asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a report on the health of the Armed Services has been published in America in which information as to the amount of sickness in the American Army in 1942 and part of 1943 was given based on official information; and whether his Department is in possession of statistics relating to disease in the Army in every theatre of war.

I have not yet seen a copy of the report to which my hon. Friend refers. The answer to the second part of the Question is "Yes, Sir." Owing to the shortage of staff it is unlikely that statistics about the health of the Army will be published until the war is over.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is now intended to take steps to remove the stigma in the official interpretation in the Army Act that while officers are honourably taken prisoner, other ranks prisoners are theoretically regarded as deserters till it is proved otherwise; and if this change will be made before the main body of prisoners return.

I can assure my hon. Friend that no stigma necessarily attaches to any officer or soldier who may be taken prisoner of war. Nor is there any discrimination in practice in favour of the officer as against the soldier. In these circumstances no action would appear to be necessary.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware that a party of officers and men recently arriving in this country on leave from Belgium and France were received with noticeable rudeness by the officials concerned, with no food, and subjected to considerable delay in obtaining a train to London; and whether, in conjunction with the War Office, steps can be taken by his Department to effect a substantial improvement in the arrangements for receiving, feeding and transporting officers and men reaching this country in such circumstances.

With the help of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he has formed any estimate of the proportion of food, especially chocolate, sent by this country to aid France and Belgium and lost owing to black-market operations.

This is a matter for the Supreme Allied Commander, and I regret that I have no information on the point raised by my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will inform the House in detail of the quantities of food and medical supplies distributed by British troops in Greece during December and January; and of the supplies held up owing to the refusal of dock workers in Greece to unload cargoes.

Relief supplies imported into Greece by the military authorities under joint United Kingdom-United States arrangements form part of the supplies imported for military purposes, and I regret that I cannot give details. The import and distribution of supplies was naturally severely interrupted by the hostilities which broke out early in December. In spite of this soup kitchens were opened in areas where the Army was in control. By the end of December over 800,000 meals a day were being provided, and as far as it was possible food, drugs and dressings were issued to hospitals during this period. Since the end of the fighting it has been possible to resume the distribution of supplies over wider areas.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps he has taken to improve the supply and distribution of coal in the City of Liverpool.

With regard to the supply position, the deficiency on rail-borne supplies to Liverpool is being made good by withdrawals from Government reserve dumps. Four dumps in Liverpool are open and are being drawn upon by the merchants, while additional supplies are also being forwarded by rail to merchants' yards from Government dumps outside Liverpool. There is no reason, therefore, for any merchant in Liverpool to be without supplies. Merchants and their employees have been working at week-ends, and the strain on the distributive facilities has been eased by using lorries provided by the Ministry of War Transport to move coal from dumps into merchants' yards, particularly in the poorer quarters of Liverpool.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when the miners' hostel at Great Wyrley, near Walsall, was completed and when brought into use; what is the capacity of the hostel and the average number of persons accommodated.

The hostel at Great Wyrley was completed on 15th November, 1944, except for the laundry; it has a capacity for 500 residents and the necessary staff but it has not yet been brought into use.

asked the Minister of Information whether he will now disband the Information Committees and their staffs which were created to deal with the situation which might arise in the event of an invasion of the United Kingdom.

No, Sir. These committees have no staffs and were not set up specially to deal with invasion conditions. They are not all of equal value, but most of them are useful in helping the Ministry to arrange for meetings, film displays, exhibitions and other local publicity work. I see no reason why the Ministry should deprive itself of this valuable assistance, which is voluntarily offered and is still required.

asked the Minister of Information whether any other publications have been refused the right of export or import under circumstances and for reasons similar to those governing the restrictions imposed on publications of the body known as Jehovah's Witnesses; and if he will give a list of such banned publications.

