asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can cause inquiries to be made in the Doncaster area as to the effect of shortage of supplies of leather for boot repairers who cater for mineworkers; and if, where necessary, he will endeavour to allocate increased supplies at once.

Yes, Sir. I have called for a special report for the Doncaster area.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is prepared to remove austerity restrictions from uniforms and men's civilian overcoats and down-point existing stocks so as to bring the position in line with men's civilian suits; and whether he will at the same time replace in full to the traders concerned the coupons lost through this down-pointing.

No, Sir.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether, in order to assist traders in the disposal of men's austerity suits, he will down-point the coupon value to 13, namely, half of the original coupon value; and at the same time replace in full to the traders concerned the coupons lost through this down-pointing;(2) if, in the arrangements he is making with the Ministry of Supply for purchasing men's austerity suits for relief purposes in Europe, he will ensure that small traders as well as large manufacturers are relieved of their surplus stocks.

As regards the down-pointing of austerity suits and the replacement of coupons, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statement which I made on this subject on 15th February. I have already announced that retailers, as well as manufacturers and wholesalers, may offer for relief stocks of suits which are surplus to current requirements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when torch batteries will again be on sale to the public.

The production of batteries for civilians is strictly limited by the heavy demands of the Services and by the shortage of labour, but I am glad to say that more batteries have been on sale to the public this winter than last.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the quantity of whisky held in bond at the end of 1943; and what was the quantity at the corresponding date in 1939.

I am advised that it would be contrary to the public interest to publish this information.

asked the Minister without Portfolio what steps the Government proposes to take to assist persons who have been compelled to close their businesses as a result of the operations of the National Service Acts to restart those businesses at the cessation of hostilities.

This aspect of resettlement is under examination, and, as my hon. Friend will be aware from the statement made by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 14th December last, the position under the licensing provisions of the persons referred to in the Question will be safeguarded. It is too early yet to make a statement as to what further measures may be called for.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if his attention has been called to charges made by the U.S. Attorney-General against the activities of British drug companies in restricting supplies by arrangement with German firms; and if he has any statement to make thereon;(2) what steps his Department is taking to supervise the activities of cartels, particularly in the chemical industry, especially in view of the charges made by the United States Attorney-General;

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can inform the House of the kind of investigation that is being made into the ramifications of I.G., Germany, their agencies throughout the world, the effect on our war preparations, the effect of rings, price-fixing and monopolies in this country, the terms of reference on which the investigation is being made and the names of the people conducting the investigation; and when does he expect the Report.

Much information on this subject is already in the hands of the Government, but I have also noted the observations made by the United States Attorney-General. As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister stated last Thursday, no public inquiry will be made but the matter is being carefully studied. I cannot at present make any further statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the resolution passed by the conference of local health authorities in Scotland, of which a copy has been sent to him, urging the Government to introduce legislation to provide for the compulsory notification and treatment of venereal disease; and what action he intends to take.

Yes, Sir. I have also received a report from my Medical Advisory Committee whom I asked last year to consider certain aspects of the problem of the control and treatment of venereal diseases. That report will shortly be published as a Command Paper. I am not in a position to indicate what consequential steps will be taken.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many reports have been issued by the Council of Industry for Scotland; and if it is intended that these reports should be published seriatim.

Four Progress Reports have been adopted to date by the Scottish Council on Industry and in each case the Report was fully published in the Press. I am sending copies of the Reports to my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware of difficulty experienced by Servicemen on leave arriving at the port of Stornoway who are unable to get transport to Harris or the Uig district of the Island; and whether, in view of the frequent complaints, he will make some special arrangements for additional late transport.

The Regional Transport Commissioner visited Lewis last August and arranged for certain improvement in the omnibus services. He has provided me with a full report on the situation, and I agree with his view that the provision of additional late transport from Stornoway to Harris or Uig would not be justified. Omnibuses leave Stornoway for Harris at 9.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. on Monday to Friday. On Saturday, the night omnibus is held back until the arrival of the boat, because there are no omnibuses on Sunday. It would not be reasonable to do this on other nights, because of the hardship that would be inflicted on local passengers. Sleeping accommodation is available for Servicemen at Stornoway, and the numbers travelling are too small to justify an additional service. The operators of the service to Uig have found great difficulty in arranging to meet the boat at Stornoway every night, oWinģ to the strain imposed on their drivers. Arrangements are being made so that they will meet the boat on being notified that there are passengers for the Uig district.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether consideration will be given to lieutenants in the Army who have been overseas for a period of from two to three years and who have been recommended by their commanding officers for promotion to captaincy but who have been passed over in favour of captains who have been drafted straight out from England to fill the posts.

