asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, when an order has been issued by a war agricultural committee to plough up a public or a private recreation ground, any undertaking is given that the cost of reconverting it for its former use will be borne by public money?

Yes, Sir. The owner of any grassland ploughed up by direction of a war agricultural executive committee will be entitled to claim compensation after the war if the annual value of the land is at that date diminished as a result of the ploughing up. This compensation will be based either on the cost of restoring the land to its former condition, or, alternatively, a sum calculated with reference to the diminution in the annual value of the land caused by the ploughing up. I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend an explanatory memorandum.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether it is intended to make obligatory upon education committees, and/or farmers, the insurance of children and teachers working upon farms under the new personal accident insurance scheme arranged by the Ministry of Agriculture with certain insurance companies?

No, Sir. The Personal Accident Insurance Scheme provides protection over and above the statutory protection which children enjoy in common with other agricultural workers, and I feel that it must be left to those who are organising the arrangements to decide whether this additional cover should be provided.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the intention of the Buccleuch, Cleveland, Cotswold, Crawley and Horsham, South Devon, Four Burrow, Middle-ton, Monmouth, Portman, Puckeridge, Silverton, West Somerset, Staintondale, East Sussex and Woodland Pytchley Hunts to carry on hunting during the coming season, with no reports in the Press; that one estate-owner in the Whitby area has declared foxes on his estate must not be put down as he proposes to keep them for hunting; that farmers in that area complain of loss of poultry and interference with lambing; that hunting destroys crops and terrifies farm animals; and will he now take steps to prohibit such injury to the nation's food supplies?

As regards the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Mr. Molson) on 18th June. I am not aware of any complaint from farmers in the Whitby area of losses to poultry or lambs through the depredations of foxes, but if the hon. Member will send me particulars, I will see that the matter is investigated.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the increased cost of living, he can increase the amount of domiciliary assistance payable to blind persons?

The amount of assistance to be granted to blind persons is a matter for the decision of the responsible local authorities, and acording to my information most authorities have increased their scales since the beginning of the war.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that when an old age pension is awarded to a person whose National Health Insurance cash benefits have ceased and the case is transferred to the Assistance Board for issue of a supplementary old age pension, the Assistance Board, in determining the amount of supplementation, must take into account the whole of the old age pension with the result that the pensioner, who was previously in receipt of National Health Insurance cash benefits, is in a worse financial position as a result of receiving an old age pension; and what steps he intends to take to abolish this anomaly?

As my hon. gallant and learned Friend is aware the purpose of a supplementary pension is to supplement the original old age pension, so far as is necessary to provide for the pensioner's need, and accordingly the whole of the original pension must be taken into account. I am not clear as to the circumstances of the particular case which my hon. Friend has in mind but if he can send me particulars I will look into it.

asked the Minister of Health whether it is intended in schemes of post-war reconstruction that one grade of milk only will be supplied for the whole population, to be guaranteed clean, fresh, palatable and free from pathogenic organisms?

The Government fully appreciate the importance of taking all possible steps to secure the quality and safety of the milk supply but it is not yet possible to lay down how this end can best be secured.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, having regard to the quantities of fruit and tomatoes available, he will organise regional fruit-drying plants and, to avoid waste, encourage non-conmercial growers to despatch their crop, surplus to their own requirements, to these centres for national use?

It is considered that the tomato and fruit crops grown in this country can be absorbed either by public demand for fresh fruit or by the existing facilities for pulping and consumption by manufacturers. My Noble Friend does not consider it desirable to decrease still further the limited opportunities the public has for obtaining fruit in a raw state. In any case, tomatoes are unsuitable for drying.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food the numbers of vegetable drying plants in operation; and the approximate dates on which the remainder under order will be ready for work?

For the production of dried vegetables for direct human consumption as described in the reply to my hon. and gallant Friend's Question on 11th September, two pilot plants are at present in operation and 15 of the new large-scale plants are under construction. Arrangements for manufacturing and installing the remaining plants are in progress, but it is not possible to state the approximate dates on which they will commence operating.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will reconsider the decision to prohibit the manufacture of ice-cream by 40,000 small traders; and whether it is the policy of his Department to close down small traders upon the ground that the large-scale manufacturer has had to be eliminated in the national interest?.

