asked the Minister of Education what is the position under the Education Act of 1944 of the by-law adopted by the Caernarvonshire L.E.A. in 1925, under the Education Act of 1921, raising the school-leaving age to 15 years.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Lipson) on 19th October last, a copy of which I am sending him.

asked the Minister of Education what extra remuneration it is proposed shall be allotted to graduate teachers in the new salary scales.

New salary scales have not yet been submitted to me by the Burnham Committee, and I have no information about their proposals beyond that furnished by the Committee to the Press.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the weekly production of milk at the end of June and at the present time, respectively.

I regret that the information asked for by the hon. Member is not available; weekly supplies of milk off farms are not separately recorded.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps he is taking to have obsolete anti-tank trenches filled in and obsolete barbed-wire entanglements removed in order that the high national production of food may be maintained or increased.

Arrangements have been made between my Department and the War Office for the removal, where practicable, of obsolete or unwanted defence works and for the restoration of the land to agricultural use where it is considered to be desirable in the interests of food production. These arrangements are, of course, subject to the necessary labour being available.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether the method for dealing promptly with absentees by means of fines, referred to in the Eighth Report of the Select Committee on National Expenditure (Session, 1942–43), as having been adopted with good results by a few pit production committees has now been put into practice by all pit production committees.

The voluntary fining scheme, as its name implies, can only succeed if it is adopted voluntarily. My right hon. Friend has commended the scheme to all coalmining districts, but up to the present it has only been adopted in 10 out of the 25 districts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether favourable consideration will be given to Polish officers anxious to acquire British nationality, who have served with the R.A.F. for over three years; and if necessary will legislation be introduced.

While I share my hon. Friend's appreciation of the services rendered to the Allied cause by these officers, there are numerous other aliens who are giving notable assistance to the war effort of the United Nations both in the Armed Forces and in civilian occupations, and I know of no ground on which I would be justified in selecting for differential treatment the particular group of foreigners to whom the Question refers. The second part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that hand-picked apples of good quality have been selling in Gloucester market at 1½d. a lb., while similar apples in the shops have been selling retail at 8d. a lb.; and whether he will inquire into the margins prevailing in this trade.

One of the difficulties inherent in laying down maximum prices for commodities is that they are liable to become the only price. While I think the figures given by my hon. Friend are exceptional, I have brought this whole question to the notice of the Retail Fruit Trade Federation and hope to receive the assistance of the trade in bringing about an improvement.

asked the Minister of Food what is the weekly quantity of milk which is being used for manufacturing purposes at the present time.

Last week 126,200 gallons of milk were manufactured in Great Britain. This was used for the production of priority foods only.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is now in a position to make a statement about the purchase of Canadian beef.

An agreement has now been signed by the Governments of the United Kingdom and Canada for the sale to the United Kingdom of Canadian beef. The agreement provides that Canada will supply a minimum of 50,000,000 lbs. in each of the years 1944 and 1945 and the United Kingdom will purchase a maximum of 112,000,000 lbs. in 1944 and of 134,400,000 lbs. in 1945, quantities which are at present believed to represent the maxima which will be available for export. If more than these quantities should become available the United Kingdom Government will be glad to take the additional amounts. Supplies from Canada are essential for the maintenance of the United Kingdom meat ration, and I am highly appreciative of the undertaking given by the Canadian Government to make every effort to ensure that of the quantities of beef delivered under this agreement the maximum possible will be of a quality suitable for sale on the ration.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that in a certain town there are fifty-four dozen teats and eighteen dozen valves for babies' bottles being held at a rest centre, while none are to be bought in chemists' or other shops, and, in view of the lessening risk of such a large number of babies having to be provided for in this rest centre, will he release the goods mentioned for ordinary public sale, and, if these conditions apply in the country generally, consider the matter nationally.

I have already given instructions that all but a limited stock of the small quantity of rubber teats for babies' bottles kept in rest centres shall be released and made available for distribution. I will have special inquiry made into the district my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works what are the present daily hours approved by the Government for work on war-damage repairs in London; and what are the authorised wage rates for craftsmen and labourers on week-days and Sundays, respectively.

The hours at present being worked by building trade operatives employed on first-aid repairs in London are 8½ hours per day on Monday to Friday, 4 hours on Saturday, and 8 hours on Sunday, making a total of 54½ hours per week. The standard rates of wages laid down by the National Joint Council for the Building Industry are 2s. 2½d. an hour for craftsmen and Is. 8¾d. an hour for labourers, for the Inner London area (within 12 miles of Charing Cross) and 2s. 2d. an hour and 1s. 8½d. an hour respectively in the Outer London area (within 12–15 miles of Charing Cross). Under the working rules of the industry overtime rates are payable after the normal leaving-off time on Monday to Saturday and for work on Sunday.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that work on bomb-damaged sites is often delayed through the number of imported workmen exceeding the catering facilities near the sites; and will he consult Sir Trustram Eve's organisation with a view to increasing the canteen services.

No substantial cause of complaint in this regard has come to my right hon. Friend's notice, but he is looking into the question as to whether any additional catering facilities are needed during the approaching winter months. Perhaps my hon. Friend would let me have particulars of any case he has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has considered the communication signed by a considerable number of members of the British Palestine Police Force, sent him by the hon. and gallant Member for South Midlothian, in which grave concern is expressed that the conditions of service in that force contain no provision for pensions and allowances as a consequence of loss of life or limb from assaults by assassins in Palestine; and whether, in view of the now constant murderous attacks upon the members of this force, he will take early steps to rectify this position.

