asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, with a view to fuel economy, steps have been taken, or are in contemplation, to introduce lagging in fire-grates and 72-inch ranges in Government Departments?

Yes, Sir, I am anxious that all ranges should be lagged as far as possible. I have asked Government Departments to give the matter urgent consideration. As regards open fire-grates, which cannot be lagged, my Department has consistently urged the use of fire-bricks as a fuel-economiser.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that though the general public have been advised to lay in winter stocks of coal, no such stocks are, in fact, available in Leven districts of Fife, though they are available in other parts of the country; what are the reasons for the shortage in Leven; and what steps he is taking to avoid unfair discrimination of this kind?

I am not aware of any shortage of coal in Leven. Merchants' stocks are high in comparison with other colliery areas, and during the week ended 29th May the merchants' weekly allocation was exceeded by 20 per cent. I therefore see no reason why the consumers in that area should be unable to obtain reasonable amounts for winter stocking. If, however, my hon. Friend has encountered any particular difficulty and will let me have particulars, I shall be glad to have inquiries made.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether coal supplied by licence for stocking, in response to the Ministry's appeal, is to be supplied out of the present allocation for the districts or is an extra allocation to be allowed for this purpose?

Coal for domestic stocking must be supplied out of the existing allocations which are considerably in excess of the requirements for actual consumption during the summer.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the tonnage of coal produced for the quarter ended December, 1939, and each succeeding quarter up to the last available date, giving the number of men employed for each of those quarters?

The output of saleable coal and the average number of wage-earners employed at mines under the Coal Mines Act in Great Britain are as follow:

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that in the case of coal supplied to Northern Ireland conditions are being imposed that the consumer must accept a certain quantity of slack with each supply of coal delivered; and whether he will make the imposition of such conditions illegal?

I am informed that in cases where merchants in Northern Ireland are short of large house coal they offer up to 20 per cent. of consumer's requirements by way of slack; I hope that where similar shortages occur in this country, consumers will co-operate by accepting the alternatives offered by merchants. The answer to the last part of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the number of permits for using petrol for the maintenance of the fairways and the lawn-mowers that have been granted to the golf clubs throughout England and Wales for the period 1st January, 1943 to 1st June, 1943; and whether he will consider discontinuing the allowance for petrol for this purpose and encourage the use of hand-mowers for such portions of the golf courses that it is deemed necessary to keep up?

I fear I cannot give the information asked in the first part of the Question, since no separate record is kept of allowances granted to golf clubs. As to the second part, I have discontinued allowances for the mowing of lawns in private gardens; but I do not believe it would help the war effort to stop the very small allowances which enable clubs and public bodies to provide healthy recreation for substantial numbers of people, whether at golf or at any other game played on grass. In view of the shortage of labour, hand-mowing of such grounds is not practicable.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many stoppages there have been in the coalfields of Great Britain in the six months ended 1st May last, indicating the pit or pits involved, the number of men, the time lost and the tonnage lost in each case; and whether all these strikes were against the advice of the miners' trade union leaders?

There were 308 stoppages in the coalfields of Great Britain during the six months ended 1st May, 1943. The majority of them were in Scotland and lasted for a day or less. The estimated total loss of output from this cause during the period is 213,990 tons, or approximately 0.2 per cent, of the output during the period. I am sending my hon. Friend a fuller statement on the detailed points he has raised.

asked the Minister without Portfolio what action is being taken by his or other Departments to utilise the present factories used for munition purposes in post-war reconstruction to retain the greatest number of men and women in these industries; and can some undertaking be given to the people of Wales that plans are being prepared and by whom these steps are being taken?

The Government are very conscious of the important part which the many war factories in national ownership may play in future industrial organisation and employment in this country and the whole question is being carefully studied by the Supply Departments and the Board of Trade in consultation with other Departments concerned. It is obviously one of great complexity and the decision in each case will necessarily depend, in addition to planning considerations, upon such factors as the post-war needs of the Services, the location, design and equipment of the factory, the availability of transport and other facilities, and the requirements of industry. So far as Wales is concerned, it is within the terms of reference of the Advisory Council on Welsh Reconstruction Problems to make recommendations on this matter.

asked the Home Secretary the cause of the delay in issuing the Regulations dealing with the pneumoconiosis disease: and what is the increase in the number of men suffering since 1941 to the latest available date?

