asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will include nurses among those who are eligible for the supply of alarm clocks.

Yes, Sir. All workers rising before 5 a.m., including nurses, are eligible for alarm clock permits.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has considered the appeal from the Royal College of Nursing on behalf of the nursing profession, asking to be allowed to purchase shoes and stockings similar to those made for Service women, having regard to the increase in foot troubles caused by the inferior footwear and stockings which are now available for nurses; and whether he will give favourable consideration to this appeal.

I appreciate the needs of nurses, and have taken steps to increase the production of good flat-heeled shoes and reliable stockings for civilian use. Nurses should thus be able to obtain the kind of shoes and stockings they require. I regret that I cannot go further than this.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will promote a claim for priority service for the repair of mineworkers' pit boots and clogs similar to existing arrangements which exist for the Service Ministries and the W.L.A.

In view of the present shortage of labour and material, the Services must have priority for their repairs. There is no priority scheme for the Women's Land Army. Repairs must take longer than in peace-time, but I am doing everything possible to reduce delays.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the difficulties of obtaining raw materials for the pottery industry from Devonshire and Cornwall which tend to hold up urgently required orders; and if he will see that North Staffordshire shall receive the raw materials in the quantities they require.

I am in touch with my Noble Friend the Minister of War Transport on this matter. Everything possible is being done to keep the Potteries supplied, but, as my hon. Friend will realise, the demands on transport for essential war traffic are very heavy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why livery and uniform makers have now been authorised to disregard the austerity regulations when accepting orders for uniforms for footmen, chauffeurs, doormen and commissionaires; and whether, in view of the fact that gold braid and other expensive facings are not necessary in war time, he will prohibit the manufacture of this class of garment.

No such authority is necessary, since these restrictions have now been withdrawn. The manufacture of braid is controlled by the Ministry of Supply, who release no new material for this purpose except for Service or other essential requirements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of art treasures and antiques exported from this country during the years 1939, 1940, 1941 and 1942.

Exports of works of art and of paintings amounted to £593,000 in 1939 and £443,000 in 1940. The figures for 1941 and 1942, which have not been published, show a heavy reduction. Antiques are not separately shown in the Trade Accounts, and not all paintings, as my hon. Friend will appreciate, are works of art.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the South Metropolitan Gas Company is increasing the price of gas by ¾d. a therm; and if he has any explanation to account for this increase being allowed.

I have been asked to reply. Yes, Sir. I gave a permit under the Gas Charges Order, 1942, to the South Metropolitan Gas Company to increase the price of gas by three farthings per therm. The grounds of the application were increased costs of operation.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why ex-Servicemen employed as temporary clerks in Government Departments are being discharged on account of redundancy, while others who have not served are being retained.

I am not aware that any difficulties are being experienced over the order of discharge applied to redundant temporary staff. The precise arrangements are, however, settled Departmentally, and vary according to circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether officers and men who fought at Dunkirk, but were captured by the enemy, will be qualified to receive on repatriation the 1939–43 Star, although notwithstanding that their operational service was less than six months.

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for War the policy adopted in connection with claims for compensation made by infants under 15 years of age who suffer damage through picking up grenades, etc.; and whether he will pronounce a policy whereby children of that age will not be met with any attempted defence of contributory negligence but that ex-gratia payments will be made where the overriding negligence is that of military personnel.

I outlined the policy adopted by the War Department in dealing with these cases in a reply I gave my hon. Friend on 25th May last. All these claims are most carefully scrutinised, and no claim is repudiated unless the facts show that there has been serious negligence on the part of the injured persons. In particular, the defence of contributory negligence is not raised unless the facts in the individual case fully justify such a course.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in cases where men are serving in this country, arrangements can be made occasionally for compassionate leave to enable a man to come home and assist in urgent agricultural work on a small holding where the parent is unable to get any other assistance.

Arrangements have been in force since 1941 whereby men may be granted up to 28 days' leave a year under special conditions to do agricultural work if military circumstances permit. The War Agricultural Executive Committee must certify that the individual is essential for the work. Whether it will be possible to continue these arrangements to any appreciable extent the future will show.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that by the terms of Middle East Routine Order 1220/43, with effect from 1st December, 1943, combining colonial and field service allowances, men serving in the Sudan, if below the rank of warrant officer, suffer a reduction of their allowance, while officers obtain an increase; and if he will take steps to remedy this grievance.

