asked the Secretary of State for War why the women auxiliaries attached to the Home Guard are now required to be known as Nominated Women.

Women nominated for service with the Home Guard have been known by this title since the scheme was introduced about a year ago. The obvious abbreviation of the full designation is "nominated women," but I am willing to consider other suggestions.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the award of a Home Guard certificate for meritorious service, recorded in the London Gazette," qualifies the recipient for the Oak Leaf Badge.

A commendation notified in the "London Gazette" qualifies for the Oak Leaf Emblem.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is satisfied that the supply of small compact Bibles for the troops has been adequate.

Bibles are not a free public issue to the troops in war-time. Like other kinds of books, Bibles are in short supply, and the Bible Societies which supply a large number of Bibles and Testaments free to members of the Forces are unable to obtain enough copies to meet the demands upon them. A considerable measure of assistance to these Societies in furthering their beneficent work has been afforded by the Departments in a position to help, but the production of Bibles and Testaments is restricted not only by shortage of materials, but also by shortage of certain kinds of skilled labour.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will instruct officers commanding units to ascertain when men are granted 48 hours' leave that it is possible for them to make their pourney home and back within the stated time and in cases in which they are late owing to difficulties of travel they shall not be punished as a consequence of circumstances over which they have no control.

When leave has been granted the individual concerned is responsible for returning in time, and it would not be practicable or desirable for officers commanding units to make the inquiries suggested by my hon. Friend. It is usual, and certainly more sensible, for men who have long distances to travel when they go on leave to add the 48 hours' leave to their 7 days' privilege leave. If a man is delayed through circumstances beyond his control, he should ask for his Pass to be endorsed by a Railway Traffic Officer or other convenient military authority, or by a stationmaster at the station where he is held up.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that specialist officers are promoted to higher ranks for periods when engaged upon special tasks overseas and on returning to their home unit are reduced to their former rank and have the leave earned overseas on the pay of their home rank; and if he will consider amending this injustice so that they may have the leave on the rank and pay similar to that of the period in which the leave accrued.

I have this matter under consideration with others and hope that a statement may be made shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can make a statement on the progress of operations on the Burma front.

Not at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether there is any priority of medical treatment for ex-Service men who are afflicted with tuberculosis in any of its forms, or whether medical officers of health, in granting priorities of treatment, have regard solely to the medical needs of the patient.

Local authorities give the necessary treatment as quickly as possible to ex-Service men suffering from any form of tuberculosis, and where sanatorium treatment is not required this usually presents no difficulty. Most local authorities, however, have a waiting list of tuberculous patients who require sanatorium treatment, and the chief determining factor in deciding priority of admission to sanatoria must be the medical needs of the patient.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs if he will give any information respecting the strike of native workers in the Havelock asbestos mines, in Swaziland; what was the cause of the strike; and what action has been taken to meet underlying grievances.

A full report has not yet been received, but I understand that a disturbance involving some damage to property occurred at the mine on 1st February, and appears to have been due to the dissatisfaction of some native employees with the management of the mine. An investigation was held by an officer of the Swaziland Administration and steps were taken, in conjunction with the mine management, to deal with the complaints. The strikers returned to work within a few days.

asked the Prime Minister if he is now able to state the total casualties among British forces since the outbreak of war.

Yes, Sir. Following is a tabular statement giving the

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider appointing a Minister for prisoners of war.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister gave to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Ilford (Mr. Hutchinson) on 29th February last. casualties sustained by all ranks of the British Empire Forces during the first four years of war. It is accompanied by the figures of casualties sustained by the British Merchant Navy during the same period, and the comparable figures for civilian casualties in the United Kingdom, which have been considerable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what system is in evidence whereby the Service Departments inform the Revenue authorities when serving men are reported as prisoners of war or missing, so that Income Tax reliefs can be automatically adjusted without worrying the dependants to make application in each case.

Arrangements exist under which the Inland Revenue authorities receive information from the Service Departments regarding members of the Forces liable to tax on Service pay who become prisoners of war or are reported missing. The working of these arrangements is now under consideration as part of a general review of the machinery for giving Income Tax relief to prisoners of war.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give consideration to allowing firms who have their own research department to deduct the expenses of same from the gross profits before arriving at the net taxable profits.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave on 2nd March to a Question put by the hon. Member for Heywood and Radcliff (Mr. Wootton-Davies).

