asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements have been made for sending mail to our Forces in Greece.

Field post offices were opened in Greece on 20th October and full postal and telegraph facilities, including the delivery of mail from this country, were afforded to the troops as soon as possible. Since the beginning of November air letters have in general been sent daily by air. They have taken on the average five days to reach Athens from this country. Newspapers and parcels have been sent from Italian ports in general at weekly intervals. The delivery of mails outside the area of Athens and the Piraeus has been hampered by the bad state of the roads and severely restricted by the recent operations.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give an assurance that he will not use the Cyprus Regiment against their fellow Greeks during the present disturbances.

The Cyprus Regiment was not used during the recent fighting in Greece, and I very much hope that no question of using it in this way will arise. While my hon. Friend will, I hope, appreciate that I cannot bind the Supreme Commander by giving the unqualified assurance for which he asks, I can assure him that it is most unlikely that they will be so used.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can give the figures of the casualties of British and Greek Government troops and of E.L.A.S. troops in the recent fighting in Greece from the outbreak of the civil war until the cease fire.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given yesterday by the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Bowles). I regret that no figures of casualties suffered by the Greek Government or by the E.L.A.S. forces are available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give an assurance that financial arrangements will be forthcoming to meet the claims for reinstatement in civilian life of Local Defence Volunteers who were ordered to remain in Far Eastern territories for their protection and were subsequently taken prisoner by the Japanese.

I have been asked to reply. I can assure the hon. Member that it is my right hon. and gallant Friend's intention that Volunteers of the Local Forces who are prisoners of war in Japanese hands should have no less favourable financial assistance for reinstatement in civil life than will be provided for their comrades in the British Army who are prisoners of war.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is satisfied that all possible immediate improvements have been made respecting hours of work, working conditions and accommodation for workers in the bauxite industry in British Guiana; and whether long-term plans for permanent substantial improvement have been prepared.

I understand that my right hon. and gallant Friend is satisfied with the present arrangements mentioned in the first part of the Question. As regards the second part of the Question, my right hon. and gallant Friend is making further inquiries from the Governor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the results of the recent Jamaica elections, the main policies of the parties, approximately the total number of votes cast for each party and the percentage of the electorate who voted; and whether all offices have now been filled.

The election results are as follow. Jamaica Labour Party 23 members, People's National Party 4 members, Independent 5 members. Four members of the former Legislative Council were returned (one Labour, one People's National Party and two Independent). 55 per cent. of the registered electors recorded their votes. Pending the receipt of the Governor's full report it is not possible to say what were the election programmes, nor the votes cast for each Party, nor whether all offices have been filled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many male nurses in West Africa annually become dispensers and take a local examination to entitle them to practise as druggists; what medical and pharmaceutical powers they possess; and, approximately, the total number now in such practice.

The West African Governments are being asked to supply the information required, and my right hon. and gallant Friend will communicate with the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is prepared to reconsider the decision to charge a Purchase Tax on gift parcels sent to relatives and friends of men of the Forces serving in India and S.E.A.C., in view of the hardships caused to the recipients in some cases and the distress to the senders who are at present unaware that such a tax is levied, since U.S.A. troops can send similar parcels and no tax is charged.

I am afraid I could not agree to provide unlimited freedom from Purchase Tax for parcels from members of the Forces, or to make a special concession for Forces serving in India and S.E.A.C. My hon. and gallant Friend will have seen, however, from the reply which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Clackmannan and Eastern (Mr. Woodburn) that the concession for Forces serving overseas has been extended to permit the sending of presents, each year, to the value of £12 free of Purchase Tax as of Customs duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered the effect of the new motor-car taxation on the export trade of British motor vehicles in general; and will he make a statement thereon.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him yesterday.

asked the Minister of Food whether he has any statement to make regarding the shortage of the supply of potatoes in many parts of the country.