A vacancy for a captain in a unit can be filled in one of two ways. The commanding officer of the unit may promote one of his subalterns. I understand that if there are suitable subalterns in the unit this is in practice what is usually done. But the commanding officer may ask for a captain to be posted to the vacancy from among those who have been sent out from this country as reinforcements. This seems to me to be a sensible arrangement, and I am not aware that it has given rise to more than very occasional complaints.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether members of the A.T.S. on duty in France prior to Dunkirk and evacuated from that country before having had six months operational service will be eligible for the 1939–43 star in the same way as are troops similarly evacuated who also may not have had the full six months operational service.

Yes, Sir. Members of the A.T.S. will be treated in the same way as the Army in general.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will indicate what effect has the recent increase in supplementary pensions had on cases in which the mother is in receipt of a service allowance and the father is in receipt of a supplementary pension.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 23rd February by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Air. This reply covers the practice of the War Department in these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the procedure adopted in withdraWinģ the children's allowance in the case of a child reaching school-leaving age and belonging to a family where there are other children eligible for children's allowance.

Before a child reaches school-leaving age its mother or guardian is asked whether the child will remain at school beyond that age and continue to receive whole-time education, in which event children's rate of family allowance remains in issue in respect of the child while it continues to receive whole-time education. When family allowance ceases in respect of the child on its leaving school, if it is the eldest child the rate of family allowance in issue in respect of the second child is then increased to the rate for the first child and the rate of allowance in issue in respect of the third child is increased to the rate for the second child.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether seeds and agricultural machinery are being provided by any Allied organisation for the peoples of the liberated Italian territories.

Yes, Sir, within the bounds set by military operations and such other limiting factors as transport and port facilities.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Jews have been killed at the fronts to date.

I regret that these figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many of the 40,000 Jews serving with His Majesty's Forces are in the Guards, artillery, cavalry, infantry, tank corps and mechanised formations; and how many are in the R.A.S.C., R.A.M.C., labour battalions and base details.

I regret that it would not be in the public interest to give these further particulars.

asked the Secretary of State for War what firms have the contracts at present for feeding and clothing His Majesty's Forces and for supplying boots to them.

I regret that it would not be in the public interest to publish such a list, which would be of value to the enemy.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that the sinking of the hospital ship "St. David" was announced by the B.B.C. before information as to survivors had been sent to relatives; and whether, in order to avoid unnecessary suffering and anxiety on the part of relatives, he will ensure that in future news of this description is not broadcast until all next-of-kin have been advised of the fate of the men travelling on a ship that is sunk.

I have been asked to reply. In relation to incidents of this kind, every endeavour is made to defer a public announcement until the next-of-kin of casualties have been informed, but it is not always possible to ensure such deferment, especially when the sinking of a ship is widely known. In this case the news was broadcast from Naples to the United States on 25th January. The B.B.C. repeated this broadcast, which they were free to do.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will inquire into the practice followed in military hospitals of waking the patients to wash them at 5.30 a.m. when breakfast is not served until 8 a.m., the reasons given being that this is for the convenience of the nursing staff; and as this practice, together with the ceaseless noise allowed in the wards, deprives patients of their proper quantum of sleep, whether he will take immediate steps to remedy the position.

I cannot accept my hon. Friend's suggestion that patients in military hospitals do not get sufficient sleep or that the time at which patients are woken is fixed for the convenience of the nursing staff. This staff is limited in numbers and patients must be woken early enough for the necessary duties to be completed. Instructions are, however, being issued to officers commanding military hospitals to ensure that patients are not woken earlier than is necessary, and to remind them of the importance of reducing, as far as possible, the noise and disturbance in the wards during the day.

asked the Secretary of State for War the changes made in the children's allowances for officers and other ranks, from September, 1939, up to the present date.

Before the war an officer was recognised as married for allowance purposes, only if he was married and 30 years of age or over. He then received in respect of his family if he was separated from them by the exigencies of the service a family lodging allowance which varied according to his rank and not to the size of his family. The daily rates of family lodging allowance for families resident in the United Kingdom were as follows:

	s.	d.
2nd Lieutenant	6	0
Lieutenant	6	0
Captain	7	6
Major	7	6
Lieut.-Colonel	9	6
Colonel	9	6
Brigadier and above	11	0

With effect from nth September, 1939, a family lodging allowance was introduced for married officers under 30 years of age which varied, within limits, with the size of the family and not with the rank. These

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that the cost of wintering hill sheep on lowland farms has doubled and the fact that the price of hill sheep and lambs has materially decreased, he will consider rising the hill sheep subsidy to 10s. per head, or in any event to maintain the subsidy at its present level.