The answer to both parts of the Question is, "No, Sir."

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how Richard Henry Pape, of High Street, Bangor, North Wales, obtained nine tons of bacon; and what action he intends taking about the matter?

In the case referred to by my hon. Friend, Richard Henry Pape illicitly obtained bacon by means of altered permits. Pape was, on 22nd September, convicted at Bangor Petty Sesions on three charges of using an altered ration document to obtain bacon and was fined a total of £600 and £47 costs.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how William George Earl obtained 440 personal ration cards, Frederick William Screffington 930, and Charles Jones 929; and whether any action has been taken against them?

It has not been possible to establish the source from which the ration books were obtained, in the cases referred to by my hon. Friend. William George Earl, Frederick William Screffington and Charles Jones were on 21st September convicted at the Central Criminal Court on charges under the Larcency Act, 1916. Earl and Screffington were each sentenced to nine months' imprisonment and Jones to six months' imprisonment

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, in the case of a small poultry-keeper selling only a few birds occasionally to clear off stock he cannot feed, a wholesaler's or retailer's licence is required?

A wholesale licence is not required if the poultry-keeper has himself reared the poultry which he wishes to sell or had the poultry in his possession for the purpose of rearing or is selling the poultry for the purpose of breeding, laying or rearing, or of re-sale for any such purpose. A retail licence is not required if the poultry-keeper has produced or reared the poultry on a garden or allotment which is not occupied solely for the purpose of a trade or business. In all other cases either a wholesale or a retail licence is required according to whether the sale is by wholesale or retail.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why, assuming the proper quantities are drawn, the exchange of food between neighbours is a criminal offence?

Members of a household can share between them in any way the rations allotted to the individuals comprising the household. Apart from that, rations are determined on the basis that they will be purchased for and consumed by individuals. It would be impracticable to prevent abuses if a system of bartering of food rations were permitted.

asked the Minister of Production what is the cause of the delay in providing permanent offices for regional production boards and making their functions and whereabouts known to industry; whether he is satisfied that the regional controller in each case is vested with sufficient power and authority to avoid inter-departmental strife; and what progress has been made by the boards since their establishment?

Arrangements have been made in all but two cases for adequate accommodation for the regional board offices. The work of making the boards and their functions known is proceeding. My right hon. Friend considers that the present organisation provides effective means for settling inter-departmental issues and that in general the regional boards are making steady progress.

asked the Minister of Production whether he is aware that in many areas of the country numbers of immobile women workers are available whose services are not now fully employed; why local firms in these areas are net given wider opportunities to engage in war work; and why new industries are not brought into these areas so that surplus labour may be employed and the transfer of women workers to other districts avoided?

The answer to the first part of the Question is, "Yes, Sir." There are a number of such workers; but the problem of their employment, as my hon. Friend knows, is part of the wider question of the location of industry. To deal with this wider question my right hon. Friend has set up a committee on which the Ministry of Labour and other interested Departments are represented. This committee will regulate the location of new manufacturing capacity and examine proposals for transferring existing production from congested to lightly loaded areas. I should emphasise, however, that labour is only one aspect of the problem and that other factors such as difficulties of transport, power or the provision of premises have to be taken into account.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any proposals to make for the mobilisation of gipsies for any form of war work?

Certain additional measures were instituted last July, in co-operation with the police authorities, for dealing with cases of suspected evasion of liability to national service. The operation of these measures is being watched and if necessary they will be strengthened, though I should add that there is no evidence that this is a problem of any size.

asked the Minister of Labour what alterations of the regulations under which agricultural workers are called up for National Service are in contemplation?