The bad weather of the Autumn seriously interfered not only with the lifting of potatoes but also with their preparation and loading for market. The reduced flow of supplies prevented the building up of stocks in consuming centres, with the result that, owing to the recent interruption in loadings caused by severe weather, the continuing heavy demand cannot be met in all districts. I have taken all possible steps to overcome these difficulties.

asked the Minister of Food whether he can make a statement as to the steps he is taking to alleviate the acute shortage of potatoes in the Liverpool district.

Two train loads of potatoes (about 475 tons) were despatched from the Eastern Counties to Liverpool last week-end; 286 tons from Northern Ireland were discharged at Liverpool on Monday; and a further 400 tons are expected to arrive from Northern Ireland to-morrow. In addition, growers in Lancashire and Cheshire are now permitted to sell long-keeping stocks not required for delivery later in the season, and growers in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire are given similar permits so long as the potatoes so released are marketed in Lancashire.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking to encourage the production of wholemeal and wholemeal bread for those who need a less starchy and more nutritious loaf than that yielded by the standard flour.

There is no appreciable loss of nutritional content in the present loaf compared to the darker loaf of the mid-war years, but for those who prefer wholemeal bread this is, I am informed, freely available.

asked the Attorney-General how many of the 23 recommendations of the Fifth Interim Report of the Law Revision Committee, Cmd. 5334, have been carried out; and what further alterations in the Statutes of Limitation have been made.

The Law Revision Committee's Report to which the hon. Member refers formed the basis of the Limitation Act, 1939, which embodied substantialy all of the Committee's recommendations. So far as I am aware, no further alteration to the Statutes of Limitation have been made; but I might refer my hon. Friend to the Bill which has just been introduced in another place, and which proposes certain temporary amendments in this branch of the law necessitated by war conditions.

asked the Attorney-General when the regulations with regard to the admission of persons to sue as poor persons were last revised; and whether it is intended to amend them so as to take account of the present higher cost of living.

The last substantial revision of the Poor Persons Rules was made in June, 1942, in connection with the Services Legal Aid Scheme which was then being inaugurated. The Rules have since been amended in minor particulars. The question whether the Rules now require amendment in the sense suggested by my hon. Friend is among the matters at present under consideration by the Committee sitting under the Chairmanship of Lord Rushcliffe.

asked the Secretary of State for Air after what period of service abroad officers and other ranks of the R.A.F. are repatriated to this country; and whether any differentiation is made between married and unmarried personnel.

The normal tour of overseas duty in the R.A.F. is four years in the case of single personnel and married officers and men accompanied by their families, and three years in the case of married officers and men unaccompanied by their families. The posting home of personnel who have completed their tour is, of course, subject to the availability of shipping and to the exigencies of the service.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the fact that many airmen, medically fit for aircrew training, are not now likely to be required as such, he will amend the relevant Air Ministry orders to permit of those engaged in duties which could be performed by men of a lower medical category remustering to trades more compatible with their medical fitness and desires.

The regulations in this matter have already been adjusted to meet current war requirements and, in general, airmen in ground trades who have been selected and assessed as medically fit for air-crew duties can now be remustered to any trade in which there is a requirement and for which they are recommended. Airmen in certain trades in which there is an acute shortage are excepted from this arrangement.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware of the resentment felt by meteorological air observers that no distinctive badge, of a similar nature to that worn by other members of air crews, is available for them; and whether he will make arrangements for an appropriate badge to be introduced.

The proposal to award a distinctive badge to meteorological air observers is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what allowances for tropical kit are made to W.A.A.F. officers and other ranks proceeding to India and S.E.A.C.

W.A.A.F. officers posted to India and S.E.A.C. receive a tropical kit allowance of £10. The scale of tropical kit to which this allowance is related and the amount of the allowance are now under review. Airwomen are provided with tropical kit from Service stocks.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will broadcast a statement on the future aims and objects of the A.T.C., with a view to reassuring its many members who have been disturbed at the direction of so many senior cadets into the Army and the mines.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his suggestion, which I have, in fact, anticipated. The substance of the full statement made in this House in answer to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Acton (Captain Longhurst) and my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone (Mr. Bossom) on 15th November last has been communicated to members of the Corps.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what acreage of potatoes was still unharvested in Great Britain at the end of the year 1944.