I am circulating a list of the publications which at various periods during the war have been subject to an export ban similar to that imposed on the publications of Jehovah's Witnesses. The latter papers have also been subject to a prohibition on import because they have in the main been produced outside this country and were imported at the cost of valuable shipping space, partly for circulation here and partly for re-export.

asked the Minister of Information who was responsible for the success of the exhibition, dealing with the work of women in England during the war, now being held in Paris; and if it is proposed to hold this exhibition in the main provincial cities of France.

This exhibition was prepared by the Ministry of Information. It is hoped to send it on tour, but transport difficulties prevent any definite arrangements being made for the time being.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the amount of tonnage carried annually on the Manchester Ship Canal and the average on our inland waterways; and if he has any comparable figures for the Dortmund-Ems and Albert canals.

About 7,500,000 tons of traffic a year is carried on the Manchester Ship Canal, and 11,250,000 tons on the other inland waterways in Great Britain. The traffic on the southern section of the Dortmund-Ems Canal (Bergeshovede-Batteln) is estimated to have increased from 1,000,000 tons a month before the war to 2,000,000 tons a month in June, 1944. The traffic passing Hasselt on the Albert Canal amounted to 3,500,000 tons in 1936; it is estimated that about the same tonnage may have passed last year.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he will make a full statement on the negotiations that have taken place with the canal companies over the financial arrangements with controlled undertakings; who took part in the negotiations; which companies have rejected the proposals; and on what grounds.

Forty-one canal undertakings are controlled by the Government. Financial terms have beeen agreed with 31 of them; negotiations with seven others are going on. The three remaining undertakings are the Grand Union Canal Company and its subsidiaries, the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company, and the Erewash Canal Carrying Company. These Companies have rejected the Government's terms. I understand that they have done so because they are not satisfied with the amount of the annual payment offered by the Government.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he can give the terms of reference of the investigation being made into our inland waterways; the names of members of the committee, their ages and what they are connected with; and if any interim report has been asked for on the action to be taken in order to modernise inland waterways.

In 1941 my Noble Friend appointed the Central Canal Committee to advise the Ministry on questions affecting inland waterways. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of its terms of reference and a note on its membership. Investigations into inland waterway problems have also been made, and are now being made, by officers of the Ministry itself.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he is aware of further serious coastal erosion at Mundesley, Norfolk; and will he take steps to remedy the position.

Yes, Sir, I am aware that coastal erosion is taking place at Mundesley. As the result of an inspection carried out in October last by one of my professional officers, in company with my hon. Friend, the two local authorities concerned were warned that unless immediate steps were taken there was a danger that the whole sea wall might gradually collapse, and that this might lead to the subsequent erosion of the cliffs. Under the existing law it is for the local authorities and landowners to take steps to prevent erosion. My Noble Friend has neither power nor funds to carry out coast defence works.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport what steps he is taking for the encouragement and development of private motoring after the war.

I am not clear what form of encouragement to private motoring my hon. Friend has in mind, but I may, perhaps, remind him of the statement on post-war highway policy which I made to the House a year ago.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he will authorise the removal of the masks at present fixed to automatic traffic signals during the hours of darkness.

The masks serve to reduce the dazzle from the lights of automatic traffic signals, and I think that this will be of advantage until pre-war standards of street lighting can be restored. I hope my hon. Friend may agree, therefore, that it would be premature to order the general removal of masks.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is aware that the steam trawler "Shielburn," A.365, was without a qualified master on board when caught trawling illegally within territorial limits off Bayble by fishermen in the Island of Lewis on 21st August, 1943; that this fact was accepted by the Lord Advocate in setting aside a conviction against the master of the vessel by the Sheriff Court at Stornoway on 3rd December, 1943; and whether he will inquire specially whether the vessel was at sea illegally without a qualified person in charge in August.

So far as I am aware there was a duly qualified skipper on board the trawler in question at the time to which my hon. Friend refers. As I understand it, the skipper's appeal against his conviction was allowed because no evidence that he was on board at the time of the offence was produced at the trial.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will enumerate in detail the action he has taken to comply with the recommendations of the Northern Industrial Group submitted to him in a memorandum.