Mediterranean allowance combining colonial and field allowance for troops in the Mediterranean area was introduced in order to remove anomalies of treatment as between troops in different parts of the area and to simplify administration. In a change of this kind involving many stations and varied conditions of service some disadvantage as compared with previous treatment is inevitable in certain cases. On the whole the troops in the Mediterranean area benefited by the change. I should add that there is no evidence that there is justification, in war-time conditions, for men in the Sudan to receive a higher allowance than men serving elsewhere in the Mediterranean area.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will reintroduce the scheme which operated during the last war under which service personnel discharged from the Forces on ground of mental disorder remained the charge of the Ministry of Pensions.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he has considered a letter from the Lancashire Mental Hospital Board, dated 29th February, 1944, setting out their views in regard to ex-members of His Majesty's Forces suffering from mental illness who are being treated in rate-aided public mental hospitals as distinct from treatment under the Service patient scheme; and what is the nature of his reply.

My Department already accepts liability in all cases in which the mental conditions is due to service. In other cases I am not satisfied that there is good reason for making any exception to the accepted principles of entitlement or to the general social service provision for mental disorders. I have, however, agreed to receive a deputation on this subject and would be obliged if my hon. Friends would await an answer to their Questions until I have had time to consider the views put to me by the deputation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow the cost of batteries which deaf people require in their occupation as expense necessarily incurred in their employment for the purpose of Income Tax.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Bartlett) on 1st February, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up a small committee of experts to inquire into and to report to the House of Commons on the financial responsibilities of and relationship between taxpayers and ratepayers and to make recommendations to remedy the growing chaotic conditions of financial authority and responsibility between the Central Government and local authorities, or if he will make a statement on the whole matter.

The financial relations between central and local government were placed on a carefully planned and ordered basis by the Local Government Act, 1929. Since then, the need to enlist the co-operation of local government in a number of emergency services connected with the war, together with the impact of the war on certain areas, has made it necessary to devise ad hoc measures of grant, reimbursement and financial assistance related to a number of temporary needs which could not have been foreseen in time of peace. I cannot, however, accept my hon. Friend's description of the present position. As regards the future, plans for the development of the various social and other services in which both central and local government play a part are now being framed. The future of the financial relations between central and local Government cannot, in my view, be usefully considered except in the light of the development of these wider plans, and I do not think, therefore, that an inquiry such as my hon. Friend suggests would be appropriate. I can, however, assure him that the matter is the subject of constant study, both generally and in relation to particular services.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will consider the possibility of equipping long-distance trains with radio receiving sets so that the drivers may be kept in touch with the controlling authorities in order to avoid the danger of failure to observe signals under conditions of fog such as those which caused the recent railway accident at Ilford.

Although wireless apparatus is being successfully used for certain purposes in railway operation to-day, I am advised that, as at present developed, it would not afford a practicable remedy for failure to observe signals. Experiments in this form of communication between driver and guard or signalman, the last-named being the controlling authority in the circumstances suggested, were made some years before the war; but they were of a preliminary character, and in any case there are many special difficulties which result from war conditions. My hon. Friend, however, may rest assured that his proposal will be borne in mind.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Senate of London University desires to extend facilities in its medical schools for women students, but that one of the principal obstacles thereto is the inadequacy of the accommodation for men and women in this university's medical schools, which now train nearly half the doctors of this country; and whether he will give particular attention in framing his future estimates to this position.

I am aware of the resolution on the subject of the training of women medical students recently passed by the Senate of London University, and I understand that a copy of it is being sent to the Committee on Medical Schools under the chairmanship of Sir William Goodenough. The assistance likely to be needed by medical schools in the future is one of the questions under review by that Committee.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that it is the practice of the Assistance Board, in assessing supplementary pensions in cases where widows are in receipt of weekly allowances paid voluntarily by charitable institutions, to disregard no more than 7s. 6d. or in exceptional cases 5s. of such weekly allowances; and whether he will amend the regulations so as to permit a greater proportion of such allowances to be disregarded, particularly in those cases where there are dependant children.