My right hon. Friend has no exact figure of the acreage of potatoes in Great Britain which was unharvested at the end of 1944, but his reports indicate that it only amounted to a small fraction of the total area of approximately 1,220,000 acres.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he has arranged for the production of home-grown herbs for the year 1945.

No, Sir. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the similar Question on this subject which he addressed to the Minister of Food on 7th November last.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men have been released from the Armed Forces to expedite the repair of bomb damage; and upon what principles they are selected.

The number of men released from the Armed Forces to expedite the repair of bomb damage is 1,711. This includes 825 men who were on release for another purpose and were transferred to this work instead of being recalled to the Forces. In addition some 5,100 men are at present on loan from the Services for this work. As regards the principles of selection, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 11th October to the hon. and learned Member for Ilford (Mr. Hutchinson) a copy of which I am sending him.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he can indicate the proposed routes to be served by the proposed national motorways; how the figure of £100,000 per mile at pre-war prices is arrived at; the average cost per acre of the land to be appropriated; and if he has any information as to the estimated cost per mile of the German autobahn roads.

I would remind my hon. Friend that Parliament has not yet granted the, Statutory powers required for the construction of motorways. I am, therefore, unable to say what routes they will serve. The figure of £100,000 per mile is the best estimate of the possible cost which my advisers can make. They calculate that the cost of land and accommodation works may be between 5 and 10 per cent. of this sum. No useful comparison can be made with the cost of the German autobahnen, which were largely constructed by German slave labour from concentration camps.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the total casualties on the roads, killed and wounded, for 1943 and 1944.

In 1943, 5,796 people were killed on the roads and 116,740 were injured. In the first 11 months of 1944, the ccorresponding numbers were 5,807 and 112,833.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport in what circumstances the personal effects of Cadet Dennis Cox, killed in action on 15th August, 1943, were lost somewhere between Glasgow and London while in transit from Algiers to Halesworth, Suffolk.

On 10th August last, the Superintendent of the Mercantile Marine Office in Glasgow delivered the effects of the late Cadet Dennis Cox to a carter employed by a cartage contractor for conveyance to Queen Street Railway Station. The effects were to be despatched by rail to Mr. Cox's father, but I am sorry to say that they were stolen on the way to the station, and that the police have not succeeded in tracing either the effects or the thief. An ex gratia payment of £100 has been made in compensation to Mr. Cox's father.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport why proposed trunk roads are being planned with a strip of land in the centre which, during rush periods, prevents the full width of the road being used for traffic in both directions; and if he has considered the advisability of doing away with this and thereby considerably reducing the overall width.

Where the traffic justifies that course, trunk roads are now planned with two carriageways, divided by a central strip of land. This is done in order to separate the two streams of traffic going in opposite directions. It is regarded as one of the most valuable of all measures for the promotion of road safety. Wherever possible, the central strip is made wide enough to allow the planting of trees, shrubs and bushes. This not only adds to the amenities of the road, but helps to reduce the danger and discomfort caused by dazzle from the headlights of approaching vehicles.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport to what extent food retailers are availing themselves of his offer of extra petrol to enable house deliveries to be resumed.

Owing to the present shortages of man-power, vehicles and goods, many traders have found it impracticable to improve their service of retail deliveries. In consequence, the amount of additional petrol issued for this purpose has so far been relatively small.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether, now that the Ministry of Home Security has permitted headlights of motor cars to be unmasked, he will make an order that no beam from a headlight shall incline above the horizontal.

It recently became necessary for special reasons, and at short notice, to remove the war-time restrictions on motor headlights. Apart from other considerations, it would not have been practicable, in these circumstances, to introduce the requirement which my hon. Friend suggests. I have every sympathy with my hon. Friend's purpose, but the question of dazzle is one of great difficulty, and requires much further examination and research.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport on what date the motor vehicle makers made their first approach to him to alter the construction order for the purposes of the export trade; and what authorities and interests he consulted were opposed to the suggested alteration.