I understand that my hon. Friend is referring to the compensation scheme and benefit scheme for this disease amongst coal miners. The delay is due to the necessity for consulting the employers' arid workers' associations. Representations have been received on a number of points which are under consideration, and my right hon. Friend hopes to settle the schemes very shortly. I regret that no figures as to the number of men suffering from pneumoconiosis are available.

asked the Home Secretary when it is his intention to issue the long promised consolidating order relatting to fire guard duty, so as to make it possible to put the new fire guard plan into practice?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for East Renfrew (Major Lloyd) on 25th May.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the objection to land taken over by the Cambridgeshire war agricultural executive committee and purchased by a farmer, who has maintained several hundred acres of fenland during the past six years, being released to the purchaser, who has proved himself to be an excellent farmer and who, by farming the land himself, would save considerable expense to the nation?

I assume that this is the case about which the hon. Member wrote last February. If so, the objection to the release of the land, as was explained in a letter sent to him on 22nd February, is that the land comprises a number of isolated fields scattered about the fen and forming part of a large area which has been reclaimed and put under cultivation by the war agricultural executive committee. Plans are in hand for the regrouping of the land in this fen to form economic farming units, and if the particular fields in question were released at the present time, the committee's plans would be considerably hampered. The present owner was aware, when he purchased the fields, that the executive committee were in possession.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether it is the policy, or likely to be the long-term policy of the Government, for his Ministry to retain all farms and lands compulsorily taken over by war agricultural executive committees for a period of years or indefinitely, or whether it is proposed now, or at some future early date, to permit good farmers to purchase the same?

Where possession is taken, under Defence Regulation 51, of land which is certified as not being cultivated, or not being cultivated in accordance with the rules of good husbandry, possession may be retained under Section 23 of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous War Provision) Act, 1940, for a period not exceeding three years from the end of the war period. It does not follow that possession will be retained for the full period. If the person otherwise entitled to occupation of the land is able and willing to farm the land efficiently, possession may be relinquished earlier by arrangement in individual cases. It is, however, provided by Section 9 of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1941, that where a certificate has been given as above, and where it is also certified that the value of the land has been, or will be substantially increased by things which have been done, or which it is intended should be done, on the land, the Minister, while still in possession, may acquire the land and subsequently re-sell it in accordance with Section 10. Each such case will be treated on its individual merits, and the time and manner of sale of any land purchased will be determined, subject to the terms of the Act, in the way most likely to secure to the Crown the benefit of the increase in value of the land due to expenditure by the Crown on its improvement.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, what instructions he has issued within the last 12 months to urban authorities to enforce the use of waste pieces of land within their boundaries?

I am sending my hon. Friend copies of the circulars containing the instructions to local authorities.

asked the Minister of Information what amount of money has been, and is now being spent, by the Government on advertising and publicity to promote rubber economy; and whether the national Press is being used for this purpose?

An expenditure of approximately £69,000 has been incurred by the Government on advertising and publicity directed to rubber economy. Provision has been made for spending the sum of about £36,000 in this way over the next six months. The national Press is not at present being used for this purpose; advertisements are placed in the trade and technical journals circulating among drivers and those responsible for the operation of commercial motor vehicles.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the difficulty experienced by Price Regulation Committees in understanding the many Orders and Regulations issued; whether he will have all future Orders made out in simpler language, leaving a margin for explanatory notes and, where advisable, giving a diagram which will help both his committees and the traders concerned?

I am anxious that these Orders should be as simple as the complexity of their subject matter, and the fact that they have to be interpreted by the courts, will allow. Explanatory notes have been, and will continue to be, printed with Orders which might otherwise be difficult to understand; but these are more conveniently printed at the end of the Order than in the margin.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made by his Department dealing with the question of the location of industry and the establishing of new industries in the county of Durham to meet the postwar situation?

