asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the production and sale of rubber dummy teats for children is restricted; and whether a complete restriction will be placed on these unhygienic articles until the supply of teats and valves for feeding bottles has been made adequate to the urgent demand.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply has prohibited the manufacture of rubber dummy teats since May, 1942.

asked the Minister of Supply if the early post-war requirements of the industries dependent upon imported raw materials have been ascertained; if any form of preference, according to the nature of the articles produced, is to be adopted, in determining the claims of different industries using the same materials; and if steps are being taken to ensure that production will not be held up and unemployment caused through shortage of necessary materials.

I have been asked to reply. Estimates for future periods of the requirements of different industries for the main raw materials are made from time to time on various assumptions regarding the date of termination of the war. Every effort is being made to ensure sufficient supplies of materials, but, where this is not possible, it is intended that what is available should be distributed in accordance with essential needs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what priority in respect of post-war export trade will be given to coal.

Coal, as one of our most valuable exports, must clearly play an important part in our post-war export trade.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements are made for officers to draw their pay when they are abroad so that they may know what their balance is and may not have arrears to meet on account of delay in registering advance of pay slips.

Officers' pay is normally paid into their banks, whether they are serving at home or abroad. Officers serving abroad are allowed to draw advances of pay, within monthly limits laid down by the General Officer Commanding. Under the system of recovery recently adopted in order to avoid the accumulation of arrears, the advances are recovered from the officers' banks; except that when the banks dishonour them owing to lack of funds they are recovered from pay at source. They are thus similar to cheques, and it is an officer's duty so to regulate his drawings of both advances and cheques that funds are always available in his bank to meet them. It is thought that most banks, in order to facilitate this, will either return the advance of pay slips to officers with their statements of account or will quote the dates of the advances on the statements of account.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the parachutists' additional pay, known as danger money, is liable to Income Tax, which is resented by them; and whether he will explore the possibility of issuing danger money tax free.

My hon. and gallant Friend will be aware that all pay is liable to Income Tax and he will, I hope, appreciate that I am not in a position to alter this.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he has studied the documentary evidence sent him regarding the danger caused by the excessive speed of Service drivers of all nations; and what further steps does he propose to take.

The Home Secretary is obliged to my hon. Friend for sending him a newspaper cutting relating to an accident to a Service vehicle on 15th June, but he does not think that there is anything which he can usefully add to the reply given to my hon. Friend's Question on 2nd March last. As he then indicated, the matter is one which has been receiving and will continue to receive the special attention both of the Service Authorities and of the police.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the number of Service men killed in this country in motor accidents under conditions where no need existed for risk or hurry, he will issue a warning to Army drivers to observe greater care.

Drivers of War Department vehicles in this country are at all times subject to the civil law and Road Traffic Acts. Special military speed limits are also imposed in places outside "built-up" areas where speeds are not controlled by civil law. Warnings and instructions to exercise care and avoid risks have been issued from time to time. These are constantly brought to the notice of drivers, and special instructions have been issued to ensure that disciplinary action is taken against men guilty of breaches of these regulations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will name the areas in the country that have failed to reach the target during the "Salute the Soldier" weeks; and what is the explanation of their failure.

Seven areas in England and one area in Scotland have failed to reach their targets. I am sending particulars to the hon. Member. It may well have been that the keenness and enthusiasm of the Local Savings Committees led them to set too ambitious targets; and in such circumstances failure to reach the target is, of course, not necessarily discreditable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether, at the coming monetary conference in the U.S.A., Lord Keynes has power to sign or initial an agreement, or whether he will have to refer back to His Majesty's Government for approval of the terms agreed upon by the experts;(2) whether the delegation headed by Lord Keynes, which is to represent His Majesty's Government at the International Monetary Conference at Bretton Woods, has been given power to conclude agreement on the expert plane on the lines indicated by the recent joint statement on the proposed International Fund.

As I stated in the reply given to the hon. Member for East Fife (Mr. Henderson Stewart) on 30th June, the proposals formulated at the International Monetary Conference will be referred to the respective Governments for acceptance or rejection.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if it is proposed to send a special mission to Chungking comparable in status to the American mission led by Mr. Henry Wallace.

