asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware of the long hours of work which the civilian staff at an R.A.F. office, of which he has been informed, are called upon to endure, namely, from Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and every other Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and if he will investigate the position with a view to some amelioration in the conditions of service.

Yes, Sir. The pressure of work at this unit is heavy and the long hours are necessary in order to ensure that the operational requirements of the Royal Air Force are promptly met. The hours of work have, however, been discussed recently with the employees' representatives, and I am glad to say that it has been found possible to reduce the hours worked by women. Employees who work on Sundays can take another day off.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the funeral expenses of officers who die on active service are defrayed by his Ministry; and whether it makes any difference if the officer dies in India and not in any of the other theatres of operations.

Yes, Sir. Officers who die on active service in theatres outside India are provided with a Service funeral at public expense unless the relatives desire a private funeral, when a contribution is made towards the expenses from public funds. As regards the second part of the Question, the rules at present in force in India permit of a funeral at public expense only where death is due to enemy action or an aircraft accident. This is a matter for the Government of India, but I understand that the wider rules now applicable to R.A.F. officers in theatres outside India are shortly to be applied in India as well.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what further news he can give concerning the release from the Air Force of the two official reporters whose presence in the official gallery is urgently needed for the reporting of the Debates of this House.

No formal application has yet been made to the Air Ministry for the release of these airmen. I understand, however, that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has received a request for their release, which is to be considered by the Kennet Committee this week.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that 1437610 A.C.1 H. Capon, R.A.F., is to be posted overseas on 20th December; and whether, as he is a member of Flight-Lieutenant J. Preston's team, required by the Ministry of Supply to be employed on tank armament development, his overseas posting can be stopped.

No application concerning this airman has been received from the Ministry of Supply, but his posting has been deferred pending further inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that 09210, Flight-Lieutenant John Preston, was invalided out of the R.A.F. in October as medically unfit to serve overseas although he was never actually boarded; that, on being assured his case would be reconsidered if he passed a medical board, he successfully submitted himself to one, but none the less the Ministry refused to reinstate him in the R.A.F.; and whether the reasons for this decision can be stated and the entire circumstances of this case re-examined.

This officer was invalided from the R.A.F. in October, 1944, as the result of a medical board held in January, 1944, which assessed him as fit for home service only. No suitable employment within his medical category could be found for him. It was only after he had left the Service that he was given a higher medical category by another board which was held for Ministry of Pensions purposes. I have no evidence that any assurance was given that his case would be re-considered if his medical category improved.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why numbers of fully-trained airmen who have not yet done any operational flying are being sent to do work not connected with flying; and whether he will give these men an opportunity to carry out the operational work for which they have been trained and rest men who have completed one or more tours, except where they wish to continue operational flying.

Except for those who are resting after periods of duty in front-line squadrons, no aircrew who have completed one operational training are being employed on work unconnected with flying. A number who have completed their basic training have been, and are being, temporarily employed on non-flying duties until such time as they can be absorbed into operational training.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that no members of the R.A.F., other than officers, have been allowed coupons for the provision of handkerchiefs; and whether, in the interests of comfort and decency, he will alter this system.

Airmen needing handkerchiefs are provided by their commanding officers with certificates which enable them to purchase handkerchiefs without coupons.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the work of the Minister for Civil Aviation is at present strictly confined to planning; and if the country will be committed to any expenditure under this Minister before the Ministry has been properly established by Act of Parliament.

Sir, my Noble Friend the Minister for Civil Aviation will be the prime authority in the whole of this field. The actual steps and stages by which his assumption of control will take place is naturally a subject for continuous adjustment. Expenditure for civil aviation purposes will continue for the present to be met from Air Votes. I understand that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer intends to introduce at an early date a Supplementary Estimate to cover the salaries of the Minister for Civil Aviation and his personal staff. Care must be taken that the transference of responsibility does not impede the conduct of the war.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport (1) whether he is aware of the proposal of the Glasgow city engineer and/or the tramways manager to lay a pavement across from the junction of Pollokshaws Road and Eglinton Street to the junction of Victoria Road and the continuation of Pollokshaws Road at Eglinton Toll; that if this is permitted, vehicular and motor traffic will be prevented from using the direct roads as they are at present; and whether he can give a reason why this alteration is being made;(2) whether his attention has been drawn to the proposal of the Glasgow city engineer and/or the tramways manager to alter the direction of the tramcars at Eglinton Toll, Glasgow; whether he is aware that those routes have been operating for 40 or 50 years and their alteration will lead to inconvenience and confusion to the thousands of business people who use those routes every day; and if he will take steps to prevent this alteration.