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that many doctors on joining the Armed Forces in 1939 lost their practices, which, in many cases, they had purchased with the aid of loans, charges upon which they have to meet out of Service pay; and if he will give an assurance that in such cases compensation will be paid after the war equal to the pre-war value of their practices.

I have been asked to reply. Losses of this nature affecting many different sections of the community are among the distressing consequences of a war such as that in which we are now engaged, and I clearly could not single out one particular class of case for exceptional treatment in the manner proposed.

asked the Minister of Food for what reasons a limit has been imposed on the quantity of unfermented apple juice which may be produced.

Limitation on the output of this, as of many other food products, has been imposed in order to conserve labour, materials and transport. As I informed my hon. Friend in reply to his Question on 22nd March, the limit imposed on the production of unfermented apple juice is, however, higher than the former output of established producers and permits the full utilisation of their existing plant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the development area for the North-east Coast has been determined; and if Middlesbrough and the Cleveland district are included.

Yes, Sir. It: Southern boundary is the River Tees and, therefore, Middlesbrough and the Cleveland District are not included.

asked the Minister of Supply (I) the acreage of woodlands in the management of the Commissioners of Crown Woods and local authorities that have been felled or are to be idled under licences granted since the beginning of the war and the estimated cubic feet of timber therefrom;(2) the acreage of private woodlands that have been felled, or are to be felled under felling licences granted since the beginning of the war, and the estimated cubic feet of timber to be obtained therefrom;(3) the acreage of woodlands in the management of the Forestry Commission that have been felled or are in process of being felled since the beginning of the war and the estimated cubic feet of timber to be obtained therefrom;(4) if he can give an estimate of the tonnage of shipping saved as a result of the timber obtained from private woodlands; from woodlands managed by the Forestry Commission; and from woodlands owned by local authorities and the Commissioners of Crown Lands.

It would not be in the public interest to publish actual quantities, but of the total quantity of standing timber felled or licensed for felling since the beginning of the war, about 7 per cent. is from Forestry Commission woodlands and the remainder from private woodlands and woodlands belonging to the Commissioners of Crown Lands and local authorities. The same percentages apply to the estimate of shipping space saved through the production of home grown timber from these sources. The acreage figure asked for and separate figures relating to local authorities and the Commissioners of Crown Lands are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the ban on the release of men in the Forces who belong, in civil life, to the building trades, was taken after full consideration of the difficulties in which local authorities and others find themselves placed by the shortage of key men in districts which have suffered heavy damage from raids; and whether, in view of the urgent need for house repairs in such districts, this decision can be reviewed.

No ban has been placed upon the release of building trade workers from the Forces. Any applications which are made by the appropriate Government Department for the release of men required for the purpose referred to in the Question are dealt with under the normal procedure and decided in accordance with the general rules governing release from the Forces for urgent civil work of national importance.

asked the Minister of Health whether instructions have been given regarding the implementation of the Rushcliffe Report as it relates to male nurses at public hospitals and institutions.

I took steps in December last to commend the recommendations of the Nurses Salaries Committee affecting male nurses to the notice of local authorities and voluntary hospitals, and informed them at the same time of the Exchequer grant which would be available to employers who adopt those recommendations

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, what was the average circulation of HANSARD, by sale and official distribution, during February; and how many copies were sold or otherwise distributed of the issue for Thursday 2nd March.

The average sales and official issues of HANSARD (Commons) during February, 1944, were:

asked the right hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, whether he is aware that on the Shielgreen Estate of the Commissioners, in Peeblesshire, there is a large area of rank unburnt heather extending from their young plantations to the boundaries of neighbouring estates; what precautions are taken to prevent fires coming over from other estates into this combustible material; and whether they will keep this heather down by burning it when conditions are suitable.

The Commission is aware that there is an area of rank heather above their young plantations at Shielgreen, Peeblesshire. The Commissioners have made at all their forests detailed arrangements with the object of being able to deal promptly and effectively with any outbreak of fire threatening their property. These measures include the provision of patrols, fire fighting equipment, fire traces, and arrangements for obtaining assistance. They are constantly being reviewed, and a few months ago it was arranged to burn a protective belt along the northern boundary of Shielgreen property but so far conditions have not permitted this to be done. I would add that any steps the Commissioners may take to safeguard their own property do not relieve neighbouring proprietors or tenants from their Statutory obligations relating to muir-burning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian refugees are in this country at the present time.