Following on my statement in the Debate on Economic Policy on 3rd February last, my Department, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and National Service, is now making investigations into the post-war employment prospects of the former depressed areas, and in the light of the information so obtained it is hoped to reach decisions on the action that must be taken to prevent the re-appearance of chronic depression in those areas, including the county of Durham.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is a permissible charge of profit for retailers to base the basic profit upon the cost of a garment plus Purchase Tax, instead of upon the cost of the garment only?

No Purchase Tax is payable on utility clothing, But, in maximum price Orders relating to non-utility clothing, the retailers' gross margin is at present expressed as a percentage of the price paid for the goods, including Purchase Tax. As I have already announced, however, such margins will in future be expressed as a percentage of the price paid, excluding Purchase Tax. These Orders will be amended accordingly, as and when the margins come up for revision.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that of a total sum exceeding £72,000,000 guaranteed by the Treasury under the Trades Facilities Acts, 1921 to 1926, there remained outstanding at 31st March, 1943, about £8,300,000 due to the Treasury; what steps are being taken to recover this sum; and in what probable period?

In quoting the figure of over £8,000,000 my hon. Friend is, I think, referring to the total outstanding balances of the guaranteed loans, which are repayable at various future dates, not to the Treasury, but to the lenders concerned. Of the sums advanced by the Treasury in fulfilment of its guarantees, an amount of £5,523,701 is at present unrecovered. Owing to the varying circumstances of the debtors, some of whose undertakings are in territories under enemy control, it is not possible to estimate how soon all advances will be recovered, but all possible steps are taken to enable recovery to be effected whenever circumstances permit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the various funds for aid to China and Russia are able to provide any goods that are not available under lend-lease arrangements to those countries?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the treatment of cancer and other cases is being seriously handicapped by the delay at present involved in obtaining the necessary X-ray tubes; and whether he will take steps to simplify the procedure and expedite delivery?

My right hon. Friend is aware of the present shortage of deep X-ray tubes which have to be imported from America. The Ministry, in conjunction with the Ministry of Supply, are taking all possible steps to secure an increased number of these tubes, which are in short supply. As soon as a consignment is received in this country by the Ministry of Supply, they are allocated,

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will provide a tabulated statement showing the amount of paper used by each of the principal Government Departments for each of the calendar years 1940, 1941 and 1942, dividing, where possible, that used for forms and circulars and other public uses respectively?

The amount of paper used is as follows:on the advice of the Ministry of Health, to hospitals most in need of them.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works what is the all-in cost per ton involved in the removal of railings policy?

The estimated average cost per ton of collecting and removing railings is approximately £3 15s., exclusive of compensation. Compensation has been claimed in respect of some 3 per cent. only of the properties affected, and in all these, except a very small minority, the scrap rate of 25s. per ton has been accepted. Allowing for this and all other possible contingencies, the all-in cost should be well under £4 per ton.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he is aware that when requisitioning properties wherein are refrigerators, gas fixes, electric light fittings, partitioning, etc., it has recently been insisted that these fittings shall be purchased at prewar values instead of hired as usual in the past; and whether he will take steps to prevent the hardship occasioned to many owners or lessees of properties who, after the war, will have to replace such fittings, if possible, at a heavy cost and far in excess of the pre-war price received for them?

Yes, Sir, I am aware that there have been difficulties, but we are endeavouring, with the consent of the owners, to include fittings and fixtures in the settlement under Section 2 (1) (a) of the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939. The articles will consequently revert to the owners when the premises are de-requisitioned.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of children in average attendance at the elementary schools in county Durham during February, 1942, and February, 1943, respectively?

On the day of the meals returns in February, 1942, and February, 1943, there were present in the schools of the eleven local education authorities referred to in the answer I gave the hon. Member on 1st June, 169,026 and 175,073 children respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the large number of men with agricultural experience who are still employed by golf clubs throughout the country for the maintenance and preservation of the fairways; and whether, in spite of the fact that these men are past military age, he will take steps to direct them to assist in the harvesting, in view of the acute shortage of agricultural labour?

