asked the Minister of Health whether he will issue a pamphlet similar to his Ministry's Housing Manual, 1944, for the use of local authorities and others, giving information regarding types of temporary houses with different layouts and different suggested colour treatments.

A memorandum for local authorities containing guidance on layout and other matters connected with temporary houses is in preparation.

asked the Minister of Health if he will arrange, through the Welsh Board of Health, to have specimens of factory-made houses to be on view at a convenient place in North Wales for inspection by the local housing authorities of the six North Wales counties.

In advance of general production, I am afraid it will be economically possible to make only a small number of full-scale timber models available. These will be allocated to a few of the largest towns, of which Cardiff is one.

asked the Minister of Health if he can now state the cost of the proposed factory-made houses, and the amount of the financial aid for their construction which the Government will make to housing authorities.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statements made in the course of the Second Reading on the Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Bill on 1st August and 26th September.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that work on the repair of bomb-damaged houses in London is often delayed through the lack of adequate preliminary surveying before workmen arrive, with the result that the right amount of material and categories of skilled workmen are not available; and will he take steps to bring into London surveyors from the provinces and from the Services.

Yes, Sir. I am aware of the difficulties under which local authorities are operating. Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve is consulting with the Chartered Surveyors' Institution and with the local authorities in regard to the assistance that might be given by surveyors in London and from elsewhere.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the growing dissatisfaction of the people of London over the delay in repairing bomb damage; and what steps are being taken to increase the supply of labour and materials and to ensure that they are efficiently employed.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made on 3rd October of the action the Government are taking to accelerate to the maximum the rate of repair, of which I am sending him a copy.

Short-term Housing Programmes
England and Wales
Region.	Total area as estimated by local authorities.	Amount of land held when programme submitted.	Amount proposed to be purchased.	Amount of(3) for the purchase of which loan sanctions have been issued.
	(Acres) (1)	(Acres) (2)	(Acres) (3)	(Acres) (4)
1	2,597	1,895	702	15
2	4,649	1,987	2,662	295
3	4,106	1,413	2,693	110
4	3,895	1,330	2,595	120
5	7,599	1,636	5,963	79
6	4,244	837	3,407	184
7	4,640	2,212	2,428	223
8	3,122	810	2,312	114
9	5,133	2,462	2,671	293
10	5,773	2,562	3,211	613
12	2,847	946	1,901	264
Totals …	48,605	18,060	30,545	2,310

The actual amount of land required for the 100,000 and 200,000 houses which have been indicated as the targets for the first and second year's building programme would on the basis of 10 houses to the acre be 10,000 and 20,000 acres.

asked the Minister of Health how many houses in London which have suffered bomb damage are still incompletely repaired or entirely unrepaired; and within what period he estimates that repairs will be completed,

Practically all bomb-damaged houses which are repairable have received preliminary first-aid repairs to roofs and windows. While precise figures are not yet available, it is estimated that about 25 per cent. of the total number of damaged houses have received further repairs. It is not at present possible to frame an estimate of the period required for the completion of repairs, but I can assure my hon. Friend that every effort is being made to increase our speed.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state, in respect of each region in England and Wales, the amount of land required by local authorities for their immediate post-war housing programme, excluding their requirements for temporary housing; how much of this land was in their possession at the time they submitted their programme; how much they thought it necessary to buy; and how much of this had been bought.

The following is the answer:

asked the Minister of Health if he will state, in respect of each region in England and Wales, the amount of land on which roads and sewers for local authority post-war housing programmes had been provided as a result of the special scheme announced at the beginning of the year.

Contracts have been approved and work has either started or is about to start on sites sufficient for the following numbers of houses:

Region		Number of Houses
3 (Nottingham)	…	…	2,062
5 (London)	…	…	1,411
7 (Bristol)	…	…	1,067
9 (Birmingham)	…	…	1,644
10 (Manchester)	…	…	1,706
			7,890

Other schemes which have reached an advanced stage cover sites for about 30,500 further houses.

asked the Minister of Health if the ceiling figure of £400 for a house reconditioned under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926, may now be raised to correspond with the increased cost of the work.