New Government factories have been and are being built in the North-East, and plans for further industrial building in this region, as soon as building labour becomes available, are well advanced. The Board of Trade regional organisation in the North-East has been strengthened, and I would refer my hon. Friend to the detailed answer given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for East Leicester (Colonel Lyons) on 16th January. My Regional Controller is keeping, and will continue to keep, in close touch with the Northern Industrial Group.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government is represented, diplomatically or otherwise, in Finland, the Baltic States, Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary; and whether the Soviet Government has any such representation in Italy, Greece, France and Belgium.

As regards the first part of the Question, the present position is that His Majesty's Government is not in diplomatic relations with any of the countries mentioned, but there are British political representatives in Finland, Bulgaria and Rumania. There are also British Sections of the Allied Control Commissions in these three countries. A political representative and a British Section of the Control Commission will take up their duties in Hungary in due course.In reply to the second part of the Question, I understand that the Soviet Government have diplomatic representatives in Italy, France and Belgium. As regards Greece, there has been no official Soviet representative since the Greek Government returned to their country, but I understand that the Soviet Government are about to appoint an Ambassador at Athens.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on what date E.L.A.S. signed the Geneva Convention and an agreement to hand over hostages.

The negotiations with E.L.A.S. on this matter were conducted by M. Lambert, the representative of the International Red Cross. M. Lambert

Capital Outstanding.					Estimated amount of capital in British ownership at the beginning of 1941.*
			£	£	£	£
Pre-1914	Loans.†
5%	1881		2,819,580		146,000
5%	1884		2,452,000		168,000
4%	1887		3,804,860		479,000
4%	1889		4,221,080		458,000
5%	1890		1,608,120		10,000
5%	1893		259,720		102,000
				15,165,360		1,363,000
4%	1902		2,146,380		1,206,000
5%	1907		480,560		47,000
4%	1910		3,491,338		886,000
5%	1914		11,578,505		1,503,000
5%	1914			17,696,783		3,642,000
Public Works Loans.
6%	1928		3,931,740		2,140,000
6%	1931		4,583,140		2,778,000
				8,514,880		4,918,000
League Loans.
7%	1924		9,421,000		5,230,000
		£ tranche
6%	1928	£ tranche	3,970,680		2,560,000
				13,391,680		7,790,000
				54,768,703		17,713,000
* These estimates are based on the numbers of coupons paid subject to deduction of United Kingdom Income Tax.
† The remaining bonds of the 2½% Guaranteed Loan of 1898 were drawn on the 1st January, 1945, for repayment on the 1st April, 1945.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the Greek National Debt, and dating from what years, is held by bondholders in this country, and at what rates of interest.

The following is an estimate of the nominal capital amount of Greek Government External Loans owned by bondholders in this country:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of officers of U.N.R.R.A. covered by Article 7 of the Order in Council made on 24th January under the Diplomatic Privileges (Extension) Act.

I am informed that the number of such officers in 21.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will give instructions to all Ministers to prepare and publish, as soon as possible, their preliminary proposals for removing unnecessary restrictions and controls upon the conclusion of hostilities in Europe.

I cannot at this stage add anything to the very full statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 16th November last.

asked the Minister of Works what priority will be given during 1945 to the rehabilitation of hotels and boarding houses; and whether, in view of prospective demands of the public for holiday accommodation in the immediate post-war period, he will give more sympathetic attention to this matter.

Subject to labour and materials being available in the locality, I can assure my hon. Friend that sympathetic consideration will be given to applications for licences to carry out repairs and redecorations to hotels and boarding houses in holiday resorts.

asked the Minister of Works whether he has any objection to older non-mobile building trade operatives, when they have finished repairing bomb damage in rural areas, undertaking the erection of homes at once if required in their immediate area.

The general shortage of building labour and materials makes it extremely difficult to go further than the limited scheme for rebuilding war damaged houses announced last November. However, in exceptional cases licences will be granted for the employment of immobile labour on the construction of rural houses.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps he is taking to accelerate civilian mail between this country and the liberated areas of Europe.