As I informed the House in a Debate on the Adjournment on 21st December last, the associations representing the manufacturers and operators of public passenger vehicles made their first proposals for the increase in the permitted weights and dimensions of these vehicles on 5th November, 1943. On 19th April, 1944, they sent in a memorandum explaining in detail the reasons for their proposals. My Noble Friend followed the usual practice of consulting the other Government Departments, and the numerous associations representative of highway authorities, the police, and road users, together with the trade unions of workers who are employed in road transport. As I explained to the House, the weight of the advice which my Noble Friend received was against any increase in the permitted length or width of public passenger service vehicles.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the amount of the loss sustained by the railways under the control of the Ministry arising from thefts of goods in transit.

I regret that I cannot obtain the full information asked for by my hon. Friend. He may like to know, however, that during the period from 1st January, 1939, to 30th September, 1944, two and a half million claims were paid by the Railway Companies in respect of loss and theft of goods in transit. The total sum paid in settlement amounted to a little over £7,000,000.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport how it was possible to provide a special non-stop train on 6th January from London to Cheltenham for the races, in view of his refusal of the repeated requests from the Cheltenham Town Council and the Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce for better train facilities between London and Cheltenham for business purposes; if there was a dining-car on the train; is it proposed to run this train every alternate Saturday till the end of March for the races; and will he now arrange for one fast train a day each way between London and Cheltenham to meet the needs of the business community.

Strict instructions have been given by my Noble Friend to the railway companies that no special facilities shall be provided for passengers travelling to race meetings. In my Noble Friend's opinion, the provision of this train involved a serious breach of these instructions, and he is taking the action that is required. There was no dining car on the train, but accommodation was reserved for some of the passengers. In my Noble Friend's opinion, this reservation also involved a breach of his instruction that no accommodation shall be reserved on any train except in a strictly limited number of cases and for reasons of national interest. I regret that, owing to the heavy load of essential traffic on this line, it is impossible to provide any additional fast trains for Cheltenham.

asked the Minister of Information whether, in view of the fact that the British public subscribe, he will take the necessary steps so that the B.B.C. issues an audited balance sheet for the current and ensuing years.

Publication of these accounts was suspended as a war-time measure. I think that the need for maintaining the suspension is now past and I will consult with my right hon. and gallant Friend the Postmaster-General as to the form in which publication should be resumed.

asked the Minister of Information whether he will press the B.B.C. to provide in their post-war re- organisation programme an extension of their former television service so as to include transmissions to the North of England, Scotland and Wales, thus giving an additional amenity to residents in the North, increasing the production of television sets and creating a more equitable distribution of retail trade which in the past has been largely confined to retailers in the London area.

The future of television in this country has been under consideration of the Committee appointed by my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council. When the decisions of the Government on this Report have been made known I am sure that the Governors of the B.B.C. will give favourable consideration to my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Minister of Information how soon after the fake broadcast on the B.B.C. wavelength had started, disparaging the American Army, the B.B.C. realised what was happening; and why no announcement was made by the B.B.C. before the fake had already been reported in the United States Press, with unfortunate consequences.

A catalogue of lies is regularly broadcast by the German radio station at Arnhem. The B.B.C. warned the Allied Expeditionary Forces against these fake broadcasts so long ago as 5th November last, and they issued a further statement to the Press about them on 5th January. It was reported in this country only on 10th January that one of Arnhem's many items had caught the fancy of some Americans and misled them. The B.B.C. published their correcting statement on the same day.

asked the Minister of Information if the censorship now in force for over two years under S.R. & O., No. 2295, against the publication in this country of four journals issued by the International Bible Students' Association may now be removed in view of the fact that they do not contain, and never have contained, any anti-war or subversive matter and circulate freely in U.S.A., Australia, Canada, South Africa and India.