Wherever practicable men employed on non-essential work on golf courses are transferred to essential war work. I am not aware that any fit men of registration age are engaged on such work, but if my hon. Friend can inform me of any specific cases I shall be glad to have them investigated.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the Government have any scheme whereby, at the end of the war, apprentices whose apprenticeship has been interrupted by war service may be allowed or required to be trained for a period so as to be qualified as tradesmen in their particular trade?

I am in consultation with representatives of the employers' organisations and trade unions concerned on the arrangements which may be necessary to enable young people whose apprenticeship has been interrupted by war service to complete their training and qualify as tradesmen when discharged from the Forces.

asked the Minister of Labour the names of the organisations with whom discussions have been held on the recommendations of the Inter-departmental Committee on the Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Disabled Persons; whether the discussions are now concluded; and the composition of the joint committee appointed to co-ordinate the work of the various departments in preparation for the introduction of the scheme?

In regard to the first two parts of this Question I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Sunderland (Mr. Storey) on 10th May. The Joint Committee appointed to co-ordinate the work of the various Departments in preparation for the scheme recommended in the Report is composed of representatives of the Departments conderned—as recommended in paragraph 115 of the Report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the position of enemy nationals who wish to train for work of relief and reconstruction in enemy and/or alien countries?

Official training facilities for work of this nature are limited to personnel from United Kingdom, Dominion and Allied forces.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what support, financial or otherwise, does His Majesty's Government give to the training scheme for relief and social welfare for allied nationals conducted by the National Council of Girls' Clubs under the auspices of the British Council; and are there any recognised regulations governing the selection of candidates for these courses?

The training course in social welfare for Allied nationals is organised by the British Council and directed by Miss Younghusband, who was seconded from the National Council of Girls' Clubs to the British Council for this purpose. The cost of the course is borne equally by the Allied Governments and the British Council. Candidates, who must have previous knowledge of subjects dealt with in the course and also a good command of the English language, are selected in the first place by their own Government and finally by a joint board of British and Allied experts in social welfare.

asked the Prime Minister in how many cases the Victoria Cross has been awarded posthumously; and what is the total number awarded?

During the present war there have been 65 awards of the Victoria Cross, and 28 of these have been granted posthumously.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider utilising the services of two Jewish refugees, at present living in County Down, in some form of Army services as, despite repeated applications, they have been refused admission to His Majesty's Forces?

Yes, Sir. The applications from these two men are being submitted to the War Office by the military authorities in Northern Ireland. The new arrangements for the enlistment of aliens into the Army announced in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Farnham (Mr. Nicholson) on 22nd April apply to Northern Ireland in the same way as to Great Britain.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that an accident occurred at Lowick, in Lancashire, on 21st March, 1943, due to the explosion of war material, which caused the death of two, and the wounding of four, young persons; what steps he has taken to deal with compensation questions expeditiously and generously; and will he give an assurance to the House that instructions impressing upon the military the need for great care not to leave live ammunition about have been given?

I should like to take this opportunity to express my sympathy with the relatives of the victims of this unfortunate accident. Compensation will be paid as soon as agreement has been reached on the amount in each case and as soon as the approval of the court has been obtained in the cases in which the claimants are under 21. The War Office is, however, quite prepared to make payments on account if this is necessary. Instructions were issued in April about the precautions to be taken with live ammunition and the number of these accidents should become less frequent.

asked the Secretary of State for War what differences there are in the quantities of rationed and other foods supplied to officers of higher rank, junior officers and other ranks, respectively?

Officers at home receive the same scale of rations in kind as other ranks. The officers do not, however, receive the cash allowance of 2½. which is admissible for other ranks. The position abroad differs in some respects from the position at home and I would refer my hon. Friend to an answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Bellenger) on 2nd February on this subject, of which I am sending him a copy. At home and abroad junior officers receive the same rations as senior officers.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether men in receipt of war proficiency pay lose the extra 6d. a day on being down-graded to category C?

