asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in his forthcoming Budget, he will make to farmers an allowance for Income Tax purposes equivalent to the loss in the fertility of the soil resulting from the compulsory tillage system for the year in which such loss occurs.

My hon. Friend will not expect me to anticipate my Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has considered a resolution from the Hull Local Pensions Committee protesting against the hardships, many of which are mentioned in the resolution; and what reply was sent.

I have considered this resolution, but I am not in a position to add to the reply which I gave on 2nd February to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Chester (Major Nield).

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what has been the circulation, up to date, of the Report by Sir William Beveridge, Cmd. 6404, priced at 2s., and the Beveridge Report in Brief, priced at 3d.

The sales to date, in round figures, of the full Report are 257,000 and of the abridged edition 373,000.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider the extension of the air letter card service, already existing between India and the United Kingdom, in order that this form of correspondence may be used between civilians in the two countries.

I regret that the capacity available for civilian mails on the through air services from the United Kingdom to the East is at present sufficient only for the conveyance of communications sent by the Airgraph service, but I am fully aware of the desirability of extending to civilians the lightweight air letter service at present available to and from the Forces, and I shall lose no time in introducing such a service should the means become available.

asked the Postmaster-General how many incoming parcels sent by troops to friends have been received in the past 12 months.

The estimated number for the year 1943 is 2,450,000.

asked the Minister of Supply the names of the experts who are now in the United States studying the production of penicillin; and by what firms are they employed.

The technical experts referred to are Dr. W. R. Boon and Mr. Harry Jephcott, and they have been sent to America as representatives of the Penicillin Committee of the Ministry of Supply. Their services have been made available to the Committee by Imperial Chemical Industries and Glaxo, Ltd., respectively.

asked the Minister of Supply the number of manufacturing chemists in Great Britain; how many of them are producing penicillin; and will he give their names.

I regret that precise information as to the number of manufacturing chemists in Great Britain is not available, but it is certainly very large. It would not be in the public interest to publish the other information asked for.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether records have been made of the percentage of children in attendance at elementary and secondary schools, respectively, who have been subjected to medical inspection; and, if so, what that percentage was for the last five years for which the records are available.

The following table shows the numbers of children seen at routine medical inspections in each of the last five years for which returns are available, expressed as percentages of the actual number of children on the registers of those schools on a particular day in the year in question:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Report of the Commission on the recent food shortage in Kenya is available in this country; and whether he will issue a summary of its conclusions and recommendations and state what action is to be taken in consequence.

I have been asked to reply. The Report of the Commission of Inquiry on the food shortage in Kenya has reached me, and a copy has been placed in the library of the House. A summary of the conclusions and recommendations will be found on page 93. I understand that the Report is being debated in the present session of the Legislative Council. My right hon. and gallant Friend has not yet received the recommendations of the Kenya Government as to the action to be taken on the recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has reviewed the operation of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1943, in regard to cases of pneumoconiosis and silicosis that have appeared before the Medical Board in the North Midland Region; if he will give the number of cases that have received a certificate and the number turned down; and has he any information to give as to the number of cases that have made application under the benefit scheme.

Since 1st July, 1943, when the Pneumoconiosis Compensation and Benefit Schemes came into operation, the Medical Board have granted certificates of disablement or suspension in two cases under the Compensation Schemes in the North Midland Region and refused 25. One death was certified to have been caused by the disease and one was certified not to have been so caused. Six applications have been dealt with under the Benefit Scheme in the same area, five in respect of disablement and one death. In none of these cases was a certificate granted. The Medical Board's decision for purposes of a claim to compensation or benefit are conclusive and are not subject to review.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will take steps to make the active service leave allowance of petrol available for use in any one motor-car designated by the officer concerned and thus save the waste of petrol and rubber involved under the present system.

The regulations governing this allowance were drawn up in collaboration with the three Service Departments, and I propose to discuss my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion with them.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether, in view of the present congestion on the railways, he will take steps to equip a number of canal barges with diesel power units to make use of this economical means of transport, in view of the fact that the canal system is at present neglected and lengths of waterway have but a trifling number of power boats in use.

My Noble Friend has made every effort to help canal carriers to acquire engines for barges and boats, and in spite of the shortage of supply the number of power-driven craft in use on inland waterways has increased during the last two years from 857 to 947. I am glad to assure my hon. Friend that since the Government placed the principal undertakings under its control vigorous measures have been taken to make the fullest use of our inland waterways.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the reason for the Emergency Powers (Defence) Railways Order (S.R. & O., No. 72, of 1944) under which the railway companies are relieved of their obligations as common carriers.

As my hon. Friend is aware, the pressure on the transport system is at present heavy and its capacity must, therefore, be used to the best advantage. To this end we must allocate traffic to the most appropriate means of transport, and we must restrict the acceptance of traffic which would cause congestion and delay. Statutory Rule and Order No. 72 accordingly relieves the railways of the obligation to carry goods which my Department have designated as goods which should not be carried by rail.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps have been taken to ensure that members of the Forces are aware of the existence of the further education and training scheme outlined in the leaflet PL/120; how many applications have already been received; and whether the scheme is intended to cover those whose educational training was of a part-time nature.

In reply to the first part of the Question I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War to a Question by the hon. Member for Neath (Sir W. Jenkins) on 3rd February. Some 1,170 applications have already been received under the Further Education and Training Scheme. In reply to the last part of the Question, assistance will be given under the scheme in appropriate cases to persons whose educational training was of a part-time nature.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now in a position to state what progress has been made in his Department with schemes for the setting up of new industries in the county of Durham with a view to providing employment in the post-war period.

Following my statement in the House on 8th December last, my officials have had many discussions with industrialists planning post-war developments, and the County of Durham is one of the areas to which they are being asked to direct their attention.