The restriction imposed by the Order to which the hon. Member refers was not on the publication in this country of these four journals but on their export to destinations overseas. The hon. Member asserts that these journals have never contained any anti-war or subversive matter, but there may be others who take a different view. Certainly they have advocated stubbornly pacifist doctrines. I am not prepared to say that the Government should reverse the decision they made in 1942 to prohibit the import of these papers. At that time as many as 50–60 bags of literature produced by this Association were occupying shipping space each week. This is but one of the facts which need to be remembered.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why Appendix V of the Halsey Report is not inserted in Cmd. 270 of 1919; and does the Admiralty base its case for the reduction of naval officers' pay on the introduction of marriage allowance in 1938 on this Appendix.

The hon. and gallant Member appears to be under a misapprehension regarding the Command Paper referred to. This paper contains a brief summary of the principal recommendations of the Naval Pay Committee, so far as these related to officers, and of the Committee on Half Pay, together with His Majesty's Government's decisions thereon. It does not contain the actual reports of the Committee. After this lapse of time it is difficult to conjecture why the recommendation of the Halsey Committee, that there should be no separate marriage allowance for Naval Officers, was not included in the Command Paper. It may, however, be surmised that its omission was due to the fact that the recommendation did not involve any change in existing regulations. As regards the second part of the Question, the Admiralty's case for the Marriage Allowance scheme is set out in the White Paper presented to Parliament in May, 1938. In determining its policy in regard to Marriage Allowance, due account was taken, not only of the Halsey Committee's recommendations, but also of the many subsequent discussions on the subject.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the shortages of British beer in naval canteens in tropical ports drive men to less desirable premises where deleterious local drinks are sold; and whether, to stop damage to health, he will see that naval canteens in such places have adequate quantities of beer to which the Navy is accustomed.

I am fully aware of the shortage of British beer in Service Canteens abroad and His Majesty's Government are taking all possible steps to increase the supply.

asked the Firsh Lord of the Admiralty why Mr. Carm Tabone, an established Grade I clerk employed in His Majesty's Dockyard, Malta, with over 26 years' service, was not granted pension or gratuity on being discharged from his employment and interned, for security reasons, in 1940.

The general provisions of the Superannuation Acts do not qualify a civil servant discharged in such circumstances for the award of any pension or gratuity. I am, however, making further inquiries as to the particular circumstances of this case, and will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is prepared to increase the paper quota available to the medical group of publishers in order to counteract the growing decline in the production of medical books.

Quotas of paper are based on publishers' pre-war usage and do not vary with the types of books they produce. My right hon. Friend, however, arranged last autumn for a substantial increase in the special reserve for books of particular importance, including medical books, which publishers cannot produce from their quotas.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that an application made by the Kent County Council on 23rd March, 1944, for a licence to purchase punched card office machinery urgently needed by them for work of public importance was refused by the Board of Trade on 5th July, 1944, despite the ability and willingness of the manufacturers to supply it; and whether he will now reconsider the position.

Service requirements of great urgency are such that few machines can be licensed to meet civil requirements. Although the manufacturers in this case were willing to supply, their production must be reserved at present for unsatisfied applications of greater priority than that of the Kent County Council. This application will, however, be borne in mind with a view to authorisation as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in view of the fact that during the last quarter shoe manufacturers were able to produce only 80 per cent. of their quota owing to shortage of upper leather supplies, why shoe manufacturers have been requested to increase their production by 10 per cent. and a certain number of operatives are being brought back from the Forces and various industrial undertakings; and does he intend to increase the number of operatives in the leather producing firms to enable manufacturers to produce the necessary quantity of shoes and give employement to men returned to the shoe industry.

The shortfall in production of boots and shoes in the last quarter was considerably less than is suggested in the Question, and was due not to lack of upper leather but to shortage of labour. Materials from current production and from stocks are available for the planned output for the current quarter. The second part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether arrangements are being made for the importation into this country of sufficient supplies of briarwood to meet the demand for pipes in the Services.

I have arranged for the importation of briarwood as it becomes available, from North Africa and elsewhere, and some has already arrived. A share of the pipes made from this briarwood will be allotted by the manufacturers to N.A.A.F.I.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why, in issuing recently announced plans for the switchover of industry from war to peace footing, he omitted Liverpool as a production area; and if he will remedy this omission.