The grant of proficiency pay to private soldiers was replaced on 30th January, 1943, by a new system of classification according to efficiency but the conditions of classification in Class I are similar to those previously governing the grant of war proficiency pay. A Class I soldier is required to be in all respects physically capable of performing the duties of his rank in the arm of the Service to which he belongs and he is consequently liable to re-classification in Class II if he fails to maintain the minimum standard of physical as well as military efficiency required. A soldier who, owing to down-grading to medical catefory C, can no longer be employed on the regimental duties of his arm or on extra-regimental duties would, however, be transferred as early as practicable to an arm in which his reduced physical standard is acceptable.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether officers and other ranks are permitted to wear any indication of private mourning on their uniform?

Yes, Sir. King's Regulations, 1940, paragraph 1010(b) lays down that officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers or men may, in private mourning, wear a mourning band of black material should they wish to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in the case of a member of the Home Guard who is killed while on Home Guard duty and who was already drawing a pension as an officer retired from the Regular Army, his widow will draw pension at the rate appropriate to his retiring rank or as the widow of a private of the Regular Army?

The pension from the Ministry of Pensions in respect of death attributable to Home Guard service would be at basic or private's rates, without addition for rank. The widow would, however, in addition be eligible for consideration for an "ordinary" pension from Army Funds in respect of her husband's former service as a Regular officer, subject to the usual- conditions, and the rate of this award would be based on his rank before retirement.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will specify all units in the Army which are classified as Welsh units, in corps, divisions or regiments; whether any attempt has been made in the war to form additional units of Welsh troops specified as such, in any branch of the Army; and whether he can give the figures in total of Welsh troops serving at home and abroad in English, Scottish or Irish units and, approximately the number of soldiers from Wales who served in such units or any branch of the Army between El Alamein and the completion of the Tunisian campaign?

I regret that much of the information asked for by my hon. Friend cannot for security reasons be made public. I am, however, most grateful for this opportunity to emphasise the great part which Welshmen are playing in the British Army. There are a number of Welsh divisions and brigades in the British Army which at present contains 58 Welsh units. These include Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Corps of Signals, Guards, Infantry, Parachute Regiment, Royal Army Service Corps and Royal Army Medical Corps. Nine of these units have been formed since the beginning of the war. Welshmen serve as far as possible in Welsh units but very many are of course serving in other units of the British Army at home and overseas and Welshmen bore their full share of the campaign which ended in triumph in Tunisia.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that prisoners of war at camp P.E. 52, Aut 37, PM 3100 in Italy have been receiving in their Red Cross parcels syrup and biscuits from certain manufacturing firms in short measure; and whether he will take action in the matter?

Apart from the one complaint in a prisoner's letter forwarded to me by my hon. Friend, no such complaints have reached me or the British Red Cross. I am therefore unable to accept the suggestion that this allegation, even if true, rests on anything more than an isolated case. In these circumstances I do not consider any action called for.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Private Frank Smith, Tyneside Scottish, 4456294, who was a prisoner of war, number 10233, in camp M. Stamminger XXB 357, was shot in cold blood by the sentry; and what is being done to obtain evidence of the outrage and to identify the sentry so that he will be dealt with in due course?

Yes, Sir. Statements have been received through the Protecting Power from British prisoners of war in the camp. The findings of a German court of inquiry have also been received, exonerating the guard. Steps have been taken to inform the German Government that the findings of the court cannot be accepted and to demand the re-opening of the proceedings against the guard. The guard's name has not been divulged by the German Government. Efforts to identify him will be made by all available means.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how many soap factories have been selected as nucleus factories under the concentration scheme for the soap industry; and how many of these are owned or controlled or are subsidiary companies of Unilever, Limited?

Forty-four factories have been selected as nucleus factories under the soap concentration scheme, and of these, eight are either controlled by, or belong to subsidiary companies of, Unilever, Limited.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can stagger the lunch hour at food offices where new ration books are collected so as to avoid any of them being closed for this period?

