asked the President of the Board of Education how far the Norwegian boarding school at Drumtochy Castle, the hostel for Polish children at Edinburgh and the education facilities for Belgian and French children at Brixham are under the supervision of the Board; and whether the advice and assistance of the inspectors of the Board are available for these institutions?

The Belgian children living at Brixham receive instruction half-time in the local public elementary schools and half-time in halls under -their own teachers, with the assistance of two teachers of English provided by the British Council. The few French children in the area are receiving full-time instruction in the public elementary schools. These arrangements were made in consultation with H.M. Inspector, whose assistance and advice are always available. As regards the Scottish institutions, I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent arrangements have been completed for the education of children of families evacuated from Gibraltar?

Arrangements have been made to enable the Gibraltarian children to benefit by all the educational facilities that this country can offer. Children of school age attend the schools of the local education authority and those authorities, in particular the London County Council in whose area the greater part of the children live, have taken great pains to secure their interests. Children who are qualified to benefit by secondary or technical education are selected and the British Council have generously arranged to meet the cost of such education where the parents are unable to pay. Parties are regularly taken on educational visits, lectures for children over school age are arranged by the British Council and evening classes, which are well attended, have been organised by the principal of the London County Council evening institutes.

asked the President of the Board of Education why he is proposing to make a selection of books on Russian history and on Communist propaganda for dissemination in British State-aided schools; by what body this selection will be determined and from what source the expense incurred will be defrayed; and what are the extent and duration of the distribution proposed?

I have no such proposal in mind as my hon. Friend suggests. My Department recently issued to local education authorities and schools a memorandum containing a bibliography of works on the U.S.S.R., which will be of assistance to teachers who wish to introduce a study of Soviet Russia into the curricula of their schools. I am sending a copy of the memorandum to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that Mrs. M. Mills, of Shotteswell, Banbury, Oxfordshire, the wife of a serving soldier, together with her children, is being evicted, as from 26th October, as her cottage is required for a farm labourer; that no other accommodation is available in the district and that efforts through the town council of Banbury to find accommodation there have proved ineffective; and whether he will take steps to see that if this eviction order is to be applied alternative accommodation should be found for the woman and her family.

I have no knowledge of the case mentioned by the hon. Member, but I am having inquiries made and will communicate with him as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give instructions that when the billeting on householders of a war worker would cause the withdrawal of the householder's wife from part-time war work, such billetings shall not be proceeded with?

No, Sir. Such decisions must be taken locally in relation to the facts of the case. In any case where a householder is aggrieved by the service of a billeting notice he may appeal to the Billeting Tribunal who have power to cancel or vary the notice as they think fit.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of retail distributive trades sub-committees functioning for the interviewing of women in Greater London and in the country, respectively; whether the same constitution exists in respect of all industries, or what variation in per- sonnel there is for various industries; what number forms a quorum and whether, in view of the differing nominations for membership there is any condition as to the representatives present from each section before any conclusion or recommendation is reached?

I am ascertaining the number of sub-committees which are functioning throughout the country and will communicate with my hon. and gallant Friend. The constitution of the subcommittees is the same in respect of all sections of the distributive trades and provided a quorum of three members is present a sub-committee can reach a conclusion without any such condition as suggested in the last part of my hon. and gallant Friend's Question.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make an immediate investigation into the dispute arising from the allegations and denials as to the slowing down of work at the Liverpool docks, stated to be caused by inadequate supervision and equipment, so that the public may be assured that ships are being turned round at Liverpool in the shortest possible time?

My right hon. Friend the Minister of War Transport and I have appointed Sir John Forster to review the conditions obtaining under the Merseyside dock labour scheme, and to report to us thereon.

asked the Minister of Production whether he will make a statement on the progress which has been so far achieved in the organisation of regional production boards; and what evidence is so far available of the helpful influence of these boards in stimulating war production?

The new regional boards have been operating since July. Progress is being made in developing through the boards the co-operation of all departments on the regional level. There are several important developments in hand, particularly the setting up of a system of regional capacity offices to deal with the central problem of finding the right capacity for each block of work. During the last two months there has been an increase from 36 to 53 in the number of district offices and their district committees operating on local problems of capacity. My right hon. Friend will make a fuller statement in a few weeks time.

asked the Minister of Supply what progress has been made in setting up committees of management and workers in the Royal Ordnance factories so that all concerned may be kept informed of the targets in production aimed at and the reasons which at times may prevent their being attained?