With a view to ensuring the best possible use of workers in agriculture, arrangements have been made for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Department of Agriculture for Scotland, in co-operation with my Department, to carry out a review of farmers and agricultural workers, who, at their prescribed registration date, were of or over 25, 30 or 35, according to the age of reservation shown in the schedule for their occupation. The review will be conducted by agricultural executive committees. Adjustments will, where necessary, be made by increasing the tasks allotted to particular holdings, by arranging for the loan of part-time labour from one holding to another, by the employment of women, or, in exceptional cases, by the transfer of labour. In appropriate cases I shall direct workers into the employment of agricultural executive committees. Men who cannot be usefully employed in agriculture will be called up for service in the Forces. To facilitate these arrangements, I decided, with the concurrence of the Government Departments concerned, to remove the ages of reservation shown for agricultural occupations

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is satisfied that the financial provisions made by the Government for persons compulsorily transferred to work away from home and who fall ill, is adequate?

I have been looking into this matter and as a result it has been decided to make substantial improvements in the existing provision in such cases. I append a statement of the new rates.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that, in spite of the shortage of teachers at the present time, members of the teaching profession are being ordered to take up work as agricultural labourers; and whether he will avoid the use of men with high educational qualifications, who are needed in their own sphere, on work of this kind?

I am aware that some teachers have been registered as conscientious objectors on conditions that they undertake land work; these decisions have been given by the statutory tribunals and I have no power to intervene. A few teachers were also included in a batch of men accepted for service in the R.A.F. who were directed to undertake some urgent land work for a few weeks until they were due to be taken into training; they have now all been called up.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is prepared to enforce the return to this country of men and women who have fled overseas during the present war and compel them to play their part in the present emergency and thereby relieve pressure upon women called to the Services, munitions and Civil Defence duties?

The National Service (Foreign Countries) Act, which became law on 6th August last, enables conscription to be applied by Order in Council to British subjects in any foreign country specified in the Order, and an Order in Council has been made applying the Act to Egypt. The question of applying the Act to British subjects in countries other than Egypt is under consideration. Male British subjects of military age in the United States are liable for service with the United States Forces unless they volunteer for service with the British Forces.

asked the Minister of Supply whether, according to his promise made some time ago, the supply of 310 cartridges for the humane slaughter of animals has been provided and is now available for users of same?

Arrangements have been made for the production of 250,000 rounds of 310 ammunition this year. Deliveries have begun and are now being made at the rate of 20,000 rounds a week.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the constant demands for wage increases by industrial workers, he has any record of the nature or existence of wage increases granted to non-industrial middle-class workers?

I have some difficulty in understanding precisely what my hon. Friend means by non-industrial middle-class workers. The information as to changes in wages collected by my Department relates mainly to the wages of industrial workers in industries and services in which conditions of employment are regulated by collective agreements between employers' organisations and trade unions. Among other workers who are known to the Department to have had increases in their rates of pay during the war are: teachers with basic salaries below £525 a year; civil servants with basic salaries up to £500 a year; railway clerks, shop assistants, police, with rates of pay up to £500 a year; local authority staffs, and bank clerks.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is the intention of the Government to set up a commission to inquire into the wages and conditions of the catering industry; can he state the nature of such commission and its composition; and whether it is his intention to introduce legislation or regulations relating to the catering industry prior to the receipt of the report of the commission or to await its recommendations?

It is not my present intention to set up a commission of inquiry before laying proposals before Parliament.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works and Planning whether he is aware that a considerable area of land is proposed for development by the Southdown Estate, near Ditchling, involving as many as 1,000 houses; that its object is the enrichment of speculators without proof of demand, consideration of local opinion, agricultural production and prospects or national planning and well-being; and whether he will give an assurance that this and similar developments of rural areas, promoted by other than public authorities, will not be acceded to until the fullest consideration has been given to Command Papers 6378 and 6386 and legislation introduced?

The Chailey Rural District Council, in exercise of their powers under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1932, refused permission for the development to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers. The applicant appealed to my Noble Friend against this refusal, and my Noble Friend, after considering the report of an inspector, who held a local inquiry, and all the material facts, dismissed the appeal. In answer to the last part of the Question, the statute places the duty of considering such an application on the interim development authority, and my Noble Friend has at present no power to deal with it except on appeal by the applicant.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can make any statement regarding the available supplies of rice, sugar and salt in India; and whether the Indian Government has under consideration any scheme for rationing the distribution of any, or all, of these commodities?