I hope shortly to be submitting proposals for the amendment of these Acts.

asked the Minister of Health the total number of dwellings in the London Civil Defence region which had been destroyed or so badly damaged as to need demolition as a result of enemy air attack up to 10th June, 1944.

84,668.

asked the Minister without Portfolio when he proposes to state how the existing contributory pensions will dovetail into the new official scheme; and what benefits such pensioners will receive for the insurance they have hitherto undertaken.

My hon. Friend will find the information for which she asks in paragraphs 100, 101, and 125 to 127 of the White Paper on Social Insurance (Part I).

asked the Minister without Portfolio what will be the position under the Government security scheme of persons now suffering from tuberculosis and of persons falling victims to the disease after the new essential legislation comes into force.

So far as concerns insurance benefits under the Government's new proposals, tuberculous people will be in the same position as other sick people.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in assessing compensation for requisitioned dwelling-houses which are controlled under the Rent Restriction Acts, the amount of compensation is assessed upon the basis of the controlled rent.

This Question was the subject of an Award by the General Claims Tribunal on 29th February this year. The Tribunal, while holding that the Rent and Mortgage Interest Restrictions Acts, 1920 to 1939, have no direct application, was nevertheless of opinion that in the determination of the rent that might, within the meaning of Section 2 (1) (a) of the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939, reasonably be expected to be payable by a tenant under a lease such as that hypothetically referred to, the indirect effect upon the market of the first-named Acts cannot be excluded from consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether gold is to be made the basis of international credit under the proposals of the Final Act of the Bretton Woods Conference; and whether, under these proposals, the external value of the pound would be expressed, or fixed, in terms of gold.

I see no ground for the suggestion in the first part of the Question. As to the second part, Section 1 of Article IV of the Final Act provides that the par value of the currency of each member shall be expressed in terms of gold as a common denomina- tor or in terms of the United States dollar of the weight and fineness in effect on 1st July, 1944.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the Final Act of the Bretton Woods Conference, Great Britain is to be required to undertake from altering the gold parity of sterling by more than 10 per cent. without the consent of the International Monetary Fund.

No, Sir. The final decision would under the Bretton Woods proposals rest with member Governments. But changes may only be made after consultation with the Fund, and if a change is made despite the objections of the Fund in cases where the Fund is entitled to object, the member may be declared ineligible to use the resources of the Fund; and if, after a reasonable period, a difference on the matter between a member and the Fund continues, that member, after being given an adequate opportunity to state its case, may be required to withdraw from membership by a majority of the Governors representing a majority of the total voting power. The Fund is not entitled to object to changes not exceeding 10 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he is aware of the uncertainty of business people as to the precise meaning of the Government's statements regarding the rebate from Excess Profits Tax payments, particularly in regard to the use to which these repayments may be put; and if he can now state the approximate date when this money will be available for use;

(2) whether the repayments to manufacturers from the Excess Profits Tax can be used to purchase new machinery for extension of business as well as for the purchase of new machinery for replacement purposes.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the provisions of Section 37 of the Finance Act, 1942, from which he will see that while the date of the payment of the Excess Profits Tax post-war credit has to be prescribed by Parliament the only conditions governing the payment will be conditions relating to distribution for benefit of shareholders. The purpose of this Section was to remove any doubts of the kind referred to in the Question, and as stated in my Budget speech it is now quite clear that all trading concerns can look forward with certainty to their post-war Excess Profits Tax credits being available to cover all post-war capital expenditure, including expenditure on rehabilitation, reconstruction and development. This covers, of course, the purchase of new machinery for extension as well as for replacement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can arrange for old age pensioners to be given priority when post-war credits are made available.

I am afraid that I cannot make an exceptional arrangement such as my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the method of the appointment, rates of pay, opportunities for promotion., conditions of pension, etc., of local government officers; whether a large number of officials now engaged on administrative work throughout the country on behalf of different Ministries will be given an opportunity for permanent employment; and in view of the increasing responsibilities put on local authorities by Parliament, immediate steps will be taken to appoint a commission, Royal or otherwise, to review the machinery by which these administrative duties have to be carried out.