The Regulations contain no specific provision regarding income derived from charitable sources. The Board's normal practice, which is based on their discretionary powers, is to disregard 7s. 6d. a week of such income. This practice was adopted by the Board after careful consideration and experience has not disclosed any sufficient grounds for its revision.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why no information is given in the report on the Edinburgh smallpox outbreak, which occupies 11 pages of the Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Edinburgh, as to the vaccinal condition of 36 cases; how many of the cases had been vaccinated at some period of their lives; and why, in the paragraphs in the Report dealing with the lymph and the complaints of its high potency, was nothing said about the three deaths from vaccination that occurred during the outbreak.

The Medical Officer of Health of Edinburgh informs me that his Annual Report was not considered the proper place to discuss the technical and scientific aspects of the smallpox outbreak. A special report has, however, been drawn up and will be published shortly. It contains a full account of all the technical and scientific aspects of the outbreak, including information as to the cases of post-vaccinal encephalitis. Of the 36 cases of smallpox, seven had not been previously vaccinated and four were vaccinated for the first time after exposure to infection.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether plans are under consideration to decide priorities in regard to the provision of labour and materials in such post-war activities as housing, aviation, shipbuilding and engineering.

Yes, Sir. I am in constant touch on this question with other responsible Ministers in relation to housing and other services in which I am officially interested.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further recommendations he has received from the Scottish Nurses' Salaries Committee covering the classes of nurses not dealt with in the committee's previous Reports; and when they will be presented to the House.

Yes, Sir. In a third report the Committee have made recommendations regarding the salaries of assistant nurses, nurses in mental hospitals above the grade of charge nurse, nurses in public assistance institutions and convalescent homes, and a few other classes of nurses. The Committee have now completed their review of the salaries and conditions of the nursing profession in Scotland, with the exception of superannuation, which will be the subject of a separate report. A further review of the salaries and conditions of nurses, up to the charge-nurses grade, employed in mental hospitals and institutions has recently been begun. The Report has been presented to Parliament and copies will be available in the Vote Office. I am comunicating with local authorities and voluntary hospitals commending the recommendations for adoption.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if it is intended to discontinue the supply of British war materials to Turkey.

I have no statement to make on this subject at present.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that repatriated prisoners of war who have suffered amputations are having to wait four months or longer for their artificial limbs; and if he will supply more skilled workers to improve the position.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions that there is some delay in the delivery of artificial limbs. I have given instructions that everything possible is to be done to make available the skilled workers required as quickly as possible.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the service of general interest, daily papers for His Majesty's submarine service, is still available; and which publishing company is responsible for this service.

The paper to which I presume my hon. Friend refers is published by Messrs. Samuel Stephen, Ltd., 2, Belvedere Road, London, S.E.19, and is still available to the Submarine Service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will cause the Governments concerned to impose a dog tax in East Africa to diminish lack of proper care and disease of these animals.

I have been asked to reply. Annual licence fees for dogs are already payable in townships in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, and generally in. Zanzibar, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The relevant legislation provides adequately for the control of dogs, including registration and destruction in cases of non-registration, and for anti-rabies measures. Except in Nyasaland, legislation exists in all the East African territories which makes it an offence to cause or to permit to be caused, any unnecessary suffering to any animal.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that lads conscripted for service in the coalmines are being sent down the pits without safety helmet and boots, thus ruining their own footwear and clothing; and will he ensure that the lads concerned are reasonably compensated and will not, in future, be sent down the mines without having been supplied with the necessary gear.

Arrangements have been made by the Ministry of Labour and National Service to provide every lad, during his period of preliminary training, with a safety helmet and a pair of safety boots which he takes with him when he leaves the Training Centre for employment in a coalmine. If my hon. Friend knows of any case where this has not been done I shall be glad to have particulars.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the acute coal shortage now existing in Dagenham; and whether he will take steps to improve the position.

There is no shortage of coal in Dagenham. Merchants' stocks are good, and there are substantial reserves of Government coal in addition. There is also a reserve stock of wood fuel held by the local authority which is available for distribution. At most of the depôts serving the Dagenham district, merchants are three or four weeks in arrears with the execution of orders. Deliveries are, however, being made on a priority basis, preference being given to those consumers who are without supplies. Complaints of delay in delivery are being satisfactorily dealt with by the Local Fuel Overseer.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will consider setting up an escort service for members of the W.A.A.F. where there is no transport available late at night between railway stations and remote R.A.F. camps.

I sympathise with the purpose of my hon. Friend's suggestion, but I regret that it would not be feasible to introduce the arrangements proposed throughout the Service. Station Commanders are, however, being instructed to review local circumstances and to satisfy themselves that all practicable safeguards have been taken for the care of W.A.A.F. personnel in their charge.

asked the Postmaster-General why all letters addressed to persons in Northern Ireland must be enclosed in a new envelope; and why instructions have been issued to censors to return all letters sent to Northern Ireland if an economy label is used.

I have been asked to reply. If used envelopes were not forbidden it would require a large number of extra examiners to ensure that messages are not concealed underneath the gummed labels. The prohibition is contained in the Control of Communications Order (No. 1), 1941, dated 18th March, 1941.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many requests he has received from rural district councils, including Warrington Rural District Council, that petrol should be supplied to their members to enable them to attend special meetings of their councils, and the nature of the reply sent to them.

I have received from seven rural district councils resolutions to the effect that the clerk of each rural district council should be empowered to issue petrol coupons to members to enable them to use their cars for attendance at special meetings of the council. There are obvious objections to this departure from the system agreed with the Associations of Local Authorities, under which each car-owning member of a local authority receives from the Regional Petroleum Officer his allowance of petrol coupons for all authorised purposes, including the amount needed for attendance at council meetings. This amount is assessed in the light of information from the council as to the member's attendances. I have no indication that this system fails to meet the reasonable needs of members; and I have informed the councils concerned that on the information at present before me I see no reason to set up a new system, but am prepared to investigate any cases of difficulty of which they may inform me.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is considering the issue of a small allowance of petrol this summer for motor lawn-mowers.

No, Sir. I have already decided to maintain the policy followed last year. There will be small allowances for motor mowers used in the upkeep of public recreation grounds, but none for motor mowers used for private lawns.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider means of keeping alive the connection of prisoners in this country with the several social insurance schemes so as to preclude the additional punishment which sometimes falls upon them of losing all claims to the benefits of these schemes because no contributions are payable in respect of them during imprisonment.

This difficult problem was under consideration before the war, but I understand that it was not found possible to devise a satisfactory solution under the existing law. I am consulting with the other Departments concerned to see whether the difficulties can be overcome in future legislation on social insurance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the date of the execution of Charles William Koopman.

Charles William Koopman was executed on 15th December, 1943.

asks the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if, in order to avoid the spreading of rumour due to contradictory reports on recent air-raids on this country, he will consider the appointment of an official spokesman on home defence communiqués instead of handing out news unofficially or departmental directives to the Press.

I share the hon. Member's desire to prevent the spread of unfounded rumour but I do not think that his suggestion would be effective for this purpose. Arrangements already exist whereby the Press are given all available information and can obtain confirmation or otherwise of reports, but the publication of information in the Press must be governed by the rules which have been made in the interests of security, and in most cases it would not be possible to use Press publicity to contradict rumours, without giving information which might be useful to the enemy. I do not think, therefore, that there would be advantage in the appointment of an official spokesman. If, however, I had any information which suggested that an unfounded rumour was gaining widespread currency I should be prepared to consider whether, with due regard to security considerations, a contradiction could be published in the Press.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, as his Department keeps ex-18B detainees under observation to the extent of sending for them on occasion to receive admonition from his officials regarding some written or spoken statement, he is unable to give the number of ex-detainees who have died shortly after their release.

My Department does nothing of the sort and I have nothing to add to my previous answer.

asked the Minister of Food whether, as licensed victuallers are expected to supply tea, coffee and soft drinks, he is satisfied that adequate supplies are obtainable by them under the existing rationing system.

Adequate supplies of soft drinks and coffee, which are not rationed foods, are available to all public houses, and those licensed as catering establishments for the service of meals, can obtain the normal catering allowances of tea, sugar and milk under the rationing regulations.