asked the Secretary of State for Air how many farmers are being dispossessed of their land to construct London's civil airport at Staines, Middlesex; how many acres are being taken out of cultivation by this development scheme; and whether he is satisfied of the necessity to deprive the nation of the yield from the growing crops for the current year's harvest.

The airfield to which my hon. Friend refers is being constructed for the purpose of meeting an urgent war requirement of the Royal Air Force. The detailed information asked for is as follows. Fifteen farmers are affected, of whom five will be able to retain part of their land. About 1,100 acres of agricultural land are involved. Crops are expected to be harvested from over 600 acres of this area, and from an additional 180 acres it should be possible to salvage the immature crops for agricultural purposes. It would not have been possible to save tile crops further without incurring unacceptable delay.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will reconsider his decision to discontinue the publication of unit magazines by stations, in view of the value of such magazines towards maintaining the morale of personnel.

The Control of Paper No. 48 Order made by the Minister of Supply provides that, in general, no magazines may be published which were not in existence before August, 1940. The Service has recently been reminded that the Order applies to magazines published by R.A.F. units. Special licences are granted, on the authority of my right hon. Friend, for new publications having a wide Service interest; but it would defeat the object of the Order if the grant of licences became general.

asked the Secretary of State for Air, what allowance is paid weekly in respect of W.A.A.F.s billeted out; and why, and to what extent, this allowance is cut during the summer months.

The maximum weekly payment for an airwoman billeted with full subsistence is 29S. 2d. in winter and 285. in summer. The lower rate is paid in summer because less heat and light are then required.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the number of workpeople employed in steelmaking in Scotland on 1st June or other recent date and on a date six months earlier.

It would not be in the public interest to disclose the information desired.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give figures showing the average net refit after deduction of subsidy paid by tenants of houses built under the 1930 Housing Act, or later modifications of that Act.

The latest information regarding rents of all houses built by local authorities is contained in a Return published in 1937, of which I will send my hon. Friend a copy. Separate information regarding houses erected since 1930 is not available.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give the average rate of interest charged by local authorities and building societies, respectively, in calculating the rents to tenants or the annual payments to purchasers of houses during the quinquennium, 1935 to 1939.

During the quinquennium 1935 to 1939, the rates of interest at which local authorities could borrow from the Public Works Loan Board for housing purposes were as follows: Per cent.

	Per cent.
1935—March 1937	3¼
March 1937—August 1937	3½
August 1937—Jan. 1939	3⅝
Jan. 1939—April 1939	3¾
April 1939—May 1939	3⅞
May 1939	4

The rents of local authority houses are, of course, not determined solely by the rates of interest which are payable on their capital cost, but take account of the rents ordinarily payable in the district for working class houses. It is understood that the general building society rate of interest for new mortgages during the period 1935–1939 was 4½ per cent.

asked the Minister of Health how many Government emergency houses are to be built per acre; and what provision is being made for the open spaces between these houses.

These questions will be considered in discussions on the scheme with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Town and Country Planning and with the associations of local authorities.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works on what assumption as to the post-war price of steel sheets have the suggested costs of the prefabricated steel houses been based.

For the present purposes, present-day prices of steel sheets are being assumed, but full advantage will be taken of any reduction that may take place in sheet prices.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he can state the lines on which the standardised steel house will be remodelled to incorporate suggested improvements, and how much this will add to the original cost.

The principal alterations involved are the raising of the ceilings by 6 inches, the provision of a back door, the effective enlargement of the kitchen by the elimination of the arrangement by which part of the kitchen was to be used as a passage, and the provision of an outside shed for storage. On the question of cost, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply made to-day to a Question by the hon. Member for Middlesbrough East (Mr. A. Edwards).

asked the Minister of Health if he will see that all rating authorities have requisite powers to carry out the policy of building up credit rate balances in prosperous times in order that rates may be stabilised over a period.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my predecessor to my hon. Friend the Member for Heywood and Radcliffe (Mr. Wootton-Davies) on 24th June, 1943, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he will terminate at the next opportunity the contract for the supply of chairs in the Royal parks and take over the responsibility for supplying, without charge, an adequate number of suitable chairs as part of the appropriate amenities of the parks.