It is not possible to lay down a rigid rule that food offices must not close for the luncheon interval as in many of the smaller offices such a rule would be impracticable. This is particu- larly so in connection with the issue of the new ration books where a number of clerks are performing a series of different operations. The food executive officer on the spot is in the best position to judge whether the staggering of the luncheon interval would be desirable and practicable.

asked the Postmaster General whether he will arrange that letters addressed to soldiers serving in Iraq and the Middle East, for which a 1s. 3d. air-mail stamp is charged, will be sent by air-mail and not as frequently happens by maritime mail which often involves a delay of many weeks and for which the charge should be 1½d.?

As I have previously explained, the limited amount of aircraft capacity available for the transport of mails is not sufficient to enable the heavy weight of ordinary air mail letters to the Middle East and beyond to be conveyed all the way by air; but this type of correspondence for the Forces in Iraq and the Middle East is sent by sea only as far as West Africa whence it is carried by air for the remainder of the journey to the base. The primary reason for maintaining this form of service at present is that it is the only service, apart from the slow surface route, by which enclosures can be sent. The service operates with fair regularity and the average time in transit between this country and the base during the last three months has been six and a half weeks.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will prepare a scheme to arrange for the collection of fruit in rural areas from small growers who are likely to have more apples and fruit than they can market locally, and thus avoid the waste of important food which has taken place for many years past?

The distribution of food crops is a matter for my Noble Friend the Minister of Food and I understand that schemes such as my hon. Friend suggests have been introduced in many rural areas with his approval. This Ministry co-operates in furnishing any necessary transport.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can give any information in connection with an aeroplane which had been giving a display in Pershore "Wings for Victory" week and crashed on a roof of an hotel; how many of the crew were killed; and what was the cause of the accident and the amount of the damage done?

This regrettable accident, the causes of which are under investigation, occurred when one of a number of aircraft taking part in a flight in connection with a local "Wings for Victory" week crashed into a street in Pershore. The crew of five were killed and one civilian was slightly injured. Damage to property was confined to the roofs of two buildings. The House will wish to join with me in expressing sympathy with the relatives of the Royal Air Force personnel who were killed and with the injured civilian.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works what proportion of the additional labour charges in housing is attributable to the application of the Essential Work Order; how does this addition divide between costs of construction, and how much to time taken up by men standing by waiting for work or the weather?

The cost of the application of the Essential Work Order to housing is estimated to be 1½ per cent. of the total.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he can give an analysis of how the increase of 105 per cent. in housing costs is made up over the pre-war cost sub-divisions?

In view of the fact that tenders are at present being obtained for the war-time emergency programme of houses for agricultural workers, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Southampton (Mr. Craven-Ellis) by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health on 31st March, 1943, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the weekly returns of deaths from diphtheria and cases notified appear not to be affected by the campaign of his Department for immunisation now some years in operation; and will he undertake to reconsider the whole problem and meanwhile suspend the campaign?

I do not know on what the statement in the first part of the Question is based. The annual figures of cases and deaths for 1942 were the lowest recorded in the past ten years and the average figures for the last four years have been substantially less than for earlier years. The answer to the last part of the Question is "No, Sir."

asked the Minister of Health the cause of the immunity from diphtheria in 1941 of the 3,530 children under five years of age in Northamptonshire immunised in 1942; and why, in records for 1941 and 1942, they are included amongst the immunised when they were not immunised in 1941?

I assume that my hon. Friend's Question related to a recent Press statement that no case of diphtheria had occurred among some 8,000 children under five immunised in Northamptonshire since 1941. If so, it seems to be based on a misunderstanding of that statement which neither gave separate numbers for the years 1941 and 1942 nor suggested that children inoculated in 1942 were immune from diphtheria in 1941.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will instruct medical officers when compiling diphtheria records to see that the incidence on the unimmunised and immunised is calculated on the populations as they exist at the time of the occurrence of the diphtheria cases and not as they happen to be a year or two after the cases have been recorded, when large numbers of the unimmunised will have been transferred to the immunised classification, although at the time of the occurrence of diphtheria they were actually unimmunised?

I know of no such record as my hon. Friend suggests. Exact calculation of the average immunised and unimmunised populations respectively at risk over any period is not practicable under present conditions. The only form of statement possible is therefore to give the numbers contracting diphtheria, after immunisation and without immunisation, respectively, and the number immunised at given dates.