Supplies of rice from the Indian crop of 1941–42 are above the average for the past three years, though not up to that of the previous ten years. Shortage has also been occasioned by the loss of the Burma imports on which India normally relies for some 5 per cent. of her supplies. The shortage is local rather than general and is not acute. It is due more to transport difficulty and to hoarding than to actual deficiency. I am not aware of any serious shortage of sugar or of salt for which India is not normally dependent on any sources which are not now avail- able. These and other foodstuffs have been under continuous and anxious consideration by the Central and Provincial Governments. They have not proposed the rationing of these or other commodities, though in the case of sugar there is control of distribution. It is clear that the rationing of food under Indian conditions must be a very different proposition from that presented in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the rejection by the leading parties in India of His Majesty's Government's proposals, the Government is prepared to consider a modification of those proposals with a view of furthering a possible settlement of the Indian problem.

His Majesty's Government remain most anxious to further a settlement of the Indian problem. In the absence, however, of a sufficient common measure of agreement among Indians themselves, which is the real obstacle to a settlement, they do not consider that any modification of their proposals would contribute to the desired result.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether, in order to assist British opinion in forming an estimate of the relative weight of political organisations in India, he will furnish the figures of the total aggregate votes at the last 1937 elections of the National Congress, the Moslem League and other important political organisations in India?

The aggregate figures desired by the hon. Member are not in the possession of the Government of India. They would have to be collected by the several Provinces with an expenditure of time and labour which would not be justified at the present time. Nearly 1,800 constituencies are concerned; it is doubtful if the complete election returns are still available in every case; and in any event the result would afford no reliable guide to the present relative position of the political parties.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can make any statement on the murder of British officers and the members of an aeroplane crew by Indian rioters?

On 13th August two officers of the Royal Air Force were taken off the train at a station east of Patna by the mob and hacked to death. On 18th September the surviving members of the crew of an aeroplane which crashed at Narayanpur in Bihar were massacred. A statement on the subject was made on behalf of the Government of India in the Indian Legislature last week and reported in the Press, but I have no further direct information.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in the provision of meals for schoolchildren, efforts are made to interest the children in the cooking and serving of food?

Efforts are now being made in some senior schools where meals are provided to interest the children in their preparation and service; and I am taking what steps I can to encourage and extend these efforts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to receive the report of the fire insurance specialists recently appointed to examine the whisky position in Scotland with a view to providing reassurance to the public?

I am informed by the Regional Commissioner that preliminary joint consultations have taken place and that the fire insurance specialists propose to hold their first meeting on Friday, 2nd October. It is not possible at present to indicate how long it will be before they submit their report, but every facility will be afforded them in their inquiries.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in order to allay the anxiety of the many hundreds of parents and dependants concerned, who have now been without official information for 12 months, he is in a position to make any statement as to the prospects for the repatriation of prisoners who are eligible under Article 68 of the Geneva Convention?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 30th September to Questions addressed to him by the hon. Members for Leigh (Mr. Tinker) and Cheltenham (Mr. Lipson).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) why he refuses to allow the new Canadian postage stamps to be sold to dealers and collectors in this country, although this issue was made primarily for the purpose of raising funds for Canada's war effort, and although the Canadian Government actually sent a large supply of these stamps to their High Commissioner in London for sale here;(2) why the British Treasury has allowed the importation of large quantities of Russian stamps specially cancelled for sale in this country at a time when they will not allow the High Commissioner for Canada to dispose of the stocks of Canadian stamps which the Canadian Government sent here?