The matters referred to in the first part of the Question were considered by the Hadow Committee which reported in 1934. The war has held up action on their recommendations, but meanwhile there has been formed a National Joint Council consisting of representatives of organisations of local authorities and of Local Government employees, whose constitution provides, amongst other things, for a review of the important matters to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers, and who could with advantage consider the specific point raised in the second part of the Question. As regards the last part of the Question I would refer to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22nd September, 1943, to my hon. Friends the hon. and gallant Member for New Forest and Christchurch (Major Mills) and for Evesham (Mr. De la Bère) on the subject of a Royal Commission, and on 3rd August last by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Ilford (Mr. Hutchinson) on the subject of Local Government Reform.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will increase the treatment allowances for inpatient treatment in hospitals in view of the fact that ex-Service men who are in employment are frequently deterred from undergoing the necessary treatment on account of the prospective loss of income and consequent hardship to their dependants.

I am unable to accept the implication in the second part of the Question, more particularly in view of the provision which now permits of a supplement so as to ensure that a married man whilst in hospital receives a minimum cash payment (including N.H.I. benefit) of 50s. a week for himself and his wife. In addition to this sum he receives 7s. 6d. a week for each dependent child, including those for whom pension allowance is not admissible. In my view there are no grounds for increasing the allowances.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will now appoint a special committee to investigate the proposals for reconstructing the pensions instruments as put forward by the British Legion, Scotland.

The views of the British Legion (Scotland) affecting the main principles of the war pensions system were carefully examined with those of other representative organisations when the changes in war pensions announced in Command 6459 were under consideration, and I do not consider that further investigation by a special committee is called for.

asked the Minister of Pensions what increase, in disability pensions payable to soldiers or junior officers wounded in the war of 1914–18, has been made to meet the increased cost of living.

The present rates of pension for persons disabled in the war of 1914–18 were based on a cost-of-living index figure higher than that prevailing to-day, and do not therefore require revision.

asked the Minister of Information what are the security reasons which make censorship of mail between Northern Ireland and Great Britain necessary at the present time.

The purpose of censorship of mail between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is to prevent leakage across the Northern Ireland border into Eire of information of value to the enemy.

asked the Minister of Information if he will take powers to prevent certain newspapers continually publishing over-optimistic reports concerning the progress of the fighting on the Western front in view of the depression and despondency created in the public mind by the publication of reports which subsequently turn out to have no foundation in fact.

No, Sir. I disagree with my hon. Friend's assumption as much as I should deplore his remedy. War correspondents may be occasionally optimistic: so, for that matter, are the fighting men they work among: but I do not think that their reports would be better, and they would certainly merit less confidence, if they were edited by the Government.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will arrange with other Government Departments that small quantities of bananas shall be allowed importation into this country in view of their medicinal value in certain illnesses, and arrange that those bananas shall be available to patients on the certification of a doctor.

I understand that arrangements have already been made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Food for the importation of bananas in dried form sufficient for the special cases referred to.

asked the Minister of Food if he will remove forthwith all territorial district restrictions on the sale of apples in Great Britain.

No, Sir. As my hon. Friend is aware, the crop of apples in England and Wales this year is, owing to frost damage, not more than can be easily absorbed in Area 1 (namely, England and Wales less the four Northern English counties); the exportable surplus from Northern Ireland is sufficient to supply Scotland and the four Northern English counties on a similar scale of supply. The Order was imposed to save cross transport of apples, and in view of present transport conditions it is a necessary Order.

asked the Postmaster-General why a letter posted in Rome on 25th July, 1944, only reached London on 5th October; and whether he will take steps to speed up the service.