Provision is made for awards of this nature. Details are contained in my reply to a question by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Abingdon (Sir R. Glyn) on 11th May. As stated also in the reply which I gave to a question by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Petersfield (Sir G. Jeffreys) on 18th October, the question of the improvement of the provisions under the Palestine Police Ordinance for the award of pensions to these categories is at present under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Air, in view of the deliberate attacks on civilians in England, and with the object of destroying German civilian morale, whether he will arrange now to bomb Dresden, Breslau, Madgeburg and other large centres of civilian population in Germany that have not already been heavily bombed.

The principle on which our targets in Germany are selected is that of destroying as quickly as possible Germany's power to wage war.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will now arrange for education officers in the R.A.F. who are not mobilised to be placed upon the same footing as regards entitlement to gratuity and conditions of demobilisation as those education officers who have been mobilised and as other commissioned officers of the R.A.F.

No, Sir. Unmobilised members of the Royal Air Force Educational Service are employed and paid as civilians and cannot be treated in regard to release and gratuity as if they were mobilised.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the total number of officers and other ranks, separately and men only, who applied far compassionate leave during 1943 and the first six months of 1944, respectively; and the percentage of requests granted in each case.

The authority to grant compassionate leave is delegated to Commands and subordinate formations. I regret, therefore, that the information could not be obtained without a very large amount of administrative effort which I could not impose on my Department and Commands at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether special efforts are being made to supply arms and munitions to the forces of France; and what assistance is being given to the French Government to repair bridges, railways and other communications and to supply much needed locomotives, rolling stock and petrol.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes, Sir." In addition to the large quantities of weapons and light equipment which were provided before D-Day to the French Forces of the Interior, a considerable quantity of munitions has been supplied since that date from British sources for liberated French man-power. As regards the second part of the Question, all efforts are being made to restore rail and other communications, in France, although it is inevitable that military requirements in this field must be paramount so long as France remains a theatre of war.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the fact that during the last three years the Manchester Corporation have spent a large amount of public money in preparing a Report and plan on the redevelopment of the city and that the Corporation are now experiencing difficulties with his Department in obtaining authority for the supply of sufficient paper for the printing of a reasonable number of copies of the Report; and whether he will take steps to see that the needs of the Manchester Corporation are met and, in particular, that in this respect the Corporation is placed in no worse position than the L.C.C. in the publication of the plan for the County of London.

I have already made a special allocation for this book, but the Manchester Corporation have asked for more, and I am in consultation with my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of Town and Country Planning about this request.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether priority will be given to coach owners in Defence areas, such as the Isle of Wight, who, owing to the war, have lost their businesses and had their vehicles requisitioned, to purchase other vehicles as soon as possible after the European war is over.

I fully appreciate the anxiety of the coach owners in Defence areas, to whom my hon. and gallant Friend refers, and, as soon as war necessities allow, their claims will be sympathetically considered. So long, however, as the supply of vehicles is less than the demand, the vehicles which are available must be used for the provision of essential services.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if the omnibus services in the Gravesend area can now be improved, and especially if he can give an assurance that the evening services will be increased, and some Sunday morning services provided as soon as war conditions permit.

I have been asked to reply. The London Passenger Transport Board are considering what improvements can be made in omnibus services generally, within the limits imposed by the man-power and other resources available. The claims of the Gravesend area will not be overlooked. Sunday morning services will be restored as soon as conditions permit, but I cannot hold out any hope of their resumption in the immediate future.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the number of persons who have entered the Merchant Navy service from other walks of life during the period of the war.

Under the Registration for Employment Order, 14,000 ex-seamen have been recalled from shore employment to the Merchant Navy; 6,000 have been released from the Armed Forces; 6,000 have entered the Merchant Navy through the machinery of the National Service Act; many others have joined as volunteers. Most of these men, no doubt, were previously in other jobs, but I regret that I can make no reliable estimate of their total number.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that British textile machinists are unable to quote a firm price for textile machinery, state a definite delivery date or indicate when it will be possible to commence production of any cotton spinning or weaving machinery; if, in the light of these facts, he has given consideration to the extreme difficulty of mechanical re-equipment by the cotton trade; and what action he proposes to take.

I have recently been able, to increase the allocation of iron and steel for the manufacture of textile machinery, but dates and terms of delivery must necessarily remain uncertain so long as the manufacturers continue, to so great an extent as at present, engaged on war work rather than peace-time production.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can make any statement about the resumption of manufacture of plants urgently needed by the textile industry, such as boilers, turbines, conveyors, cranes and electrical motor switchgear.

The plant referred to is being produced in considerable quantities, and increased supplies will become available to the textile industries as war demands are reduced.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that dealers in Somerset are unable to supply size seven children's shoes for at least two months to come; and to what extent leather now made available for adults can be diverted for the more important needs of children.

I have had no report of such a shortage, but if my hon. Friend will let me have details I will have the matter investigated. With regard to the second part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Ripon (Major York) on 24th October.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can give any information about the Air Transport Auxiliary organisation, including the status and position of the officers and personnel; whether they are entitled to any formal recognition in the same way as the H.G., N.F,S. or similar bodies; and, in view of the importance to the war effort of their work during the last three years, what steps it is proposed to take to afford recognition of these services.

I have been asked to reply. The Air Transport Auxiliary is responsible for the delivery of aircraft from contractors works to units of the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. It is a civilian organisation administered on my behalf by the British Overseas Airways Corporation, the officers and personnel being employed by the Corporation. A.T.A. personnel are eligible for war chevrons and for those awards for meritorious service and gallantry available to civilians generally. In addition, flying personnel are eligible for the Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air.

asked the Minister without Portfolio the position under the Government social security scheme of existing voluntary contributors in respect of old age pensions, as to the date of receipt, the amount and the conditions of the grant.

My hon. Friend will find the information for which he asks in paragraph 101 of the White Paper on Social Insurance (Part I).