Licences are not granted for the import of postage stamps for which payment has to be made in foreign exchange needed for essential war purposes. In particular, the supply of Canadian dollars put at our disposal by the great generosity of the Government of Canada must be reserved for purposes directly essential to the prosecution of the war, and I cannot allow it to be exhausted by purchases—even from the Government of Canada—of unnecessary articles. The consignments which reached London were sent, I understand, under pre-war standing orders, in ignorance of the need for an import licence. The import of a certain quantity of Russian stamps was licensed some months ago. Payment was made in sterling in such a way that the resources of foreign exchange available for essential needs were not diminished.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why property-owners who have jointly mortgaged their premises under the War Damage Act of 1941 must pay the whole premium themselves, though the holders of the mortgages have at least an equal interest; and will he arrange a more equitable sharing of the burdens?

The whole question of the liability of mortgagees to share in the contribution was fully debated during the passages both of the original Act and of the recent amending Act and I see no reason to alter the decisions then taken.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the total administrative costs of old age pensions, both contributory and non-contributory, including supplementary pensions?

The total cost of administering contributory, non-contributory and supplementary pensions for England Scotland and Wales is estimated at approximately £4,400,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost to the State of outdoor staff engaged in operating old age pension schemes, contributory and non-contributory?

The cost of outdoor staff engaged in operating old age pension schemes, contributory and non-contributory, for England, Scotland and Wales is estimated at £340,000 per annum.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, whether his attention has been drawn to the great amount of detailed information published in the volumes containing the Civil and Revenue Department's estimates; and whether he will consider achieving a considerable saving of labour in the Departments and of paper and printing by reducing the amount of such detail?

This Question is at present under active consideration. The Estimates are the basis of the constitutional procedure for obtaining the necessary Supply for the year, and the House is entitled to expect all reasonable information regarding the purposes for which the Supply is required, subject, of course, in time of war, to the requirements of security. For this reason any suggested reduction in the amount of detail in the Estimates has to be very carefully examined in order to ensure that a proper standard of information is maintained. Nevertheless, hon. Members will probably be willing in present conditions to accept a reasonable reduction of detail as a purely war-time measure, if such reduction is found practicable. In the meantime, I may mention that it is proposed in next year's Estimates to omit the customary statistical Statements (generally known as the "Allied Service" Statements) which have hitherto been appended to, the principal Votes, showing the amounts included in the Estimates for other Departments in connection with the same service.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the post-war economic plans appearing in the Annual Report of the Bank for International Settlements; and whether the Treasury was consulted in this matter?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Annual Report of the Bank for International Settlements for the year 1941–42 was submitted to the Treasury or to the Bank of England before publication?

I would refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave on this subject to-day, copies of which I am sending to them.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the inadequacy of the pensions at present paid to superannuated industrial civil servants who have been employed in His Majesty's dockyards and in view of the fact that this matter can only be considered in connection with superannuation rights of all Government employees, he can arrange for it to be discussed by the Joint Co-ordinating Committee for Government Departments; or whether he will permit a number of associations representative of these men to ask for the intervention of that body?

I have been asked to reply. By agreement with the trade union concerned the question of the pensions of former industrial employees in H.M. Dockyards has been discussed on the Shipbuilding Trade Joint Council. I do not see any advantage in referring the question to the Joint Co-ordinating Committee. Any wider discussion of the subject would raise the question of Civil Service pensions generally, which is not appropriate to that body and on which I stated the Government's position in the replies given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Central Hull (Mr. Windsor) on 16th April, and my hon. Friend the Member for Down (Dr. Little) on 18th February, 1942.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is now in a position to give more favourable consideration to the case of Mrs. Lock, of Saltash, Cornwall?

As the hon. Member was informed by letter on 1st September, I have considered this case with the utmost sympathy but, as I am medically advised that Mr. Lock died of a disability wholly unconnected with his war service, I regret that I am unable to make any award to Mrs. Lock.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware that the arrangements for collecting tickets from alighting passengers at Colindale are such that it takes many minutes for passengers to pass through the barriers and that, as a consequence, hundreds of quarters and halves are lost by workmen at factories in the neighbourhood; and whether he will take steps to ensure that this waste of labour is avoided?