I assume that the hon. Member refers to the civil mail. The normal time of transmission of civil mail from Italy by surface conveyance is about four weeks; but I understand that some delay occurred about the time the letter in question was posted. The mail service from Italy is not under the control of the British Post Office, but if the hon. Member will send me the envelope I shall be glad to make inquiry as to the cause of the delay.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give any information as to the supply of school books to Italy from Allied sources; how many books have been sent; what proportion of these have come from Great Britians; and who are the authors and publishers.

I regret that I have no information.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is proposed to permit the release from the Forces, under Class B of the White Paper proposals, of local government officials and the articled pupils of such officials engaged in the local government service.

Local government officials will be eligible for release in Class B if it is established that their services are required to enable local authorities to carry out urgent work of reconstruction, particularly in connection with the housing programme. It is most unlikely that the articled pupils of such officials will be eligible for release on these grounds.

asked the Minister of Labour why no priority is to be given to service overseas as against service in this country in assessing the claims of Service men for demobilisation in Class A of the proposals published in the recent White Paper.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 4th October to the hon. Member for Plaistow (Mr. Thorne) of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the number of British planters in Burma, Sumatra and Java who are prisoners of war in Japanese hands, the representative Colonial Office committee will extend to them also any benefits which may arise on their release to British planters in Malaya and Borneo.

As stated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wall-send (Miss Ward) and my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Portsmouth, South (Sir J. Lucas) on 4th October, the Colonial Office Conference is concerned only with those who were resident in Hong Kong, Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak. The problems affecting residents in Burma are matters for the consideration of the Government of Burma and the Secretary of State for Burma, and those affecting British subjects resident in the Netherlands East Indies are for the consideration of the Foreign Office. I will consult my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State for Burma on my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give the terms of reference of the Colonial Office committee which is inquiring into the problems arising out of the internment in Japanese prisoner of war camps of Malayan and Hong Kong land volunteer forces and civilian internees resident in Malaya, Hong Kong and North Sarawak.

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply on 4th October to my hon. Friend the Member for Wallsend (Miss Ward) and my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Portsmouth, South (Sir J. Lucas) which indicates the nature of the problems being studied by the Conference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will arrange for a review by a fishery expert of the further commercial possibilities of the marine and inland fisheries in East African waters; whether any co-operation in this direction, including biological research, is contemplated with the Union Government of South Africa; and whether the railway and harbour authorities in East Africa will be encouraged to assist by developing cold storage facilities at suitable centres and by taking an active interest in a development so advantageous to the whole community of these African territories.

East Africa has recently been visited by Dr. Worthington, a leading expert on fisheries and a member of my Fisheries Advisory Committee. His recommendations are now under consideration by the East African Governors' Conference, and I have no doubt that these suggestions, which I will communicate to the Conference, will be taken into account in their deliberations.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give any information as to whether the majority of towns organising holidays at home covered their expenses or made a loss.

I regret that the desired information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War if his attention has been drawn to the serious fires that have raged in some liberated towns on the Continent; whether the highly trained officers and men of the N.F.S., together with their floating and other equipment, have been placed at the disposal of the British and Allied Armies; to what extent these services have been accepted; and if it is intended to despatch fire-fighting units overseas.

Well-equipped and highly trained units of the Army Fire Service are a part of the British Forces now fighting in North-West Europe. They have provided efficient and adequate service and I am not aware that major fires have continued in any towns after they had been liberated. The National Fire Service hold in readiness a number of fire fighting columns and fire boat flotillas with full equipment. They have been placed at the disposal of the Supreme Allied Commander to be used when they are needed in any area in his command. My right hon. Friend is most grateful for the provision by the National Fire Service of this valuable reserve.

asked the Secretary of State for War which items of its military equipment the Home Guard will, at the end of the war, be entitled to retain.

Since the relaxation in Home Guard duties which came into effect on 11th September the question of the retention of uniform by members has been reconsidered in the light of an up-to-date assessment of the supply position. As a result it has been found possible to allow each member to retain his battle dress, cap, gas cape, anklets, boots and greatcoat in addition to the items mentioned in the stand-down regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that in London alone there are more than 100 veterans of the South African war now in workhouses; and if he will arrange for funds collected during that war, for their benefit, to be transferred to the South African Wars Veterans' Association in order that these old comrades may be transferred to homes better suited for men who have served the country as fighting men.