I am not clear what my hon. Friend has in mind. I would, however, draw his attention to the answer given yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Everton (Mr. Kirby).

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the serious unemployment which existed on Merseyside prior to the war, it is his intention to regard Merseyside as a development area; and what steps is he taking to achieve that end.

I am aware that there was serious unemployment on Merseyside before the war, but a fair amount of new industry has come into the district, and a number of Government factories have been built, and all practicable steps will be taken to encourage continued employment in them. The Government will do all they can to ensure that there is no serious unemployment in Merseyside, and this will include steps to promote international trade after the war.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he has any information as to the corresponding rates of pay and/or allowances, in English money, for officers and men in the Red Army to those of the British Army.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he has information as to whether the parents of officers and men of the Red Army can claim a pension in respect of sons killed on active service and to what amount, in English money; and whether the claimant is subject to a needs test and of what nature.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Works what action he proposes to take with regard to the repair of premises in Station Road, Sidcup, particulars of which have been sent to him.

Repairs to these houses have been completed up to the standard at present allowed.

asked the Minister of Works the manufacturing capacity in millions of bricks in all British brickworks for 1938, 1940, 1942 and 1944, with the quantities in stock for each year, respectively.

The total annual sales of bricks in 1938, 1942 and 1944, were 7,500,000,000, 2,700,000,000 and 1,200,000,000 respectively. Stocks at the end of each of these years were 550,000,000, 879,000,000 and 1,070,000,000. Figures for 1940 are not available.

asked the Minister of Works if he will state the average price per 1,000 of all bricks sold by brick-making firms for 1939 and 1944.

Complete statistics of the prices at which bricks were sold in 1944 are not available, but it is estimated that the average price at the works was approximately 66s. per thousand. A comparable estimate of the average price prevailing in August, 1939, is 39s.

asked the Minister of Works the number of persons employed in brickworks for 1939 and 1944, respectively.

In December, 1944, 16,290 persons were employed in brickworks. Statistics for 1939 are not available.

asked the Minister of Information what British films are now being shown in France, Belgium and Italy; and if he can state the names of any feature or short films that are now being prepared for showing to audiences in those countries.

The following is a list of films produced from sources in the British Commonwealth, that are being shown in or prepared for France, Belgium and Italy. This information relates to films distributed through official agencies.FRANCE.FILMS NOW BEING SHOWN.A.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that air mail from Britain to Gibraltar is taking a fortnight; and if he will take steps to have this service speeded up.

It recently became possible to improve the arrangements for conveyance of the air mails for Gibraltar, and during the month of December the average time of transmission, excluding the time elapsing between posting and despatch, was about three days.

asked the Postmaster-General the approximate number of instruments which have been stolen from telephone kiosks during the past year and the cost of replacement.

Approximately 10,300 telephone instruments or parts of instruments were stolen from public call offices during 1944 and the cost of replacement was roughly £9,400.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now able to report any further action or progress with regard to the scientific aspects of our diplomatic relations with the U.S.S.R.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary gave him on 21st December last, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the recently concluded agreement with Ethiopia contains any reference to the suppression of slavery and to the co-operation by the British Government with the Ethiopian authorities in measures to secure the carrying out of Ethiopian laws abolishing the status of slavery, in harmony with the declared policy of the Emperor.

No, Sir. I would, however, refer the hon. Member to the reply returned to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State on 13th October, 1943, to the effect that very active steps were being taken by the Ethiopian Government to suppress slavery.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the U.K.C.C. and M.E.S.C. arranged with the Ethiopian Government to purchase from their farmers all the cereals they could grow thereby encouraging cereals in preference to other craps, whilst British control of the railways gave preference to this export thereby reducing the export of the permanent staples of Ethiopian economy; why the purchase of cereals has now been terminated, leaving the standing corn without a market and ruining these peasants; what notice to terminate their purchase of cereals was given to the Ethiopian Government; and was it arranged that these purchases were for the period of the war.

In 1943 His Majesty's Government gave the Ethiopian Government an undertaking to purchase all available good quality cereals during 1944 at prices to be agreed. In implementation of this undertaking the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation arranged, subject to the availability of transport, to buy up to 60,000 tons for delivery by 31st March, 1945. Deliveries under this agreement are still taking place. No discussions have as yet taken place with the Ethiopian Government regarding the 1945 crop. This matter is at present under examination by His Majesty's Government, who are considering the means whereby the best use may be made of the available surplus. The undertaking given to the Ethiopian Government was for the year 1944 only, and no notice to terminate the agreement was therefore necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in view of the increasing cases of robbery with violence on the Asmara Road and elsewhere in Eritrea at present under British military administration, what steps that administration is taking to prevent them; and whether the Ethiopian Government has been permitted to acquire sufficient arms to defend peaceful citizens against attacks on that part of the road controlled by that Government since ill-disposed persons are still in possession of arms previously distributed by the Italians for the purpose of causing disorder.

I am not aware that there has been an increase in robbery with violence in Eritrea. I understand that there has only been one recent case, and that the British military authorities, who are responsible for the administration of that territory, regard the situation in respect of public security as satisfactory. If my hon. Friend has information to corroborate his suggestion that robberies with violence are increasing, I am sure that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War would be glad to consider it. As regards the second part of his Question, I am advised that the supplies of arms in the possession of the Ethiopian Government are adequate.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, with regard to the announcement by the British Red Cross and St. John organisation that 10-word telegrams may now be sent to prisoners of war in Japanese hands, whether that service is linked up with the arrangements made by the Amercian and British Governments for telegrams to be received from prisoners in Japanese hands; whether he can make a further statement with regard to his reply to the hon. Member for Brighton on 8th November, 1944; and what steps are being taken to induce the Japanese Government to carry out this promise.

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative; to the second, that no telegrams have yet been received under the Red Cross scheme from prisoners of war or civilian internees in the Far East; and to the last that the scheme is sponsored by the International Red Cross, who can be relied on to keep us informed of any developments.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he has had examined the large number of cases of hernia occurring in the mining industry; to what extent the incidence of this type of disability could be reduced if a tub of lighter construction was introduced; and if he will take steps to have this matter investigated.

Exact figures of the incidence of hernia in the mining industry at the present time are not available, but such information as I have does not give ground for thinking that the number of cases is abnormally large. The figures of applications by miners to leave the industry on medical grounds show that in only about 1 per cent. of the cases is hernia advanced as the cause of disability and the ground for the application. I am advised that the weight of tubs, which of course varies from mine to mine, is only one of several factors which may cause, or contribute towards, hernia, and many other considerations would have to be taken into account before tubs of lighter construction could be introduced. In so far as the man-handling of tubs is a con- tributory cause of hernia, the remedy would appear rather to lie in effecting improvements in the haulage system which is one of the matters before the Technical Advisory Committee now sitting.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can give an assurance that, in the interest of full employment in the Development Areas, the Supply Ministries have received instructions with a view to implementing the Government's policy as laid down in Cmd. 6527, chapter 2, paragraph 14 (d) and chapter 3, paragraph 25 (e).

No change has taken place in the policy already announced to Parliament.

asked the Minister of Education under what circumstances a special agreement school can be brought within the scope of Section 18 (3) (a) relating to the management of primary schools.

My hon. Friend will be aware that the provsiions with respect to grants for non-provided schools contained in Section 8 of the Education Act, 1936, applied not only to new schools for senior children, but also to increased accommodation for senior children in all-age schools. Under the terms of paragraph 11 (a) of the Third Schedule to the Education Act, 1944, an all-age school in respect of which proposals made under Section 8 of the Education Act, 1936, have been carried out before 1st April, 1945, is deemed to be a special agreement school. Since Section 114 (3) of the Education Act, 1944, provides that reference to primary schools shall be construed as including references to all-age schools, it was necessary to include the words "a special agreement school" in the Section to which my hon. Friend refers.