The costs and receipts of hill sheep farmers in the past year were fully taken into account when the Government decided to reduce the rate of subsidy for the current year to 6s. per eligible ewe. According to the Government's information there had been an improvement in the economic position of hill sheep farmers in Great Britain equivalent on the average to about 2s. per ewe as compared with the previous year. The adoption of my hon. and gallant Friend's proposal could not, therefore, be justified.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will avoid unnecessary multiplication of rural festivals by directing that any observance of Farm Sunday, which it may be thought desirable to initiate this year, shall be arranged to coincide with Rogationtide or Lammastide.

This point is being borne in mind in the discussions with representatives of the Churches.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what sum is represented by in-

It is estimated that the sum represented by the increase since the start of the war in the annual aggregate of wages of agricultural workers in the United Kingdom, allowing for the increase in hours worked, is of the order of £75,000,000.

asked the President of the Board of Education if any scheme is being prepared of a national character to assist blind children in order that uniformity of treatment and full advantage of facilities available can be achieved for primary, secondary and technical education; how many schools are owned and controlled by education authorities, and how many are controlled by voluntary associations, giving the number of schools in England and the number in Wales separately.

Some schools for the blind have always been organised on a national basis, and another school has recently been reorganised in the same way. Consideration has been given to the general reorganisation of schools for the blind, but final schemes must be deferred until after the war. The following table shows the numbers of schools on 31st March, 1939, under local authority and voluntary management respectively:

—	England.
	Local Authority.	Voluntary,
Special Schools	51	19
Secondary Schools	—	2
Technical Schools	9	29
	Wales.
Special Schools	2	1
Secondary Schcols	—	—
Technical Schools	1	4

A number of the day schools, all of which were conducted by local education authorities and contained mainly partially sighted children, were closed on the outbreak of war, and the blind children were transferred to residential schools.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of children and teachers still evacuated from the L.C.C. area.

The estimated numbers of schoolchildren and teachers still evacuated from the London County Council area are between 60,000 and 70,000 children and 2, 200 teachers.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power, names of colliery firms in the county of Durham who have received financial assistance from the Government during the war and the amount received in each case.

There are two cases where my Department has agreed to rent mining machinery to colliery undertakings in Durham. No other financial assistance has been given direct by the Government, but four undertakings have received grants or loans from the War Emergency Assistance Scheme, totalling £350,000, a small part of which is repayable.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that the South-East Fuel Controller has stated that no coal is to be supplied to public houses in his district, but only manufactured fuel, which is not always available; and why are licensed premises to be penalised as compared with premises of other traders.

My hon. Friend appears to be under a misapprehension, which may have arisen from a misinterpretation of the expression "Controlled Premises" in the Coal Distribution Order, 1943. In this Order "Controlled Premises" include small industrial premises and all premises used for non-industrial purposes, including domestic premises. The ruling to which my hon Friend refers and which applies to all controlled premises in the South-Eastern Region, including public houses, is not that no coal shall be supplied, but that no extra coal shall be supplied under licence unless it can be shown that alternative fuels cannot be used or are not available.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of complaints regarding the inferior quality of coal being shipped to Northern Ireland, he will have inquiries made with a view to the supply of a better class of coal to consumers in Northern Ireland.

As I informed my hon. Friend in reply to a Question on 20th January, 1943, supplies of coal to Northern Ireland are arranged by my Department in consultation with the Government of Northern Ireland and the programme is kept under constant review. I am afraid that in the present difficult supply and transport position I have to ask many consumers everywhere, and not only in Northern Ireland, to accept qualities of coal to which they are not accustomed, and which at times cause them inconvenience.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many applications made by South Wales coalminers under the Pneumoconiosis Compensation and Benefit Schemes, respectively, of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1943, have been dealt with since the com- mencing date, 1st July, 1943, and how many have been successful and how many refused; and will he also give, separately, the figures of such cases for the anthracite and non-anthracite mines in South Wales.