I regret that the suggestion made by my hon. and gallant Friend is not practicable at present. The recent Parliamentary Mission to China, with the return visit of the Chinese Goodwill Mission, showed, I think, our wish to maintain the closest contact with our gallant Ally.

asked the Minister of Health what persons are eligible for the occupation of the new prefabricated houses; and what is the procedure for making application for such houses.

I have been asked to reply. These questions will be considered in discussions on the scheme with the associations of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Health the number of cases suffering from tuberculosis waiting for institutional treatment in the country; and separate figures for Kent.

I have been asked to reply. At 31st March, 1944, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of tuberculous cases in England and Wales who had been awaiting institutional treatment provided by Tuberculosis Authorities for a period of more than ten days was 3,960. The figure for Kent at the same date was 236 cases.

asked the Minister of Health, in connection with the announcements of his Department in the Press and on the radio in regard to the outbreak of smallpox at Mount Vernon Hospital, why no mention was made of the fact that the disease was introduced into the hospital by a re-vaccinated soldier from the Middle East who was wrongly diagnosed as suffering from measles and chickenpox; why the patient was not isolated; how this wrong diagnosis arose; and what steps he proposes to take to minimise the risk of similar mistakes in future.

A statement to the effect indicated in the first part of the Question was issued by my Department and was published in the medical Press and in at least one lay newspaper. In reply to the second part of the Question, I am informed that the patient was isolated, first for measles and chickenpox, and later, as soon as smallpox was diagnosed, in a smallpox hospital. The answer to the third part of the Question is that the signs and symptoms observed by competent medical officers did not lead them to diagnose smallpox. This diagnosis was made retrospectively in the light of subsequent events. On the fourth part, diagnosis is a matter for the medical officer in attendance but, since many medical men have had no opportunity of familiarising themselves with smallpox, I have enrolled in each region a panel of experienced men to assist in diagnosis.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaths from cancer were recorded in England and Wales in the years 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1943.

The number of deaths from cancer registered in England and Wales during the years 1939 to 1943 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of prisoners certified as insane or transported from prisons to mental hospital in each of the last five years; and how many of those certified by the prison medical officers are still detained under the Lunacy Acts.

The number of persons certified insane under Section 2 of the Criminal Lunatics Act, 1884, in Prisons and Borstal Institutions and removed to mental hospitals, including

asked the Minister of Food whether he will now increase the tea ration in the case of elderly persons living alone.

I regret that the supply position does not enable me to do what my hon. Friend wishes.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the feeling amongst agricultural workers at the inadequacy of the existing cheese ration compared to the extra rations of those temporarily engaged on harvest work; and if he will take steps to mitigate this grievance.

I see no reason for the alleged grievance to which the hon.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what weight in tons of home-produced beef, mutton and pork, respectively, was produced in each of the three years 1936, 1937 and 1938.

The output of the products mentioned from animals fattened on agricultural holdings in the United Kingdom is estimated as follows:Member refers. The agricultural worker living at home, in addition to receiving the domestic rations and the extra cheese ration, can take advantage of any rural pie scheme which may be serving the locality and can get the special supplies of rationed foods which are available to farmers for providing meals at harvest time. The agricultural worker living at home can thus obtain substantially the same quantity of food as is available to temporary harvest workers housed in camps.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the experiment of injecting cultures of bovine tubercle bacilli into the blood stream of cattle was done under licence and certificate of his Department; and, if so, to whom the licence and certificate were granted.

I understand that the experiment, to which my hon. Friend refers, relates to a trial as to a reputed cure for bovine tuberculosis which took place last year on a farm near Droitwich, in occupation by the Worcestershire War Agricultural Executive Committee. For this purpose a licence was granted and certificate allowed, under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, to a veterinary surgeon, who administered tubercle infection to the cattle under experiment, prior to the reputed therapeutic treatment which was controlled by another licence and certificate under the Act.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether the authorities are now satisfied with the reduction of passenger traffic or wish it still further reduced.

No, Sir. In view of the crowded state of many of the long-distance trains and the possibility of still further withdrawals of passenger services, I should like to see a still greater reduction of travel than there has yet been. I hope that everyone who can do so will postpone long distance journeys, until the pressure of military traffic on the railways has been reduced.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the percentage of coal traffic, other than for shipment, moved in train loads before the war and for the year 1943.

I regret that the information asked for is not available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he will state for each year from 1938, indices, taking 1937 as 100, showing the coal consumption per ton mile of freight carried by the railways.

Figures of coal consumption per ton mile of freight carried are not readily available, and, having regard to the great pressure on railway staff at the present time, I regret that I should not feel justified in asking for the information to be specially compiled.

asked the Secretary of State for War what percentage of the Italian and German prisoners of war in this country, respectively, agree to do useful work.

Sixty per cent. of the Italian prisoners of war in this country have elected to co-operate in the common war effort on employment by civilian and Service Departments on various types of work. Other Italian prisoners of war who have not so elected are, however, also employed on useful work. German prisoners of war available for work outside camps in the United Kingdom are at present only employed on agriculture.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give any information as to the safety of the Sacro Convento and of the Basilica of the Portiuncula at Assisi; whether other churches at Assisi have received no serious injury; and whether he will issue any similar information which may be available as to the preservation of religious, historic and artistic monuments in Perugia and Siena.

No official reports regarding conditions in Assisi and Perugia have yet been received from the Monuments and Fine Arts Sub-Commission of the Allied Control Commission. Previous to our occupation of Assisi the enemy, who is usually quick to accuse the Allies of "sacrilege," had not reported any bomb damage there. The town was occupied by us without resistance, and there was no fighting in its immediate neighbourhood. There is therefore good reason for hoping that the religious monuments are intact. From unofficial reports it appears that the old town of Perugia has not suffered any serious damage. I will cer- tainly take further opportunities to issue such information from time to time.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that considerable quantities of stores which were in short supply in the Army canteens including bottles of fruit cordial, tins of preserved meats, chocolates, sweets and similar goods, have recently been sold by N.A.A.F.I. to civilians on the Faroe Islands; that the standing orders of the military force in the Faroe Islands are that no military goods or stores, including N.A.A.F.I. goods, will be sold to, presented to, or bartered with civilians; whether he has authorised these sales; and, if so what are the reasons for this departure from the usual practice.

When N.A.A.F.I. dispose of surplus stocks they normally give instructions that goods such as sweets and

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will investigate the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of a member of the R.A.F., concerning whom conflicting medical certificates have been submitted and who is anxious to take part in the war effort to the best of his ability.

I have looked into the case of this airman. His medical category on enlistment in September, 1942, was Grade II. In July, 1943, he was medically examined at his unit in connection with an application for a commission and was found "fit for presentation to a medical board." This finding did not establish the airman's medical fitness for a commission, but merely indicated that it was reasonable to allow him to appear before a medical board with a view to his medical fitness being assessed. His application for a commission was not, however, recommended to the Air Ministry. In Decem-

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can now state tae casualties of the British and Dominion Forces in the attack on Normandy up to 24th June in the same form and manner as that which made public the casualties of the United States Forces from the same date.

The latest available figures for the Army were announced by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force on 28th June. They were:ber, 1943, following a routine medical examination, he was medically boarded and found to be Grade III. This grading will preclude him from commissioned rank unless an urgent need arises for officers in duties for which he possesses special qualifications. It does not, however, render him unfit and he is, in fact, fully and usefully employed.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many partial district-heating schemes are now operating in this country in conjunction with electricity generating stations.

I am not aware of any district heating schemes operated in connection with generating stations owned by authorised electricity undertakings. I understand that some small schemes are operated in connection with private generating stations, but I have no complete information about them.

asked the Minister of Labour what approximate number of the 16,500,000 people he estimates to be in employment after the war will be married and unmarried women, respectively.

I have not made any estimate on this point and it would not be profitable to do so until we are nearer the end of the war.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of married women without dependent children within the registration ages and the number of those that are in employment full-time and part-time.

It is estimated that there are approximately 3,250,000 married women and widows of registration age without children under 14 years of age, of whom about 2,000,000 are in full-time or part-time paid employment.

asked the Minister of Labour what proportion of the men and women now in full-time employment are in industry.

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