asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is satisfied with the measures of education afforded to Medway children who are still evacuees; and what steps he has taken in the matter.

I have received no complaints about the education of Medway children who are still evacuated, but if my hon. and gallant Friend has any information suggesting that the arrangements are unsatisfactory and will let me have it I shall be glad to look into the matter.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the urgent need for more teachers, and in order to encourage those who have returned to the profession after having previously retired to remain in the service as long as possible after the war, he will consider reducing the qualifying period of 30 years which is normally required for the grant of superannuation allowances under the Teachers (Superannuation) Act; 1925.

Teachers who, having retired, have returned to service during the war have in general already completed the period of service qualifying them for pension. The general question of reducing the normal 30 years qualifying period, which may be reduced to 20 years in certain cases of married women, was fully considered in 1925. Insufficient reason was found for any reduction, except in the case of teachers entering the profession late in life, for whom the qualifying period was reduced to two-thirds of the time between their entry and their 65th birthday, with a minimum of 10 years.

asked the Minister of Health in how many cases the parents of evacuated children have either been killed or have disappeared; and what action is taken in the latter case to secure the welfare of the children concerned.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol Central (Lady Apsley) on 27th January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional police have been employed from time to time in connection with the house arrest of Sir Oswald Mosley since he took up his residence at Shipton-under-Wychwood.

It would not be in the public interest to disclose information as to the arrangements made for the supervision of Sir Oswald Mosley.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he is aware that many people recently home from the East have been unable to purchase a house to live in because the banks, who would have otherwise gladly made the advance, have refused to lend them money for this purpose on account of a request from the Treasury; and will he issue the necessary directions to enable loans to be made by banks for the purchase of houses where they are satisfied that such purchases are necessary to enable the people concerned to find a home in which to live;(2) on what grounds the Treasury has requested banks not to lend money to people desirous of borrowing it to enable them to purchase a house to live in.

I am not aware of cases of the kind to which he refers. If he has evidence to show what practical difficulties have arisen perhaps he will let me have it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that many wholesalers have supplies of alarm clocks in stock but they cannot dispose of them because local retailers have no permits either for purchase or sale; and will he consider the possibility of local retailers in approved areas being able to obtain supplies to be sold against permits from the authorised organisations.

No, Sir. A wholesaler who has in stock more alarm clocks than he thinks are necessary to meet the requirements of his customers should return the surplus to his supplier. Supplies of clocks are not sufficient to allow retailers to hold stocks.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether the use of coal-produced methane gas is being considered on practical lines.

Every known existing source of methane has been examined on merits, but in very few cases does the quantity available justify the expenditure during war-time of the labour and material necessary to bring it into use. An experimental boring is now in progress to ascertain if methane can be produced in quantity from coal seams.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if the committee now investigating the possibility of a Severn barrage have yet come to any decision on the site to be used; and, if not, will they consider the importance of the fishing rights and the danger of flooding valuable farming land if the River Wye is included in the area of such a scheme.

The Committee of Experts have not yet reported. I have arranged that the points raised by my hon. Friend in the second part of the Question should be brought to their notice.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can state the particulars given in Table 40 of the Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for the year 1939 in respect of the year ended 31st March, 1943, and, in particular, items (e), (g) and (h).

I regret that the particulars asked for by my hon. Friend are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is now in a position to say how many extra houses of his new allocation of 1,000 he is able to give to Dumbarton and Clydebank.

Dumbarton Burgh and Clydebank have been invited to erect an additional 50 and 200 houses respectively under the allocation I announced earlier this week.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost of converting the two Nissen huts for occupation by families undertaken by him; what accommodation is provided; the size of the rooms; and whether an indoor water supply and indoor sanitation is provided.

The two huts were converted into a three-apartment house and two four-apartment houses at an approximate cost, including all services, of £790 for the three-apartment house and £890 for each of the four-apartment houses, but as the work was carried out as a rushed experimental job to test whether the huts could be adapted in about six weeks time as satisfactory temporary houses, these figures do not provide an accurate guide to the cost of any future conversions. I should like to emphasise the fact that the houses are provided with all the usual amenities, including indoor water supplies, bathrooms and sanitary conveniences.The sizes of the rooms are:

asked the Minister of Food if he will consider raising the price for the 1944 whinberry crop.