I have been asked to reply. The folloWinģ table gives the number of

Scheme.	No. of applications dealt with.			No. of Certificates.
				Granted.			Refused or postponed.
	Total.	Anthracite Mines.	Non-Anthracite Mines.	Total.	Anthracite Mines.	Non-Anthracite Mines.	Total.	Anthracite Mines.	Non-Anthracite Mines.
Coal Mining Industry (Pneumoconiosis) Compensation Scheme.	1,100	629	471	658	363	295	442	266	176
Pneumoconiosis (Benefit) Scheme.	52	6	46	35	3	32	17	3	14

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware of the view that the decision to prosecute offences against Statutory Rules and Orders should not be taken by the Order-making Department but by some independent authority, such as the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Treasury Solicitor; and whether, in view of this, he will consider the advisability of transferring the enforcement branches of all Order-making Departments, such as the Ministry of Food, the Ministry of Fuel and Power and Ministries and Departments exercising war-time control by means of Orders, to the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

I have been asked to reply. There is already a certain degree of centralisation of work on prosecutions of the kind mentioned by my hon. Friend. I am afraid, however, that the work of enforcement branches is too interwoven with that of the Departments which they serve to lend itself to similar treatment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the current issues of National War Bonds and Savings Bonds will be continued after the forthcoming interest date.

Yes, Sir. As on previous similar occasions, a new Series of each security will be issued. Two and a half per cent. National War Bonds 1952–54 were first issued on 1st September, 1943, and the first interest payment will fall due on 1st March, 1944. Bonds issued on and after the 1st March, 1944 will be designated "A Series" with the first interest payment due on 1st September, 1944, on which date they will be amalgamated with the original issue.Three per cent. Savings Bonds 1960–70 were first issued in May, 1942, and the original Series have been followed by three new Series, called "A," "B" and "C." The last Series ("C") were issued as from 1st September, 1943. The first payment on this last Series will fall due on 1st March, 1944, and on that date the Series will be amalgamated with the original issue. Bonds issued on and after the 1st March, 1944, will be designated "D Series," with the first interest payment due on the 1st September, 1944, on which date the Series will be amalgamated with the earlier issues.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what is his official policy as to the desirability of the creation of satellite towns to take population from London.

My Department is at present studying, in the light of the County of London Plan, various methods (including the creation of satellite towns) by which, according to circumstances, provision may most appropriately be made for population dispersed from London.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, since children are employed as carriers in smuggling between Eire and Northern Ireland, he will devise means whereby it will be impossible to use children for this purpose.

The most effective means of preventing the use of children in smuggling is to trace the grown-ups who use them and to take appropriate action against them. This is done whenever possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what infor-

R.A.F.—BASIC DAILY RATES OF PAY.
Rank.			General Duties and Technical Branches.*			Administrative and Special Duties, Equipment, Meteorological and Medical Quartermaster Branches and R.A.F. Regiment.			Accountant Branch.			Balloon Branch.			Medical Branch.			Dental Branch.			Legal Branch.			Chaplains Branch.
																									£	s.	d.
			£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	On appointment		15	4
																								After 3 years		18	2
Acting Pilot Officer		…		11	10		10	0		11	0		10	0										After 6 years	1	3	6
Pilot Officer	…	…		14	6		11	10		13	6		11	10										After 9 years	1	6	2
Flying Officer		…		18	2		13	6		17	2		13	6	1	1	8		18	2				After 12 years	1	9	0
Flight Lieutenant		…	1	1	9		19	0	1	0	0		19	0	1	3	6	1	1	8	1	3	6	After 15 years	1	11	8
Squadron Leader		…	1	10	10	1	9	0	1	9	0	1	9	0	1	15	4	1	11	8	1	15	6	After 18 years	1	14	4
Winģ Commander		…	1	16	2	1	13	6	1	13	6	1	15	0	2	9	10	2	9	10	2	10	0	After 21 years	1	17	2
Group Captain		…	2	9	10	2	5	4	2	5	4	2	7	6	3	3	4	2	18	10	2	11	10	After 24 years	1	19	10
																								After 27 years	2	2	6
																								After 30 years	2	5	4
* Pilots and other members of aircrew are in the General Duties Branch.

I have been asked to reply. While it is true that in the past there have been restrictions on the import and distribution of British newspapers and periodicals into Spain, there has been some relaxation of these restrictions in recent months. The folloWinģ papers: "Illustrated London News," "Sphere," "Daily Mail," "Daily Telegraph," "Times," although subject to Spanish censorship, are allowed into Spain and are in fact on sale on bookstalls in Spain.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will give, in the form of a table, the basic rates of pay and allowances, each separately, and with the variations due to the theatre of operations in which the officer is serving and the conditions under which he is living, of all officers of and below the rank of group-captain indicating officers who are pilots or members of air crews and those whose duties are otherwise.