Neither the proposal of the Glasgow city engineer concerning the diversion of tramcars at Eglinton Toll, Glasgow, nor his proposal to lay a pavement across from the junction of Pollokshaws Road and Eglinton Street to Victoria Road has been brought to my notice. If the corporation should decide to make application for my consent to these alterations, I will certainly take into full account the considerations to which my hon. Friend has drawn my attention.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will consider adopting the practice of advertising in the local newspapers, as well as, or instead of, in the national papers, applications for permits to operate public service passenger and goods vehicles in the Hebrides, for the better convenience and information of the public.

It is not the practice to advertise applications for permits to operate public service passenger or goods vehicles either in the national or in the local Press. The Regional Transport Commissioner proposes, however, to hold a public inquiry at Stornoway in the early spring to deal with current applications for permits, and he will send lists of applications in advance to all the operators concerned and to the local authorities and police.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he has considered a memorial from the Corporation of Greenock upon the possibility of unemployment in the shipbuilding and engineering industries; and what action he proposes to take, particularly in relation to paragraphs 12 and 14 which deal respectively with the construction of a graving dock and the production of torpedoes.

My hon. Friend will appreciate that the proposals to which he particularly refers will need to be considered in relation to other large post-war problems affecting the maintenance of the Fleet. In this setting the Admiralty will give to the Memorial the careful consideration which it merits.

asked the Minister of Supply what steps he is taking to secure an improvement in the supply of E.I. tanned kips to this country, where the shortage of suitable leather for the uppers of shoes for the working classes is serious; and how many bales of kips were shipped to this country from India from 1st January to 30th November, 1944, as compared with the same period in 1943 and in 1942.

A special investigation into the East Indian tanned kip position was carried out early this year in conjunction with the Government of India, as a result of which the method of purchase was altered and prices were increased. Since then supplies have improved materially. It would not be desirable to make public figures of actual shipments.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is aware of the unsatisfactory position in respect of the output of Service footwear and that most contractors are substantially in arrears with deliveries of their Service contracts owing to the shortage of leather; and what steps does he propose to take to remedy this state of affairs.

I am not aware of any arrears in the delivery of Service footwear, except in a few isolated instances where remedial action is being taken. If, however, my hon. Friend has any particular case in mind and will let me have particulars, I will have inquiries made.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that half-page advertisement rates in the Telephone Directory have risen from £14 per annum in 1940 to £48 to-day; and whether he can give the reason for so large an increase.

The figures which the hon. Member quotes are not representative but are believed to refer to one special case in the Birmingham Classified Directory, on which I am sending him a full explanation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many people suffer from leprosy in the Colonies; and what proportion are treated in leper settlements.

The statistics requested in the first part of the Question are not available, but it is known that in those Colonial territories where the disease has the largest incidence only a small proportion of the sufferers are in settlements. The policy generally followed is one of voluntary as opposed to compulsory segregation, and it is encouraging that in certain territories a stage has now been reached when considerable numbers are being discharged annually from such settlements, with the progress of the disease arrested, and returned to their villages, under observation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, under the post-war scheme for the marketing of West African cocoa, it will be possible for manufacturers to buy in a futures market, with a view to the stabilisation of wholesale and retail prices.

As I informed my hon. Friend on 13th December, I am not yet in a position to make a final statement on the arrangements for the marketing of West African cocoa. I see no reason, however, why the scheme as at present envisaged should interfere with marketing practice of the kind mentioned.

asked the Attorney-General whether his attention has been drawn to the hardship suffered by deserted wives whose husbands successfully claim all the household furniture; and whether he intends to take steps to remedy this injustice.

As my hon. Friend knows, my attention has been drawn to this point and I would refer her to the answer which I gave on 15th December, 1943. In present circumstances it remains impossible for the Government to undertake to give final consideration to this and kindred problems.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether there has been any dissolution of Fascist organisations in Sardinia; and how far the Allied Commission are responsible for the form of administration in that area.