I will consider the point made by my hon. Friend when the maximum prices for whinberries in the 1944 season are being considered in relation to those fixed for other soft fruits.

asked the Minister of Food what progress has been made in the investigations of the production of commercial syrups, alcohol and other compounds from potatoes.

From experiments in the laboratory and on a commercial scale it has been clearly established that it is possible to make a wide range of products from potatoes, including glucose and other syrups, alcohol, and different forms of dried potato suitable for use in bread and flour confectionery. The development of these processes depends primarily on the potato supply position, since the first call on potatoes must, in existing circumstances, be for direct use as human food.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that there is a serious shortage of potatoes in many villages in North-east Suffolk; that owing to the restrictions imposed by the Potato Board while there is a shortage now, there is likely to be, as last year, a glut later resulting in the waste of considerable quantities of potatoes; and if he will take steps to release and regulate supplies now in accordance with legitimate demand.

Yes, Sir, I am aware that there has been a shortage of potatoes in a few villages in North-east Suffolk, due to local supplies having been used up. Action has been taken to make supplies available in this district and, where necessary, demand will be met by the release of Ministry-owned stocks.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will consider giving greater publicity to the warning by the B.B.C. speaker on the food front on 3rd February that all oranges should be carefully washed before they are eaten, particularly as the greater proportion are consumed by children.

The warning to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers was concerned with the grating of orange peel. I will arrange for the issue of a further warning on the lines he suggests.

asked the Minister of Food what percentage of the contents of 2,400,000 cases of oranges, imported recently from Spain as a result of a transaction by the U.K.C.C., were unfit for consumption; and whether he intends to transact further orange deals with Spain.

As only a small proportion of the oranges purchased under the current contract have so far arrived, I cannot yet say what percentage of the whole will eventually be found unfit for human consumption. Having regard to the shipping difficulties experienced the proportion of sound fruit in the cargoes so far received has been satisfactory. I am unable to say at present what purchases may be made next season.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether officers serving on London district headquarters staff are entitled to the special London allowance granted to officers employed in his department, and if not, what is the reason for this discrimination.

The additional pay which is given to officers filling appointments on the War Office establishment is given in virtue of the extra responsibilities of those posts and is not admissible to officers in London District Headquarters or higher military formations outside the War Office.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Allied Forces fighting with us in Italy are supplied with adequate medical and ambulance services.

These Forces are provided with the medical and ambulance services they need, and arrangements are in force to make good any deficiencies which may arise in these services.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give separately, the average figures of child mortality at birth in England, Scotland and Wales for the years 1935 to 1943, inclusive.

Deaths per 1,000 live births of infants whose age does not exceed 24 hours, in England, Scotland and Wales for the years 1935 to 1942 are as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture what prospect there is of stimulating the production of pigs and poultry in this country.

The increased production of pigs and poultry is necessarily dependent upon the amount of cereals that can be made available for use as feeding stuffs. Such extra supplies as could be foreseen this winter are already being used for the increased rations allowed for pig and poultry breeding stock from 1st January last. I am not in a position to forecast when supplies will enable any further stimulation of production of these classes of stock to take place.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the value of geese as an agricultural asset, he will suggest an extension of this form of breeding, especially as it is less expensive and easier than the keeping of turkeys.

While I agree that geese can be kept more economically than turkeys, they are competitors for feeding stuffs, including grass, with other classes of livestock which are of greater value to the nation's food supplies. The latest returns show that the number of geese in England and Wales is now increasing, and no special encouragement to further expansion in their production would be desirable under existing conditions.

asked the Secretary of State for India what steps he is taking to make known in India the outrages perpetrated by the Japanese on prisoners and on Indian prisoners in particular.

The Government of India issued on 28th January a statement regarding the Japanese treatment of prisoners of war and civilian internees, of whom Indians form a large proportion, and have released stories of a number of authenticated incidents affecting Indians in particular.

asked the Secretary of State for India what steps are being taken to use aircraft to fight locust plagues in India.

Trenching and the use of poison bait are the methods employed against locusts in India. A vigorous campaign using these methods resulted in the defeat of the locust threat to last year's kharif crop. Aircraft have not so far been used.