I append tables shoWinģ for officers of the rank of Group-Captain and below:

(a) daily rates of pay

(b) daily rates of allowances normally payable when provision in kind is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether there have been any increases or decreases and, if so, of what nature, of the net basic pay and allowances of R.A.F. officers and of other officers now serving with the R.A.F. of and below the rank of group-captain since September 1939.

Officers of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and the Auxiliary Air Force receive the same rates of pay. There have been no changes in the rates of pay since September, 1939, but in order to improve the financial position of junior officers it was decided with effect from 1st October, 1942, to promote pilot officers to the rank of flying officer after six months satisfactory service instead of twelve months.As for allowances, I append tables shoWinģ:

TABLE SHOWINģ INCREASES SINCE SEPTEMBER, 1939, IN ALLOWANCE PAYABLE IN RESPECT OF FAMILIES IN THE U.K.
Rates in existence in September, 1939.				Rates introduced on 1.9.41 for officers already in the service who elected to receive these rates and applicable to all officers commissioned on or after 1.1.42.				Increased rates introduced on 1.10.42.
								For officers of the rank of squadron leader and below and in receipt of the rates shown at (b) of Col. 1.				For officers of the rank of flight lieutenant and below with one or more children and in receipt of rates shown in Col. 2.
(1)				(2)				(3)				(4)
						s.	d.			s.	d.		s.	d.
(a) Officers under 30 and holding a substantive or war substantive rank below squadron leader:				Wife only	…	4	0	Acting Pilot Officer.		7	6	Wife and 1 child	7	0
				Wife and 1 child		6	0					Wife and 2 children.	8	6
				Wife and 2 children.		7	6	Pilot Officer	…	7	6
								Flying Officer	…	7	6	Wife and 3 children.	9	6
		s.	d.	Each additional child.		1	0	Flight Lieutenant.		8	6
Wife only	…	3	0									and so on.
Wife and 1 child		4	6	(Irrespective of rank and age.)				Squadron Leader.		8	6
Wife and 2 or more children		5	6
(b) Officers over 30 or holding a substantive or war substantive rank above flight lieutenant. Irrespective of size of family:
		s.	d.
Acting Pilot Officer.		6	0
Pilot Officer	…	6	0
Flying Officer	…	6	0
Flight Lieutenant		7	6
Squadron Leader		7	6
Winģ Commander		9	6
Group Captain	…	9	6
NOTE.—Varying rates are payable if an officer's family is resident abroad, dependent partly on the country of residence and also in some cases the circumstances in which the family proceeded to the particular country.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production if he will release Kenneth Claybourne from his position in the Blackburn Aircraft Company, Limited, in order that he may join the R.A.F. and qualify as a flight-engineer, in view of his possessing a proficiency certificate after nearly three years' training in the A.T.C.

No, Sir. This man has been enlisted in the Royal Air Force as a flight engineer, but in view of the importance of the work on which he is engaged in his civil employment the Air Ministry, at my request, have placed him for the time being on deferred service. This is the customary procedure in such cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give the dates on which His Majesty's Minister in Stockholm, acting upon instructions received from his Department, has lodged a protest with the Swedish Government regarding the assistance given to Germany in the form of iron-ore shipments.

I have been asked to reply. I have no statement to make on this subject.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Economic Warfare whether he can give the approximate amount of manganese, and of other scarce metals, obtained by Germany from the import of Swedish iron-ores with a high content of manganese.

There is no iron ore produced in Sweden with a high manganese content. The average content is 0.1 per cent. and this is almost entirely dissipated in the normal steel making processes. As regards other scarce metals, it is conceivable that, by using Swedish ores exclusively in Bessemer plants, the enemy might, last year, have extracted approximately 500 tons of vanadium. It is, however, highly improbable that all Swedish ore imported into Germany was, or is, treated in this way.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Economic Warfare whether, in order to deal a blow to German armaments output, he will, together with the U.S. Government, urge the Swedish Government to effect a further reduction in the quantities of iron-ore shipped to Germany; and whether, failing a definite undertaking to that effect being given by the Swedish Government, His Majesty's Government and the Government of U.S.A. will ban shipments of crude oil and of oil products, as they banned such shipments to Spain.

I am in frequent communication with representatives of the Swedish Government, both as regards iron-ore shipments and other exports to Axis Europe. I would, however, remind the House that, as I stated on 22nd February, the arrangements made for Swedish-German trade in 1944 involve a very substantial reduction not only in exports to the Axis of iron-ore but also of many other commodities. As regards the second part of the Question, I have no statement to make.