The staff provided at Colindale, and the arrangements made in the station conform to the standards established by the London Passenger Transport Board for other stations with similar traffic. But in view of the hon. Member's complaint about the working of these arrangements, special observation is being made.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will now reconsider the erection of signposts to indicate the way to the larger towns in the country, with a view to saving petrol?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bilston (Mr. Hannah) on 30th September.

asked the Paymaster-General how many committees in connection with post-war reconstruction have submitted reports to him; and can he give their particulars?

As my hon. Friend will see from the answer given on 29th September to the hon. Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander), I am prepared to make a statement on the work of my Department on a convenient occasion. I would suggest that that would provide a more fitting opportunity for giving such information of the kind desired by my hon. Friend as can properly be made public at present.

asked the President of the Board of Education what is the relationship of the Youth Service to youth organisations associated with political parties; and whether such organisations may receive assistance through the Youth Service?

The Youth Service is a public service of education, supported from public funds and having as its object the training and education of young people who have ceased to attend school full-time. As such, it can take no cognisance of organisations which exist to further the objects of any particular political party. My Department does not make grants to such youth organisations under the Social and Physical Training Grant Regulations, nor would expenditure incurred by local education authorities in assisting them be recognised for grant. This is in accordance with the normal practice of public administration in this country and implies no criticism of political youth organisations as such, which may well satisfy the needs of many young people as would no other youth organisation. I am, however, convinced that my Department's present policy must be maintained if the Youth Service is to continue to be administered on a par with the other branches of the education service. Similarly, I regard it as undesirable that political youth organisations should be admitted to the registers of youth groups kept by authorities and in no circumstances should the follow-up of registration be permitted to be used as a medium for recruiting young people to such organisations.

asked the President of the Board of Education (1) what are the precise relations between his Department and the Girls' Training Corps; what subsidy is paid; and what instructions have been sent to local education authorities;(2) what action he is taking to safeguard the existence of the organisation known as the Women's Junior Air Corps?

The National Association of Girls' Training Corps is a voluntary organisation which was formed at my suggestion last January to satisfy the demand which existed, by promoting the formation of pre-Service training units for girls. The association is assisted, as are other national voluntary organisations, with grants made under the Board's Social and Physical Training Grant Regulations. It is now recognised by the service Departments and by the Board as the body responsible for the central supervision of girls pre-Service training organisations. I am sending my hon. Friend copies of Circulars 1585 and 1603 which have been sent to local education authorities. He will see that the continuance of existing units of the W.J.A.C. is fully safeguarded.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, while crews of submarines who are captured by the enemy during a raid continue to be credited by the Admiralty with their extra pay, men of the Commandos who are taken by the enemy forfeit such of their extra pay, as they are entitled to, under the present War Office Regulations; and will he take steps to remedy this injustice?

Submarine crews who become prisoners of war continue to be credited with that part of their submarine pay which is payable continuously to all members of the submarine branch. Prisoners are not credited with that part of their submarine pay which they receive only when they are members of the crew of a submarine in commission. Officers and soldiers in Army Commandos do not receive extra pay for serving with these special formations. I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Stockport (Wing-Commander Hulbert) by the Deputy Prime Minister on 23rd June of this year. Commandos receive a special allowance to meet certain expenses which do not continue when they are captured by the enemy. This allowance like other allowances (except those payable in respect of families or other dependants) ceases on capture, but they continue to be credited with the full pay appropriate to their rank at the date of capture. I am unable to accept the suggestion that there is inequality of treatment in this respect between crews of submarines and soldiers serving in Commandos.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware of the serious financial position of the British Red Cross Fund; whether, as this collects public money, he is satisfied that the administration is conducted on strictly business and economic lines; and what is the average cost of the contents of a parcel sent to a prisoner of war and the transport of such a parcel, respectively, to its destination?

I am furnished with regular information regarding the financial position of the War Organisation of the British Red Cross Society and Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and I know of nothing to suggest that its position is not at present entirely sound; I also know of no reason to consider that it will not continue so. I am satisfied that the administration of the organisation is conducted on fines which give full regard to efficiency and economy. The average cost of the contents of a food parcel sent to a prisoner of war is 8s; 10d., and the cost of transport between Lisbon and Marseilles is 1s. 2d.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what position Mr. Henry Clay occupies in his Department; whether he is subject to the ordinary regulation precluding civil servants from writing in the Press on matters relating to the work of their Department; and whether his recent article in the "Economic Journal" on post-war export trade was contributed with the Minister's knowledge and approval?

Mr. Henry Clay is attached to the Board of Trade in an advisory capacity and is subject to the usual rules applying to civil servants. The article to which my hon. Friend refers was not submitted before publication though, strictly speaking, it should have been. In that event, seeing that the article is a report of a technical and analytical address to a learned society, no objection would have been raised to its publication.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the national interest and by arrangement with the appropriate trades, he will set up central wireless repair shops in each district to which all sections could have access and where spares, irrespective of make or origin, could be obtainable at reasonable prices or repairs carried out with more expedition than is at present possible?

My right hon. Friend has no evidence to show that the existing arrangements do not give as good service to the public as the limited resources of labour and of components permit. He is therefore unable to accept my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion.

asked the Attorney-General whether it is proposed to extend the jurisdiction of the county courts by allowing them to deal with divorce and/or poor persons' causes, or in any other way?

It is not intended to extend the jurisdiction of the county court in the manner suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the feeling in Lancashire and other parts of the coalfield over the Greene award and its application to men on light work and in receipt of partial compensation; and will he consult with his regional commissioners to see if some way can be found to deal with the situation?

The answer to both parts of the Question is "Yes, Sir."

asked the Home Secretary why he has refused permission to undertake private practice to a refugee Austrian doctor of medicine of the University of Vienna, allowed to enter this country in 1938, who has taken a British qualification and been admitted to the register, although he allowed this doctor, in October, 1941, to accept a part-time appointment to a private school in the town where he wishes to practise; and whether, in view of the fact that the population of this town has increased from over 50,000 to over 100,000 since the outbreak of war and that a number of doctors formerly practising there have been called up for service and have not been replaced, he will reconsider this decision?

In giving effect to the policy of allowing a few specially selected foreign doctors to engage in private practice in this country, appropriate measures are taken to safeguard the interests of British medical practitioners, particularly of practitioners who are absent on military service or who are engaged in the Emergency Medical Services. With this abject in mind, I did not feel justified in agreeing to the Austrian doctor's proposal to establish himself in private practice close to a practice in which he had recently been employed as an assistant; but I am prepared to give sympathetic consideration to any application which he may make for permission to establish himself elsewhere.

asked the Home Secretary whether, having regard to the public announcement on nth September, he will now abandon the policy of keeping secret information about methods of attack used by the enemy and measures to combat them when such knowledge is essential to the safety of the people?

In these matters I must weigh the disadvantages against the advantages of publicity. In many cases it is essential that information regarding the measures we adopt to combat new forms of attack should be withheld from the enemy as long as possible. It is my intention, however, that the public should be informed at the earliest possible moment and by the most suitable means of any information vital to their safety.

asked the Home Secretary the total air-raid casualties during the first three years of war; and approximately what proportion of these occurred in London?

During the first three years of war 47,305 civilians were killed and 55,658 were injured and detained in hospital due to air raids on the United Kingdom. The figures for Greater London only included in these totals are 20,110 and 26,071 respectively.

asked the Home Secretary how many towns still refuse to open their cinemas on Sundays for Servicemen although desired to do so by the military authorities: and whether, before the winter arrives, he proposes to override these adverse decisions in all cases?

I have only heard of two or three instances in which a local council, having received a certificate from the competent authority under Defence Regulation 42B, has decided not to apply for power to open cinemas on Sunday. Over 270 orders have been submitted to and approved by Parliament. In a matter of this kind I do not think it would be desirable to disregard the views of the representative local council.

asked the Home Secretary whether any decision has yet been taken upon the recommendations of the Select Committee upon Police Widows' Pensions?

Discussions with the Police Council on this subject are not yet concluded. I am, therefore, still unable to make a statement.