All Fascist organisations, whether controlled by Government Departments or the Party, known to the Allied authorities, have been dissolved in Sardinia as in the rest of Italy. In particular, the OVRA organisation, or Secret Police, which was strongly represented in Sardinia, has been broken up. The administration of Sardinia is the responsibility of the Italian Government, acting through the High Commissioner for Sardinia. The Allied Commission maintains a small staff on the island to advise and guide the High Commissioner in the execution of his duties.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the composition and what are the functions exercised by the Allied Commission in Italy; and whether it has any responsibility for acts and policies' of' the Italian Government in financial and economic administration.

The Allied Commission is composed of a headquarters and representatives in the field working in close contact with the Italian Government. In the territory restored to the jurisdiction of the Italian Government the functions of the headquarters and its representatives are to ensure that the Armistice terms are implemented, and secondarily to advise the Government in the administration of the country, particularly in respect to the needs of the Aired Armed Forces. While the Italian Government is responsible for economic, financial or other policies in these territories the Allied Commission acts as adviser and guide. In those forward areas which are not under the jurisdiction of the Italian Government but which are under Allied Military Government the Allied Commission is responsible to the Supreme Allied Commander for all administration.

asked the Minister of Information how many complaints he has had concerning the poor quality of the broadcast episodes of the standing down of the Home Guard on Sunday, 3rd December.

The only complaint to reach me is the one which my hon. Friend himself passed on. And the B.B.C. say that none have reached them.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the estimated number of shoe operatives, male and female separately, engaged on munition work; and if, in view of the serious shortage of supplies of boots and shoes, both on civilian and Service account, he is making any arrangements to have large numbers of operatives transferred back to the industry, particularly from those firms where many of these operatives are redundant; and to what extent he has taken steps to deal with the situation.

I regret that it would not be in the public interest to give the information asked for in the first part of the Question. In order to meet the requirements for boots and shoes, skilled ex-operatives who become redundant on other work are being transferred back to the industry; in certain cases they are being returned to the industry even though they may not be redundant in their present employment.

asked the Minister of Labour what arrangements are being made for munition workers transferred from Wales to other parts of the country, on release from their present occupation, to return to Wales to resume their previous, or to obtain other, work; and, particularly, whether employment exchanges have been instructed on the procedure.

New arrangements have recently been made regarding the selection of workers for transfer on redundancy. After any workers required for the Armed Foces have been selected, volunteers are sought among workers who have been working away from home for three years or more and who wish to return to work at or nearer their homes. Other workers working away from home and who wish to return are also asked to volunteer if they have skill or experience in certain occupations in which there is an acute shortage or if their homes are in areas where there are now serious labour difficulties. These arrangements apply to workers from Wales as to all others. The necessary instructions have been issued to all my Department's local offices.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will investigate the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of an undergraduate student of London University who is proposing to take an intermediate examination in Oriental languages and seeks reservation to complete his degree course on the same terms as are conceded for students of medicine and science, in view of the importance of these languages in the post-war world, when he hopes to become a lecturer in these subjects.

I am having inquiries made into this case and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Works if he is aware that Sergeant Wilkins, R.A.F., now serving in Belgium, has occupied a piece of land as an allotment in Caerphilly for 11 years without charge by the freeholder; that it is now being tilled by his wife; that she has been served by his Department at Cardiff with a notice to quit the land unless she agrees to sign a document offering to give it up when required without compensation; and if he will see that this serving airman's interests are secured.

For a number of years Mrs. Wilkins, or her husband, has been allowed to cultivate this land rent free, on the understanding that the landlord could resume possession at any time if he so desired. Since the land in question has been requisitioned, this arrangement has been continued, and there is no present intention to terminate it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what has been the actual yield of the sugar-beet crop this season; and whether the cultivation of the same acreage is being recommended for next year.

The lifting of the sugar beet crop has not yet been completed, and I am unable to say at present what will be the actual yield. The answer to the last part of the Question is, "Yes."

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give details showing the counties in which allotments can be obtainted by ex-Service men without excessive delay; and what steps he has taken to ensure that such allotments are provided by the appropriate authorities.

I regret that the information asked for by my hon. and gallant Friend is not available. A statutory obligation to meet the local demand for allotments rests upon allotment authorities. Planning authorities are required to make adequate provision for permanent allotments in the preparation of their town planning schemes, and my officers always have this in mind in their discussions with local and planning authorities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture why he decided that a review, including cost accounts, of the operations, or of selected operations, of the Grassland Improvement Station, near Stratford-on-Avon, should not be issued during the war.