The funds referred to by my hon. Friend in the second part of his Question are now being administered by the various charities to which they were allocated and I have no power to reallocate them. But if he will send me particulars of the cases referred to in the first part of his Question I will bring them to the notice of the organisations concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the cost of the military hospital built at Alton, Hampshire, for the accommodation of soldiers disabled in the South African War, was defrayed from funds subscribed for the benefit of these men; and, as this hospital was converted into a training home for children for which no payment was received, whether accommodation of a similar character can now be provided for veterans who arc aged and infirm.

I understand that a hospital was built near Alton with funds provided by the Kipling Absent Minded Beggars Fund and was opened after the South African War for the treatment of men wounded in the course of that war. Very few, if any, patients were treated there, and an Act of Parliament, known as the Alton Military Hospital Act, was consequently passed on 26th July, 1906, to enable it to be used as a hospital for crippled children.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether the post-war plans for the Export Credits Department are yet available.

Some of the proposals for extending the scope of Export Credits Guarantees require legislation, and as my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade stated on 4th July last in reply to the hon. Member for Stoke (Mr. Ellis Smith) it is hoped to introduce this legislation next Session. Other changes in the facilities offered by the Export Credits Guarantee Department will be embodied in revised policies which are being prepared for issue when the war in Europe finishes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will investigate the question of fully-fashioned silk stockings and other articles of clothing being despatched to France at a time when they are not available to women in this country.

No, Sir. No fully fashioned silk stockings made in this country have been sent to France, nor any other articles of women's clothing of types which are not available in this country.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether, in view of Sir Walter Citrine's visit to Paris, he will arrange for representatives of the Federation of British Industries to proceed there.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which she received from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 5th October, to which I would only add that no application has been made by the Federation to send a representative to Paris at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is in a position to make a statement on the psychiatric treatment of offenders in Wormwood Scrubs and Holloway prisons.

The Prison Commissioners have appointed two experienced consulting psychiatrists to act as part-time medical officers at Wormwood Scrubs and Holloway Prisons. The medical officers at all prisons have been fully instructed as to the types of case in which psychological treatment may be beneficial and these cases are transferred to Wormwood Scrubs or Holloway for assessment and such treatment as is desirable. The psychiatrist at Wormwood Scrubs was appointed in February, 1943. During 1943 he examined 60 male prisoners, of whom 42 were found after full investigation to be unsuitable for treatment and 18 received full courses of treatment. The psychiatrist at Holloway began work in April, 1944; she has so far investigated 25 cases, of whom 7 are receiving active treatment. It is too soon yet to assess the results of this work, but I shall watch its progress with interest.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can now state the names of the members of the Royal Commission on Equal Pay.

Yes, Sir. As my hon. Friend is aware, the King has already approved the setting up of a Royal Commission an Equal Pay with the following terms of reference:

"To examine the existing relationship between the remuneration of men and women in the public services, in industry and in other fields of employment; to consider the social, economic and financial implications of the claim of equal pay for equal work; and to report."

The membership of the Royal Commission is as follows;

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is now in a position to make any statement as to the results of experiments his Department have been making to determine the advantage of using a mixture of superphosphate and serpentine in place of ordinary superphosphate under conditions pertaining in this country.

Field experiments to test a mixture of superphosphate and serpentine are at present being conducted under the direction of the Rothamsted Experimental Station. My right hon. Friend is advised that so far the results of the experiments have shown that there is no advantage in using this mixture in place of ordinary superphosphate, but further experiments are being made.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the present controlled prices for home-grown wool are so unremunerative that thousands of casualty sheep cannot be disposed of and are buried as a total loss; and whether he will go into the matter with a view to avoiding this waste.

