

Following the very severe frosts of January and February last, defects developed in the runways in question. Some damage to aircraft has in consequence occurred, although no aircraft has been written off. The question how far, if at all, the contractor is liable is being investigated, and meanwhile I do not feel justified in giving the name of the firm or in any way prejudging the issue.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production whether he is aware that not less than 38,000 gallons of aviation spirit is used daily on aero-engine tests; and to what extent steps have been taken by his Department to convert this into electrical energy, thereby avoiding the complete waste of valuable fuel?

While I do not accept the consumption figure set out in the Question, it is a fact that large quantities of fuel are used in testing aero engines. Experimental plants have already been laid down for the purpose my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether any appreciable economy would accrue if all traffic lights were switched off at 11 p.m. until dawn; whether any cities or towns are now doing this; and with what result?

It is estimated that if all traffic lights were extinguished from 11 p.m. until dawn, there would be a saving of something like 2,500,000 units a year. Against this would have to be set the danger to traffic that would result, unless some other form of control were introduced, and the loss of man-power that would be involved. I understand that in a few towns all traffic lights are switched off during the black-out hours and that in many others some signals have been shut off altogether, while others work only over a reduced number of hours. Local authorities have recently been asked to consider what further economies it is desirable that they should make.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the gross earnings of the four group railway companies and the London Passenger Transport Board for 1941?

While the railways are under Government control, all the normal clearances between the different companies are suspended, and the gross earnings of the four group railway companies and the London Passenger Transport Board are pooled. In consequence, separate figures for each undertaking are pot available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware that troopships are going out and returning with large unused cargo space; and what steps are taken to ensure that such ships are occupied up to capacity?

The Ministry of War Transport make every effort in their power to use all available cargo-space on troopships, either for military stores or for essential civil cargo. My hon friend will appreciate, however, that operational and escort requirements often seriously limit the time which such ships can spend on cargo-loading and discharge. If my hon. friend knows of any case in which, in his opinion, the efforts of the Ministry were insufficiently successful, I will be glad if he will send me particulars.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will make such arrangements as will enable the Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland to reach the House of Commons in time for its opening each week?

I have been giving this Question my close attention. As a number of technical difficulties are involved, I am communicating with my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a British officer, imprisoned for 60 weeks in Italy had, up to 9th June last, received only 21 weekly Red Cross parcels, and that most of the parcels of cigarettes sent to him independently have never reached him; whether this experience is typical of that of other British prisoners of war in Italy; and, if so, what steps are being taken to improve the system of parcels delivery at prison camps?

I am not aware of the case in question nor does such information as I have suggest that it is typical, though difficulties in the distribution of parcels were certainly experienced in the earlier months of this year.

asked the Attorney-General whether it is proposed to take action in the near future against the receiver and distributor in the £10,000 grain case?

I presume that the hon. Member is referring to the recent case of R. V. Blackman and Gibbs heard before the Recorder at the Central Criminal Court. Subsidiary proceedings arising out of that case are under consideration.