The next opportunity for terminating the contract according to its terms would be on 31st March, 1948. As stated in my answer to the hon. Member for the Eye Division (Mr. Granville), free seats sufficient for about 6,000 people are provided by my Department in the Central London Parks.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware of the suffering and consequent high mortality among day-old chicks which are exposed for sale in the streets and at markets and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I am aware that day-old chicks are frequently sold under circuinstances which are undesirable, but to put a stop to such practices would involve a comprehensive system of control and the taking of powers which at present I do not possess. The Domestic Poultry Keepers' Council are doing all they can, by way of propaganda and otherwise, to discourage the purchase of day-old chicks by domestic poultry keepers, and I hope that the hon. Member's Question and this reply will serve to reinforce their efforts.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what scientific advice and scientific staff and advisers are available to U.N.R.R.A., particularly with regard to health, nutrition, agriculture and other relevant matters; and whether he is satisfied that adequate arrangements have been made in this respect.

The various divisions of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration which deal with health, nutrition, agriculture and other relevant matters have been placed under directors and deputy-directors appointed for their scientific or technical qualifications and experience. The recruitment arid organisation of the staff both in Lon- don and Washington are still in progress. I regret it has not been possible in the time to obtain full particulars of all the persons appointed, but I quote a few instances which may be regarded as illustrative of the qualifications and experience of the scientific staff generally:Health Division, Washington:Director: Dr. W. A. Sawyer, formerly Director of the International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation.Health Division, London:Director: Dr. A. Topping, formerly Deputy Medical Officer of Health to the L.C.C.Deputy Director: Dr. Neville Goodman, formerly Deputy Senior Medical Officer, Ministry of Health.Agriculture Division, London:Director: H. Calkins, formerly Regional Conservator of Soil in the Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Deputy Director: S. Krolikowski, formerly Chief of the Agricultural Section of the Polish Ministry of Commerce.In addition to its own staff U.N.R.R.A. can avail itself of the scientific advice of the Standing Technical Committees and Sub-Committees of the U.N.R.R.A. Cornell. These Committees are composed of experts appointed by the member Governments. I am satisfied that the members appointed to serve on these technical sub-committees on behalf of His Majesty's Government are highly qualified both by their scientific attainments and by practical experience, and I know that U.N.R.R.A. has spared no effort to secure the best talent available for its own staff.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Colonial Office Social Advisory Committee was established; how often it has met; and whether it has made any recommendations or arrived at any decisions.

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the Advisory Committee on the Welfare of Colonial People in the United Kingdom. This Committee was formed in October, 1942, under the Chairmanship of the Earl of Listowel. Its terms of reference are to consider and advise upon any questions concerning the welfare of Colonial people in the United Kingdom which the Secretary of State may decide to refer to it. The Committee has met nine times and has made a number of recommendations which have been accepted and put into effect.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether a complete survey of India's wealth in coal, oil, iron ores and other mineral deposits has been made; and if not, will he take steps to have such a survey made at the earliest possible moment after the war.

The Geological Survey of India has been continuously engaged in this task since 1851 and has published the results of its researches in a series of Reports, including an annual survey of production which is consolidated in a quinquennial review of development.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of overseas investments held by this country in 1938 has not yet been sold.

It would be safe to say that we retain more than one-half of our 1938 overseas investments, including those in the British Commonwealth, but I regret that it is not possible to make any close estimate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many actions for claims against the Government were entered by inventors under the Patents Act since the beginning of the war; and how many were successful.

In only two instances since the beginning of the war have patentees sought the intervention of the Court in settling the remuneration payable under Section 29 of the Patents Act for Government use of their inventions. Neither of these cases has yet come to trial.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what counties are suffering from an acute water shortage; and whether such shortage affects any reservoirs north of the Trent.

I have been asked to reply. There is an acute shortage of water in certain counties in the South of England and the Midlands, but reservoirs North of the Trent are not seriously affected.

asked the Minister of Information what measures the Government are taking to counteract the propaganda of Goebbels in regard to the attacks by the pilotless plane on Southern England.

The hon. Member appreciates, I hope, that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's recent statements in this House on the subject of the flying bombs represent the amount of information that His Majesty's Government can make public at this stage. The contents of these statements have, of course, been distributed all over the world.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the present shortage of mouse traps resulting in an increase of vermin, he will take steps to increase the production of these articles.

I am encouraging manufacturers, by the offer of extra raw material, to make more mouse traps.