I am glad to be able to inform my hon. and gallant Friend that joint production consultative and advisory committees have been set up in 38 of the Royal Ordnance factories, and useful results are being achieved in all cases. It is expected that committees will be established at the other four factories in the near future.

asked the Minister of Health which local authorities in the county of Gloucestershire have made arrangements for the instruction of their midwives in the administration of analgesics at childbirth; and which have taken no action so far?

The three local supervising authorities in Gloucestershire, apart from the county council, are Bristol, Gloucester and Cheltenham. All three councils have made arrangements for the instruction of their midwives in the administration of analgesics. I understand that difficulties arising out of the war have made it impossible for the county council to give effect to similar arrangements which they had prepared before the war broke out.

asked the Minister of Health whether, where a patient in the Brace-bridge Heath Mental Hospital is, at the request of his Department, transferred to another hospital away from Lincoln, and subsequently dies there, he will arrange that the cost of the transport of the body back to Lincoln be reimbursed to the relatives in all cases without any inquiries as to their means?

My right hon. Friend is considering the suggestion made by my hon. Friend and will communicate with him in due course.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered a letter from the Secretary of the National Federation of Old Age Pensions Associations protesting against the withholding of the extra 2s. 6d. from old age pensioners who were in receipt of a higher amount of supplementary pension through receiving a higher amount from the public assistance prior to the Supplementary Pensions Act; and will he issue an instruction that in all such cases the extra 2s. 6d. should be paid?

The object of the Regulations recently approved by Parliament was to increase the scale rates by reference to which supplementary pensions were calculated. The fact that a small number of pensioners who, by virtue of Section 13 of the Act of 1940, were already receiving supplementary pensions in excess of these rates would not benefit to the same extent as other pensioners was explained in paragraph 4 of the White Paper at the time. My right hon. Friend has no power to issue any such instruction as my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what progress has been made towards the elimination of disease organisms from milk for human consumption, by pasteurisation or other methods?

Very considerable progress has been made in the direction suggested by my hon. Friend. As my hon. Friend is aware there is close collaboration in this matter between my Noble Friend and my right hon. Friends the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries and of Health. The inspection of dairy herds, milk sampling, the tuberculosis order, the tuberculosis attested herds scheme, and the new scheme for the control of diseases of dairy cattle, all play their part under the direction of the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. Pasteurisation standards are set by the Minister of Health and action is taken by the appropriate officers under the Act and regulations relating to food generally and to milk in particular. At the present time the responsibility for distribution of milk rests upon the Minister of Food, and I am able to say that at present it is estimated that some 70 per cent. of the milk supply is pasteurised before distribution to consumers. It is anticipated that the rationalisation of wholesale and retail distribution now being undertaken will result in a larger proportion of supply being pasteurised.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will consider calling an industrial fish conference after the war to regulate the supplies of sea-fish?

I have no doubt that the Government of the day will call a conference of the fishing industry after the war if that should appear to be the best method of finding a solution to any problems that may then confront that industry.

asked the Minister of Labour upon what basis, upon what terms, and by whom, are retired officers in receipt of retired pay appointed chairmen of medical boards?

Chairmen of medical boards which examine recruits for the Forces are appointed by me. Appointment is normally for one year at a time, and current appointments will expire on 31st May, 1943. In making the original appointments, practitioners with special experience of work of an analogous kind were selected wherever possible, while any subsequent appointments have usually been made from among members of boards who have shown themselves suitable for the position. Chairmen are paid at the rate of 2½ guineas per session for the first five sessions in a week and 2 guineas for any subsequent sessions in the week. I am not aware how many chairmen are retired officers in receipt of retired pay.

asked the Minister of Labour, whether de-reserved police officers, called up for service in the Armed Forces, are eligible for any branch of the Services, or whether their conditions of service are subject to any restrictions.

The men to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers are posted to vacancies appropriate to men of their high physique and with due regard to preference for a particular service.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of their importance to Members of the House, he will cause to have published in the OFFICIAL REPORT the statistics he recently supplied to the hon. Member for the Abertillery Division?

The following statement shows the amounts of unemployment benefit, transitional payments and unemployment allowances paid during the period 8th November, 1920, to 31st March, 1941, and the cost of administration of these services.

asked the Minister of Labour what maritime conventions adopted by the International Labour Office remain unratified by this country; and what action it is proposed to take in the matter?

I append a list of the maritime conventions adopted by the International Labour Conference which have not been ratified by this country, and a copy of the resolution on the subject which was adopted at the recent meeting of the Joint Maritime Commission. In accordance with the proposal in this resolution the Minister of War Transport proposes to discuss the position with the National Maritime Board at an early date.

asked the Home Secretary what compensation is available to an officer of a local authority who has been for some time acting as unpaid controlling officer in the Civil Defence services, or to his dependants, in the event of his injury or death through enemy action, bearing in mind the instruction by the Ministry of Home Security to local authorities in Scotland, that such officers are not covered for war service injuries by the Personal Injuries (Civilian) Scheme; whether, if such an officer retired from Civil Defence duties and was succeeded by a paid substitute, such substitute would be covered for war service injuries by the scheme; and whether local authorities are empowered to insure their officials against such injuries or death?

