asked the Minister of Labour in view of the difficulty of getting building trade labour for ordinary repairs to farm buildings, why his National Service officers have authorised the employment of 12 building trade operatives at the Ty Gwyn Farm, Gilwern, for new buildings.

I understand from my Noble Friend the Minister of Works that the only building licence issued in respect of Ty Gwyn Farm, Gilwern, was granted in December, 1943, for farm repair work. Some local immobile building workers for whom no priority work is available in the district are engaged in carrying out this work. No new building work other than the erection of a temporary hut for use as a workmen's shelter has been licensed.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will provide figures indicating the distribution of insured workers, male and female, in the various industries in the county of Glamorgan.

Statistics relating to the numbers of insured persons during the war are regarded as strictly confidential, and I regret therefore that the desired information cannot be given.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) the number of insurable workers employed in Lanarkshire in March this year and in March 1943, 1942 and 1941;(2) the number of unemployed insured persons in Lanarkshire in March of this year and in the three preceding years.

I am arranging for the available information to be sent to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the pressure which local authorities have recently put on hotels and restaurants in the London area to alter their entrance and exit facilities because of a disaster in a night club in Boston, U.S.A., in November, 1942, why no similar attention is being paid to bottle parties and night clubs in London, many of which are conducted in premises from which means of escape from fire are inadequate.

The provision which empowers the London County Council to require means of escape in case of fire is applicable to all buildings which contain a place of assembly having a superficial area of not less than 500 square feet; and I do not know what is the basis for the suggestion that in the exercise of this power there has been discrimination against hotels and restaurants. If my hon. Friend will send me particulars of any case he has in mind, I will have further inquiry made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that great inconvenience is caused to residents on the borders of Romford and Hornchurch by the recent banning provisions; and whether he will instruct the police to deal sympathetically with difficulties arising along the borders.

It is inevitable that hardship and inconvenience should be caused to the civil population by the restrictions on access to protected areas which have been imposed for military reasons by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War. My right hon. Friend has granted permission to certain categories of persons to enter the protected areas, and the police have been instructed to administer the provisions with reasonable latitude, but it is, of course, not open to the police themselves to grant permission to other categories of persons in addition to those prescribed by my right hon. Friend. I have no evidence that the police are behaving unreasonably in enforcing the law.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British women have lost their nationality through marriage to Allied nationals since the war.

The information desired by my hon. Friend as regards the whole period since the outbreak of war could not be supplied without long and detailed examination of the alien registration records. Figures extracted for the twelve months ended 31st March, 1944, show the total number of British women who registered with the police under the Aliens Order on marriage to aliens of Allied nationality to 3,564.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) the number of cases of sexual offences amongst women which have been brought before the courts followed by conviction for the past year; and has there been any increase on the previous five years;(2) the number of cases of indecency and unnatural offences amongst males which have been brought before the courts and followed by conviction for the past year; and has there been any increase on the previous five years.

I regret that I have been unable to obtain all the information asked for in the time at my disposal, but I am making inquiries and will communicate with my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Agriculture who decided the details of the question contained in the Labour Review of the Essex War Agricultural Committee, dated 17th April, 1944; to how many persons was the review sent; and under what Regulation or Statute are these particulars demanded.

The details in the form to which my hon. Friend refers were settled by the Labour Sub-Committee of the Essex War Agricultural Executive Committee. The form has been issued over a period of about 18 months to the occupiers of about half the agricultural holdings in Essex. As regards the last part of the Question, I have asked all War Agricultural Executive Committees to conduct a periodical review of the labour on farms in their counties, so as to ensure that the labour available in agriculture is used to the best advantage. The form referred to is not a return required under Statute or Regulation, but is a request for information to assist the Executive Committee in carrying out this review.