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend refers to refugees of foreign nationality.The answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, on 7th April, 1943, to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for East Willesden (Mr. Hammersley) showed that the number of foreign refugees who were in this country at the beginning of the war, or had been admitted between then and the end of 1942, was approximately 150,000, adults and children. About 10,000 more (consisting mainly of volunteers for the Allied Forces) were admitted in 1943. No precise figures are available as to how many of this total of roughly 160,000 are now serving in the British or Allied Forces. Of the civilians it is known that about 11,000 men, women and children had emigrated by the end of 1943. About 3,500 men who were sent to Canada or Australia as internees are still there, having, for the most part, been released in those countries. An unknown number of refugee women have acquired British nationality by marriage; and there have also been deaths. The best estimate that can at present be made is that the total of civilian refugees (men, women and children) at present in this country is in the neighbourhood of 120,000, of whom some 20,000 are merchant seamen.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can give the figures to indicate the present position of the Unemployment Fund, including the agricultural account of the fund.

At 1st April, 1944, the balance of the Unemployment Fund, including investments at cost, was about £244,110,000 on the General Account and £7,790,000 on the Agricultural Account.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any change is contemplated in the system of air-raid warning by sirens.

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will make a statement as to the extent of the practice by some gas and electricity undertakings of exacting a deposit before the installation of meters; and whether he will give an approximate figure of the sums of money belonging to the public which are utilised in this manner.

Many gas and electricity undertakings have obtained powers under statute to require security, by way of deposit or otherwise, from prospective consumers. The Acts provide that the amount of the security is a matter for agreement between the parties, or in default of agreement, may be determined on the application of either party by a Court of Summary Jurisdiction. In most cases interest must be paid on deposits taken as security, usually at the rate of 4 per cent. As regards the second part of the Question, I regret that I have no information as to the extent to which gas and electricity undertakings exercise their rights to demand a deposit.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the fact that in many places throughout the country electricity and gas are to be made available for pairs or blocks of war emergency houses, he will ensure that all those residents in the immediate vicinity who require electricity and gas shall be permitted to have them installed.

The gas and electricity supply industries are extremely short of materials and still more of labour for equipping houses with their services. The repairs to bombed and damaged houses and the Government's housing programme will throw a great strain upon the two industries, and until a considerable number of workers are released for those two industries from the Services, I could not hold out the hope that the two industries could cater for consumers in the manner suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will give the figures showing the output from open cast mining for 1943 and the anticipated yield for 1944.

The production for the year ended 29th December, 1943, was 4,426,700 tons. The production from that date to 22nd March, 1944, amounted to 1,247,000 tons. Regarding the remainder of 1944, the production will depend on the amount of machinery obtained from the United States and on the date by which that machinery arrives and can be brought into service. The production depends also on the extent to which transport can be made available for this work.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the average earnings per shift of adult wage-earners working underground in the coal industry for each quarter in the years 1941, 1942 and 1943, respectively.

The average earnings per shift for all wage-earners in the coalmining industry for these periods were given in my reply to the Question of the hon. and gallant Member for Chatham (Captain Plugge) on 28th March. I regret that separate particulars for underground workers are not available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works how many tons of railings have been collected to date; how much compensation has been paid to date; and whether he has now exhausted all these private sources of supply.

By 18th March, 1944, the railings campaign in Great Britain had yielded 577,427 tons of scrap. It is estimated that £55,000 has now been paid in respect of claims settled either by local authorities or by the Ministry. Although the campaign is not completed and the demand for this type of scrap still remains, only limited quantities of metal from this source are to be expected in the future.

asked the Minister of Information (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of overseas Press reports on the recent Vote of Confidence Debate in this House;(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the Radio Monitor on overseas broadcasts on the recent Debate of confidence in the House of Commons.

Digests of overseas Press broadcasts are regularly placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can state the systems of promotion in the R.A.F. for air crews and officers engaged on ground duties, respectively; whether the distinction between acting rank and temporary rank is governed by any particular regulation; to what extent officers are debarred from any promotion if not promoted from acting temporary rank; and what is the position of Volunteer Reserve officers, many of whom are fairly senior and who had seen service either in the Army or Navy before joining up for employment during this war.

The scheme of war-time promotion for officers in the R.A.F. can be briefly described as follows: