asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the average daily outstanding amounts of Treasury Bills, Ways and Means advances by the Bank of England, Ways and Means ad- vances by public Departments and Treasury deposits by banks, separately, during each quarter since the beginning of 1943.

—			Average amounts outstanding during each quarter (£000).
Quarter ending			Treasury Bills.	Ways and Means Advances by		Treasury Deposit Receipts.
				Bank of England.	Public Depts.
1943
31 March	…	…	2,770,796	25,922	261,896	986,328
30 June	…	…	2,907,118	2,819	265,300	999,786
30 Sept.	…	…	3,044,500	3,163	320,515	1,022,315
31 Dec.	…	…	3,055,614	17,076	369,107	1,282,832
1944
31 March	…	…	3,096,732	15,132	379,982	1,406,412
30 June	…	…	3,365,226	9,088	442,302	1,408,456

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state, for each of the past four years to 30th June and in the aggregate for that period, the amount of Treasury deposit receipts which have been cashed before maturity, the approximate total of each form of Government loan to which the proceeds of such encashments have been applied and the basis of calculation for arriving at the individual totals?

The table below shows the subscriptions to War Loans covered by repayments of Treasury Deposit

TREASURY DEPOSIT RECEIPTS £ millions.
Year to			Loans into which proceeds of encashments have been applied				Total encashed
			3% Savings Bonds	National War Bonds	Tax Reserve Certificates	Post Office Issues
30 June, 1941	…	…	28	113	—	—	141
30 June, 1942	…	…	77	200	136	10	423
30 June, 1943	…	…	110	210	177	10	507
30 June, 1944	…	…	105	248	281	14	648
			320	771	594	34	1,719

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state for Ways and Means advances by the Bank of England and by public Departments, separately, on the last day of each quarter since the beginning of 1943 the then current rates of interest and the

I append a statement in continuation of the figures given by my predecessor to my hon. Friend on 20th July, 1943.Receipts before maturity. The allocation of the amounts repaid between the different classes of loans is approximate. The subscriptions cover those on the banks' own account and also those on behalf of their customers. The particulars given have been supplied by the banks.In addition to the repayments summarised below, Treasury Deposit Receipts amounting to £2,000,000 were repaid before maturity and under discount in the year ended 30th June, 1942, to cover emergency needs.Amount of such advances by government Department as are free of interest.

I append a statement in continuation of the figures given by my predecessor to my hon. Friend on 20th July, 1943.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state for tender Treasury Bills the average daily rate of discount during each quarter since the beginning of 1939.

The rates are as follows:

			Average rate of discount on Tender bills during quarter
Quarter ended			£	s.	d.
1939
March	…	…		11	0
June	…	…		19	2
September	…	…	1	18	4
December	…	…	1	9	1
1940
March	…	…	1	1	4
June	…	…	1	0	7
September	…	…	1	0	7
December	…	…	1	0	4
1941
March	…	…	1	0	0
June	…	…	1	0	2
September	…	…	1	0	2
December	…	…	1	0	0
1942
March	…	…		19	10
June	…	…	1	0	2
September	…	…	1	0	2
December	…	…	1	0	I
1943
March	…	…		19	10
June	…	…	1	0	2
September	…	…	1	0	2
December	…	…	1	0	2
1944
March	…	…	1	0	0
June	…	…	1	0	2

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the annual interest charge for the year to 31st March, 1944, represented payments in respect of Treasury Bills, Ways and Means advances, Treasury deposits by banks, National Savings Certificates and Tax Reserve Certificates, respectively?

I append a statement in continuation of the figures given by my predecessor to my hon. Friend on 22nd June, 1943:

	Interest paid in 1943–44
	£000
Treasury Bills	27,733
Ways and Means Advances	1,818
Treasury Deposit by Banks	12,121
National Savings Certificates	7,900
Tax Reserve Certificates	3,289

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of the total redemptions of Tax Reserve Certificates to 3oth June, 1944, represented cash repayments and what amount was in respect of payments of taxation; and whether he will arrange that in future monthly statements of debt operations, the particulars regarding redemptions of the certificates, shall distinguish between cash repayments and repayments due to the handing over of certificates for purposes of tax payments?

In reply to the first part of the Question, the figures are:

	£
Amount applied in payment of taxes	658,683,000
Amount repaid in cash	11,834,000

In reply to the second part, I think that the proportion repaid in cash is too small to justify a separate entry in the monthly statement of debt transactions.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the grafting of the fruit tree root-stocks and seedlings, which are to be grown at the fruit research station, will be done at those stations, or is it proposed to sell the stocks to nurserymen for grafting.

It is intended that the fruit tree root-stocks being grown at the fruit research stations will be distributed to nurserymen and fruit growers for grafting.

asked the Minister of Agriculture for what purposes and under what circumstances he assents to the dispossession of allotment cultivators especially when they have bought the land they till.

My consent to the dispossession of allotment cultivators on land purchased or appropriated for allotments under the Smallholdings and Allotments Acts is only given when the statutory obligations have been fulfilled. In all other cases I assent to the dispossession of allotment cultivators only where the land is required urgently for housing or other special purpose, and no other suitable alternative land is readily available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will instruct war agricultural executive committees to give employment to qualified members of the W.L.A. in preference to Italian prisoners.

As there is ample employment for all qualified members of the W.L.A. and Italian prisoners who are available to War Agricultural Executive Committees, the question of preference does not arise. As a general rule, however, prisoners are employed on work of the heavier types and not on work which is suitable for women.

asked the Minister of Health, in connection with all new building by local authorities and especially in the case of flats, what advice he is giving with regard to the construction of air-raid shelters.

I am not in a position to add anything to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton West (Mr. Sorensen) on 8th June.

asked the Minister of Health whether local authorities have the right to nominate tenants for houses they have repaired owing to war damage; and what representations he has received against such claims to nominate.

Local authorities have no power to nominate tenants in the circumstances to which my hon. Friend refers, unless the house is one which belongs to or has been duly requisitioned by them. As regards the second part, I understand that one local authority is considering making application to me for the grant of increased powers in this matter and I have received representations on behalf of the property owners. No such application has, however, yet been received.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is offering any advice as to the reconstruction of residences in streets where one or two houses have been demolished by enemy action and the adjoining ones, though still standing, are empty with no prospect of any new building reproducing the original type.

Not at the present time, Sir. But the matter is being borne in mind for examination in consultation with the Ministry of Town and Country Planning and the War Damage Commission.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in the case of houses requisitioned for the housing of homeless persons, but which have never been used for the purpose, he will suggest to the local authorities concerned the desirability of de-requisitioning them when ordinary house seekers are anxious to occupy them.

In present circumstances I should not feel justified in giving local authorities general instructions in the sense suggested, but I will have inquiries made in any individual case which my hon. Friends may wish to bring to my notice if he will let me have particulars.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the number of substantial houses in parts of London which have been empty since the 1941 bombing and are becoming derelict owing to the absence of any protection against the weather; and whether such residences will be adapted for housing bombed-out persons.

The policy of the Government is that such labour and materials as can be made available for the purpose should be used to provide the maximum amount of accommodation for families, including homeless families, living under bad housing conditions.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether, in adapting houses for the accommodation of refugees from France, existing residents are being dispossessed or whether only empty residences are being requisitioned.

No, Sir. No occupied houses are being requisitioned for that purpose.

asked the Minister of Health how many V.A.D.'s are receiving training in nursing duties in hospitals; and whether he is satisfied that the maximum facilities are being afforded in that direction.

I am not quite sure what figures my hon. Friend has in mind. I am not aware of any special difficulty in this matter. If my hon. Friend will give me particulars, I will gladly make inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that wounded German prisoners in military hospitals in this country have been put in the same wards as British wounded and that this is resented by the latter; and whether he will give an undertaking that this will not occur again.

I have been asked to reply. In the early stages of evacuation it is necessary to admit German prisoners of war and British wounded to the same hospitals, which are civilian hospitals in the Emergency Hospital Scheme. Every effort is made to segregate them, but in some hospitals the number of prisoners is too small to make the use of a separate ward practicable. At a later stage of treatment the prisoners are transferred to certain designated hospitals, where they are accommodated separately from British patients.