Owing to the need for devoting very large areas to the reclamation of land for growing crops urgently required for food production and for using larger areas than had been originally anticipated for research and experimental purposes, it has not proved possible to keep cost accounts on the lines originally contemplated, and the available accounts would give little or no guidance on the economic results of establishing leys on heavy clay land. In the circumstances I decided that no useful purpose can he served by publishing any accounts or review of the Station's operations at this stage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether British constables serving in the Palestine Police Force are permited to use the institutes available for other members of His Majesty's Forces.

No, Sir, not at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the arrangements for repatriating British troops after four and a half years' service overseas are to be applied to British constables serving in the Palestine police.

A leave scheme was introduced early this year under which British police other ranks, having the longest service in Palestine, are granted two months' leave in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the strike in the American colony in Jerusalem of 33 Arab workers for the last 30 days because of the dismissal of two men for organising and trying to secure improvements in conditions; and why contrary to the rent restriction law the police were employed to evict the strikers from their quarters, which some of them had occupied for 25 years.

Although the strike was illegal under the Defence Trade Disputes Order and its existence was not notified until after it had begun, the Labour Department endeavoured to effect conciliation, but without success. As regards the second part of the Question, I am advised that the rent restriction, legislation does not apply. These workers who lived in were not tenants, but received free quarters as part of their wages and while they were working in the Colony.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made in Kenya in encouraging the Africans to grow coffee; whether an organisation has yet been set up whereby coffee produced in the native reserves can be improved to a quality equal to that produced by Europeans and sold safely under the Kenya mark.

I would refer to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for the English Universities (Mr. Harvey) on 13th December, to which I have at present nothing to add.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether attention can now be given to removing the ban on Wallace Johnson in Sierra Leone.

Mr. Wallace Johnson was released from restrictions on his liberty on 21st October last. To help him to adjust himself to the new circumstances the subsistence allowance which he was receiving at the time of his release will continue to be paid up to the end of January, 1945.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether consideration can be given to the termination of the detention of Uriah Butler in Trinidad.

The case of Uriah Butler was last reviewed by the Governor in Executive Council on 7th November last. The decision was that he should continue to be detained.

asked the Minister of Works if he is satisfied that local authorities responsible for the repair of bomb damage and the clearance of bombed sites have sufficient mechanical equipment and, in particular, bulldozers, at their disposal, so as to make the best use of the labour forces available.

Yes, Sir.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware that pulverised fuel locomotives have been for some time in regular use in Germany with considerable fuel economy; and whether he will take steps to secure that at least one experimental coal-fired locomotive is introduced on the British railways in the near future.

I am aware that in certain areas in Germany, where lignite only is available, locomotives have been fitted for operation with this fuel in pulverised condition; in its normal state, brown coal is unsuitable for locomotive working. There is no similar coal in this country, and I cannot add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Yardley (Mr. Salt) on 1st November last.

asked the Minister of Food whether he has considered representations from the Retail Fruit Federation on the subject of short weight supplies on wholesale transactions; and whether he proposes to amend the Sale of Food Act, 1926, so as to include wholesalers' transactions.

The reply to the first part of the Question is "Yes, Sir." As I explained in reply to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Burke) on 1st November, wherever full particulars are available I am prepared to have any cases investigated in which fruit and vegetable retailers receive short weight. In reply to the second part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for Renfrew East (Major Lloyd) by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade on 4th October.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he can give a list of Royal Commissions and Committees now sitting, with a brief note as to the objects of the inquiry and the date when they were set up.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer that was given by the Chancellor on 3rd October to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent (Mr. Ellis Smith). [OFFICIAL REPORT, Vol. 403, No. 124, c. 773.]

asked the Minister of Works whether he will take steps to ensure that inefficient and smoke-producing coalburning appliances are excluded from post-war houses, by requiring that all appliances to be installed should be type-tested by the fuel research station prior to adoption by any local authority or private builder.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on 14th December. Arrangements, both in regard to research and development and for the testing of domestic fuel appliances are being worked out by the Ministry of Fuel and Power and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, in close contact with my Ministry, but the difficulties of setting up a complete testing organisation on these lines during the war will be realised.