asked the Minister of Health if any statistical returns of the examination results of nurses examined in different areas of Great Britain and in different hospitals and types of hospital in the areas by the General Nursing Council have been sent at any time to his Department; whether any comparative figures exist as to the successful results as between voluntary hospitals, with or without sister tutors, and municipal hospitals in the larger cities; and, if not, will he call for a detailed Report, with accompanying statistics, from the General Nursing Council as to their examination results all over the country, giving, if possible, the number of times a nurse student sits for the examination before passing successfully, area by area, in the country.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No, Sir." I understand that particulars of the results of the nurses' examinations in the various hospitals are in the possession of the General Nursing Council, but I should not consider myself justified in putting them to the very considerable extra work which would be entailed if I called for a detailed report on the lines suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in considering post-war planning, he contemplates any form of control on advertising on hoardings in Scotland in order to prevent the obscuring of the beauties of the country.

Power to control advertisements, including advertisements on hoardings, is contained in the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Acts and the Advertisements Regulation Acts, 1907 and 1925. The question whether any alteration of these powers is necessary will be one of the subjects to be considered in connection with post-war planning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been released from detention under Regulation 18B during the last 12 months; and of these, how many have since participated in any action dangerous to the State.

During the last 12 months I have felt able to authorise the release from detention of 255 persons under conditions appropriate to each case which in my view provide the necessary measure of control over their activities. As regards the second part of the Question, all I can say is that none of them has been prosecuted for offences prejudicial to national security and none has been re-detained.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to persons detained under Regulation 18B, how many cases have been reviewed by advisory committees during the last three months.

Thirteen, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons, detained under Regulation 18B, have not had their cases reviewed by an advisory committee during the last 12 months.

Of the 227 persons still detained under the Regulation, 35 have during the last twelve months made representations to the Advisory Committee. 28 of these cases have been re- viewed by the Advisory Committee; in 4 cases the Advisory Committee have decided that no purpose would be served by a further hearing at present, and the three remaining applications are at present under consideration by the Committee. The function of the Advisory Committee is to consider objections made by persons aggrieved or cases specially referred to them by the Home Secretary. Few of the cases now remaining in detention present questions on which a further review by the Advisory Committee can throw fresh light; but as I have frequently stated in the House, all cases are reviewed by me in the light of the changing war situation, both at regular intervals and also when representations are made to me by or on behalf of the persons detained.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state the amount the Treasury has received, to date, in war damage contributions; the amount paid out in claims; the approximate amount required to meet outstanding claims; and whether it is now possible to reduce the scale of contributions.

Statements of receipts and payments for each financial year are laid before Parliament in accordance with the War Damage Act on or before 31st November next following the expiration of that year. I am not in a position to make a reliable estimate of the amount required to meet outstanding claims. The answer to the last part of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Union of State Servants is represented in the negotiations now taking place on the National Whitley Council about post-war staffing of the Civil Service; and, if not, why not.

In accordance with recognised procedure, the discussions on the National Whitley Council are between representatives nominated toy the Official and Staff Side respectively. The recently formed Union of State Servants is not a constituent member of the National Staff Side and naturally, therefore, is not participating in the discussions.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department on how many occasions since it was decided to grant a special allowance of £100 to a principal officer in his Department for acting in the place of the Director of the Overseas Division has it been necessary for him so to act, for what periods and in what circumstances.

The Director of the Overseas Division was away from this country from 26th October to 12th December, 1943, on an official visit to the Middle East, and during that time, as well as for short periods immediately before and after the tour, the Principal Officer referred to undertook the normal duties of the Director. The Director has not undertaken any further visits abroad up to the present, but he was absent on sick leave from 17th January to 19th February, 1944, and during that period also the duties of the Director were undertaken by the Principal Officer.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is satisfied that the rations for miners are adequate to enable them to carry out heavy work; and whether supplies to the pit canteens are of sufficient variety to attract more patronage than at present.

Yes, Sir. I am advised that the rations for miners, together with the food provided for their canteens, are nutritionally sufficient for their needs. The scale of allowances of food to pithead canteens provides sufficient variety for preparing food and satisfactory meals.