Compensation is provided by the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme for war injuries, which are, broadly speaking, physical injuries due to warlike operations, for all members of the public, including local authority officers however employed. Payment of such compensation is not subject to any condition of enrolment or special insurance. A local authority officer enrolled for whole-time or part-time service in one of the civil defence organisations specified in the Schedule to the Personal Injuries Scheme would, if injured while acting as a member of the service, be covered for war service injury. Local authority officers, whether regular or temporary employees, engaged on administrative or organising duties in connection with Civil Defence, are not in that capacity members of a civil defence service and are not, therefore, as such eligible for compensation in respect of war service injury. It is for the local authority to determine the conditions of service of such officers, and the method of insuring them against injuries due to accident sustained in the course of their employment where statutory compensation is not payable.

asked the Home Secretary why it is proposed to withdraw uniforms issued to many Civil Defence personnel and issue in place thereof Home Guard uniforms with a Civil Defence armlet; why such extravagance was not avoided by the issue of Home Guard armlets to wear with Civil Defence uniforms already issued; whether he will indicate what is to be done with the Civil Defence uniforms to be withdrawn; and the amount of the estimated additional expense to the country to be incurred?

The withdrawal of Civil Defence uniforms from personnel who enrol in the Home Guard and receive a khaki uniform has been ordered in the interests of economy. Civil defence uniforms so withdrawn will be re-issued as required to other personnel; the question of additional expense does not therefore arise.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has considered representations to establish another Departmental committee to consider matters relating to our prison system; and whether, bearing in mind the fact that the whole field of penal reform was so recently covered by the Criminal Justice Bill, he will refuse to embark on unnecessary public expense in this matter until after the war?

I could not accept my hon. Friend's suggestion that because a number of questions connected with the treatment of offenders were discussed in the Debates on the Criminal Justice Bill there is no need or no room for any further inquiry as to the possibility of improving our prison system; nor could I give the undertaking he seeks in the last part of the Question that no consideration will be given to the matter before the end of the war. It is, I think, one of the matters which in any case will have to be dealt with in the period of postwar reconstruction, but I am not in a position to make any statement on the subject at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will cause to be published a White Paper on the events leading up to the present situation, including the terms of the ordinances under which arrests have taken place, the Whipping Act and any other measures for the preservation of law and order?

I do not consider the publication of a White Paper necessary at present. The Defence of India Rules, under No. 26 of which the arrests were made, and the enactments relating to whipping and the imposition of collective fines have of course been published in India and copies are available in the Library.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what directions have been given to war agricultural committees to the effect that they are not to take on persons already engaged on tractor driving in other employment even if such persons wish to change their employment and become more fully engaged on tractor driving, thus being eligible for higher rates of pay?

None, Sir.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the serious difficulties of war agricultural committees in securing the services of experienced machinery operators, the damage to valuable machinery caused by inexpert handling, and the consequent delays, and the fact that machinery of war committees is wanted for full-time use, he will arrange for the services of expert tractor-drivers, not fully employed on machinery at their present places of employment, to be directed to work for the committees, wherever this is reasonably possible?

Tractor drivers on farms are often expert at other farm work also. As a general rule, it would not be economical of labour to direct skilled men away from individual farms to work with Committees. General instructions have, however, been given to Committees to see that the best use is made of the labour available; and to meet difficulties in some special cases, transfers from individual farms to Committees have been effected. For the most part, however, Committees have been advised to make use of their own organisation to train suitable men and women as additional tractor drivers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to what extent the National Milk Testing and Advisory Scheme, announced in Cmd. 6362, is now in operation; what percentage of the milk has been passed for salvage price; and what percentage has been rejected as worthless?

By the end of this month the test provisions of the scheme will be in operation at most of the larger dairies and milk depots in the country, in conjunction with the advisory service to farmers whose milk is found to be below standard. The application of the test to small units and producer retailers presents practical problems which are now under consideration by the advisory committee. For the present the introduction of the differential price system contemplated under the scheme is being deferred.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the production of foodstuffs in the case of small farmers is seriously impeded by their want of capital and the impossibility of obtaining advances on their holdings, owing to the breach of faith by the Government after the last war; whether, in view of the necessity of increasing home production of foodstuffs, he will take steps to remedy this position and will give assurances that any subsidy now offered will be sustained for a certain period after the war; whether the Government will itself arrange advances where these are shown to be necessary or desirable; and what measures are, in fact, now operative to meet this position?