My right hon. Friend is aware that owing to transport difficulties and costs and risk of condemnation of the carcase, a number of casualty sheep, especially in hill districts, are buried and become a total loss. Members of the Farm Livestock Emergency Service assist farmers to dispose of these casualty animals, and an examination of the problem carried out towards the end of last year suggests that little more can be done under existing conditions to increase the number of casualty animals that are salvaged. Prices for home-grown wool are not the cause of the wastage to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether it is intended to transfer to his Ministry any further powers relating to agriculture now vested in the county councils or to take over any officers now employed by county councils in pursuance of their existing duties relating to agriculture.

It is difficult to look far into the future and to generalise on this wide subject, but any new proposal to transfer to the Ministry powers relating to agriculture now vested in County Councils would, of course, first be discussed with the County Councils Association.

asked the Minister of Labour what has been the result of the recent regulation intended to divert ex-cotton workers back to the cotton industry; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the sorely depleted labour resources of this industry are replenished.

I presume my hon. Friend is referring to the special registration of women ex-cotton operatives which took place a year ago, and I would refer him to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply to the hon. and gallant Member for Middleton and Prestwich (Major Gates) on 10th October. I appreciate the vital importance of securing the return to the cotton industry of former operatives and workers who have been steadily withdrawn from their other war work under arrangements agreed upon with the Supply Ministers over a year ago as far as was compatible with other war production needs. As changes in production take place in their particular work ex-cotton operatives who become redundant are considered first for vacancies in the cotton industry. I am also anxious to obtain an increasing number of juvenile entrants, and in this I am receiving assistance from my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade through the medium of the Cotton Board.

asked the right hon. Baronet the Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, what steps are being taken on land occupied by the Forestry Commission to keep down vermin; and whether he can give an assurance that foxes are not being preserved as agents for destroying rabbits, but that, on the contrary, trained keepers are being employed to destroy these pests which in some districts have become a menace to farmers.

The steps being taken by the Forestry Commissioners to keep down vermin on their land are, first, to kill as many foxes as possible, secondly, to co-operate with the War Agricultural Executive Committees Pests Officers, thirdly, to cut rides through plantations to facilitate the killing of foxes, fourthly, to co-operate with local farmers in the hunting of foxes, and fifthly, to contribute to local fox abatement associations. I can give the definite assurances that foxes are not being preserved and that trained men are being employed to destroy them.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether any arrangements have been made with regard to passages for the wives of civil servants wishing to join their husbands in India, several of whom have been recommended for priority passages last August by the Government of India.

Passenger accommodation for civilian needs continues to be very scarce, but I am glad to be able to say that a start has been made in getting accommodation for some of the wives recommended for passages by the Committee set up by the Government of India to consider cases of serious hardship. It is hoped to maintain a steady flow of departures of those so recommended, but this must, of course, depend on the state of the shipping position.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the fortunes being made at present in India and the decision of the Federal Court that the imposition of Death Duties by the Government of India would be unconstitutional, he will consider amending legislation to make this possible.

In answer to a reference from the Governor-General under Section 213 of the Government of India Act, 1935, the Federal Court has reported to the effect that, in the opinion of the majority of the judges, the power of the Centre to levy succession duties does not include the power to levy a duty of the nature of the United Kingdom estate duty. I agree that this failure to realise what, I am sure, were the intentions of the authors of the Act, must be remedied, and I am at present in consultation with the Government of India as to the best means of doing so.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether penicillin is now being produced in India; and what steps he is proposing to take to increase production in order to meet the likelihood for increased requirements from the various Pacific theatres of war.

Penicillin is at present produced in India only on a laboratory scale. The possibility of its manufacture in India is being investigated, but some considerable time must necessarily elapse before production could begin. No difficulty is anticipated in meeting from elsewhere all military requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will appoint a committee to inquire into the hours of employment in shops, with a view to obtaining a solution of the problem of reconciling the desire of shop assistants for shorter hours with the need of shopping facilities for the workers in other occupations

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 28th September to my hon. Friend the Member for the Sedgefield Division of Durham (Mr. Leslie).