I cannot accept the contention in the first part of the Question. Most farmers have no difficulty in obtaining the credit they require from the banks or other commercial sources. Those farmers who are not able to do so may obtain assistance under the Ministry's Agricultural Goods and Services Scheme, which was expressly designed to help small farmers in the circumstances which the hon. Member has in mind. I am sending him particulars. Apart from this, the main assistance given to fanners is the system of fixed prices and an assured market for the great majority of farm products. In this connection I would remind the hon. Member of the statement I made in the House on 26th November, 1940, that

"the present system of fixed prices and an assured market will be maintained for the duration of hostilities and for at least one year thereafter."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 26th November, 1940, col. 92, Vol. 367.]

asked the Prime Minister whether be will consider following the precedent of the President of the United States of America and appoint a Chief of Staff without administrative responsibilities who could relieve the Chief of the General Staff of the duty of presiding over the Chiefs of Staff Committee, and at the same time assist in the work of the Minister of Defence?

No, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make arrangements whereby the wives and children of members of the Forces who refused to make provision for them, will be paid their allowances direct from the War Office?

In war time, family allowance is paid direct to the soldier's wife or to the guardian of his children. It is a condition of the grant of the allowance that the soldier must contribute an allotment from his pay. If he refuses to make this provision the military authorities normally have no power to compel him to do so, although in circumstances where it can be shown that he has deserted his family or left them destitute without reasonable cause, stoppages may be made from his pay. In addition, a soldier's family can of course appeal to the courts, as in the case of a civilian family.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether, in view of the strain placed upon captains of cargo steamers at sea in time of war, he will further revise the number of forms and returns now required from them during the brief time in port?

As I think my hon. Friend is aware, this question was considered in July, 1941, by a Joint Committee composed of representatives of the shipping industry and of the Government Departments concerned. As a result, the number of forms and returns required of Merchant Navy Masters was considerably reduced. If my hon. Friend will send me any suggestions for further reduction, I shall be glad to have them considered.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the fact that in certain factories some workers are entitled to extra clothing coupons for the purpose of obtaining overalls and others, although employed on similar jobs, are not entitled to this concession, he will consider making an arrangement whereby the factory management may be issued with coupons for the use of employees employed on jobs that cause exceptional wear to their clothes?

As my right hon. Friend stated in the House on 17th March, it is intended in the present rationing period to issue a flat-rate allowance of 10 extra coupons to a wide range of industrial workers, and I believe that this will meet most of the difficulties to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many made-up yards of cotton goods were imported into this country from India during the 12 months ended 30th June, 1942?

As has been stated in reply to previous questions, publication of particulars of oversea trade has been suspended since the outbreak of war.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has been able to come to an agreement with the Provident Clothing and Supply Company, Limited, with regard to the proposed charge for poundage on checks issued by the check traders, which was to have come into operation as from the 1st October?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which was given on Tuesday to similar questions on this subject.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the number of letters received by the hon. Member for Evesham regarding the failure of the Petroleum Department, 31, Cal-thorpe Road, Birmingham 13, to answer letters which have been addressed to them in connection with petrol allowance, he will take steps to ensure that this matter is put right?

I regret the delay which has occurred in the Birmingham Petroleum Office and which was due to great pressure of work, illness and shortage of staff. Steps have now been taken which should improve the position, and I hope these difficulties will not recur.

asked the Paymaster-General whether, in view of the Report of the Committee on Land Utilisation in rural areas regarding the desire and need for the discussion of plans to deal with post-war problems, he can indicate when the Government proposes to submit its proposals to Parliament for consideration?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Bartlett), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Supply whether any satisfactory zoning arrangements have been made to provide for the allocation of particular areas to scrap-iron collectors, other than local authorities, so that overlapping and waste of labour and petrol may be prevented?

The activities of scrap merchants, apart from large-scale operations involving dismantling, are in practice confined to the areas where they have treatment and collecting facilities; and it is not considered, in view of the complex nature of the trade, that appreciable economies would be effected by specific zoning.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is satisfied that all local authorities are adequately arranging for the collection of swill so as to reduce the wholesale slaughter of chickens-which is now taking place?

One hundred and forty-five local authorities are now under direction to collect kitchen waste and to send it to concentrator plants for sterilization. This number will be added to as and when further plants can be made available or when the Ministry of Supply is satisfied, on advice from the Ministry of Agriculture, that there are adequate outlets to local stock feeders for the kitchen waste which would be collected. Four hundred and sixty-seven local authorities, in addition to the 145 under direction, make regular collections; there are also private collections in a large number of districts. The rate of collection by local authorities has steadily increased and has now reached a total of 27,000 tons a month. Although greater efforts are needed in some cases, I am reasonably satisfied with the progress which is being made.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that grants made under form W.S.G. 21 for specific objects, such as the payment of debts incurred by the purchase of goods on hire-purchase terms are misapplied; and if he will arrange for such grants to be paid direct to the appropriate authority or firm.

Whilst, in the calculation of War Service Grants, commitments such as rent, rates, mortgage interest and hire-purchase payments are taken into account, the grants, when given, are additions to the service allowances and other household income of serving members of the Forces, and my right hon. Friend is not prepared to modify the standing practice under which the whole of any grant is paid to the serving member's wife or dependants.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the work of the British Council in Northern Ireland in providing assistance for allied merchant seamen?

The British Council provide in Northern Ireland for allied merchant seamen, facilities similar to those which they make available in the chief ports of Great Britain. They recently appointed a representative in Northern Ireland. They supply reading material through the Ulster Library and collaborate with the Allied Seamen's Hospitality Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the plans which have been devised for the supply and distribution of books of medical, scientific and general interest in Turkey?

The cultural activities of the British Council in Turkey include the presentation, and the supply for sale, of English books on non-political subjects. This work is carried out as fully as the book shortage and the serious transport difficulties permit. A subsidy enables approved Turkish booksellers to sell English books at reasonable prices, and, in addition, books to the value of £2,000 have been bought by the Council and sent to Turkey for resale. Lending libraries of English books which have been opened in Angora, Istanbul and Smyrna have created an immense demand for books of all types. An English section is being formed in every Halkevi (People's House) in Turkey. Libraries of books on geology, metallurgy and mathematics have been presented to Istanbul University, whose science libraries were recently destroyed by fire, and books have been presented to other faculties and to schools and Government departments. Special attention is given to the supply of books on medicine, science, agriculture and engineering.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many members of the British Embassy staff, including members of the British Military Mission in Chungking, can speak Chinese?

According to my information, eleven members of the staff of His Majesty's Embassy at Chungking have a knowledge of the Chinese language. This figure relates to the administrative staff only and includes members of the staff of the Military Attaché but not of the British Military Mission. The latter does not form part of the diplomatic mission at Chungking but is under the control of the Secretary of State for War. It would not be in the public interest to give the statistics desired so far as the Military Mission is concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the interrelation of English and Scottish agriculture and industry was discussed at his meeting with Scottish Members of Parliament in Edinburgh last week; whether the film then shown will be made available for general release; and how many of the 74 Scottish Members attended the meeting?

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. Of the six films shown to the Scottish M.P.s, four have been or are being exhibited in this country, either in cinemas or by Ministry of Information film vans; the other two are for distribution abroad by the British Council, but a version of one of them is being shown in this country by the Ministry of Information. Thirty Scottish members attended the meeting referred to.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that there are numbers of men who have volunteered to join the Royal Air Force as air crews and, having been accepted on those terms, are drafted to ground jobs, in some instances for periods amounting to over 12 months, before there are opportunities for them to train as air crews; and, in view of the discontent caused by these conditions, whether he is prepared to curtail the intake of volunteers for air crews to a number that can be immediately absorbed?

Air-crew candidates, other than wireless operator-air gunners, undergo a short period of essential ground training before commencing their training in the air. Wireless operator-air gunners, to which category of air crew my hon. and gallant Friend is presumably referring, require a long period of ground training in wireless duties before they are fit for air-crew training. Moreover, in order to ensure that adequate numbers are readily available to meet fluctuating operational requirements, wireless operator-air gunners who have completed their ground training are employed as ground wireless operators until required for training in the air. The period thus spent upon ground duties, which in some cases has been unavoidably prolonged, is rapidly becoming shorter generally.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the date of the photograph released by the Air Ministry and published showing the Gien tank farm in occupied France before it was bombed; and whether an inquiry is being held into the matters which a comparison of the two photographs published reveals?

Particulars of the dates on which reconnaissance flights are carried out and of their objectives would certainly be of value to the enemy. Similarly the enemy would like to know the considerations that govern our bombing of particular places on particular occasions. In these circumstances, I regret that I am unable to give a detailed reply to this Question. The bombing of this exceptionally difficult target was remarkably successful and there is no issue calling for an inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the dates of the photographs taken of Gien before and after bombing which were supplied by his Department and which were published in the Press on 30th August?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to-day to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Stretford (Flight-Lieutenant Etherton).