As the hon. Member knows, causes of delay to civilian mail between this country and Europe exist which are beyond my control, but I can assure him that every opportunity of accelerating the mail is, and will continue to be, taken by my Department. In this connection I would mention the use made of the new direct service between London and Paris.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will institute special precautions to prevent the pilfering from parcels sent to their homes by members of His Majesty's Forces serving overseas.

Every precaution has been, and will continue to be, taken to safeguard the mails in concert with the Army postal authorities. I can assure my hon. Friend that the losses are small by comparison with the huge number of parcels now being posted. If he will furnish me with details of any losses which have been brought to his notice I will have them fully investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has a statement to make on the recent disturbances in Uganda.

On 8th January there was a small strike of Township and Public Works Department labour at Masaka. On 9th January this spread to factories, where the strike was settled and the labour returned to work on 15th January. On 11th January there were scattered strikes of lower paid labour in Kampala and on 15th January the strikers, who had rejected all invitations to negotiate with the Government, resorted to acts of violence and disorder, accompanied by stoning of the police, looting of shops and intimidation of other workers. The majority of the African employees of the Government and commercial interests in Kampala ceased work.Subsequently the strike spread to Jinja and Mbale and again to Masaka, and, although it was generally unaccompanied by disorders, isolated clashes with the police and military occurred, including one outside Koja, where the military were compelled to fire upon a rioting African mob estimated at a thousand, killing four and wounding ten. The total number of casualties at Kampala and elsewhere is eight Africans killed, fifteen Africans wounded, one Indian died from injuries by stoning, and several police and one British N.C.O. injured. The Governor reports that the number of African casualties would have been larger but for the restraint shown by the police, the military and the administration.The general situation is now normal, all labour having returned to work. The Governor is appointing a Commission of inquiry under the Chief Justice to inquire into the disturbance.Pending the report of this Commission I do not propose to comment in detail on the causes of the disturbances, but the Governor reports the following facts:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is in a position to make a statement on the recent cyclone in Mauritius.

I regret to say that the cyclone which occurred on 17th January in Mauritius was one of the most severe for many years. Although fortunately the loss of life was comparatively small, the material damage was very considerable. The Mauritius Government have opened a fund for the immediate relief of those actually in distress, and His Majesty's Government have decided to grant the sum of £10,000 for this purpose at once. The approval of the House for this grant will be sought in Supplementary Estimates to be presented very shortly. If later the Colony needs further assistance for the repair of the damage, this will be favourably considered by His Majesty's Government. It is still difficult to estimate the total damage. In the harbour one tug was sunk and a sugar store destroyed, but the damage to quays and wharves was insignificant and no other ships were lost.Throughout the Island serious damage was done to buildings and sugar factories, and the labourers' dwellings and the houses of the poorer classes suffered especially heavily, and in many areas were almost completely destroyed. Steps have been taken to provide all possible accommodation for the homeless, who are being fed by Poor Law and Educational Authorities, estate managers and by the Municipality and Township Boards. As regards losses of cane, these cannot at present be fully assessed and much depends on the weather during the next few weeks. Virgin canes must be replanted in many areas. Cereal food crops have been wiped out and vegetable garden produce heavily damaged. The fishing industry has also been brought to a stop for the moment. Communications were seriously damaged, but with the valuable assistance of the military authorities, the main communications have now been restored, including a percentage of the power, light and telephone services. The water supplies are in most areas adequate. Fatal casualties so far reported are less than twenty. Every possible step has been taken to secure immediate assistance for the Colony in this misfortune. The Governor of Kenya, in consultation with the Military Authorities, has offered any immediate relief that they can give and urgent efforts are being made with the assistance of other Government Departments concerned here to expedite the transmission of badly needed stocks of roofing material and other supplies to the Island.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give the price paid by the British Government for the Mauritius sugar crop for each year of the war and the average price obtained for the corresponding number of years before the war.

The figures required are as follows:

Year	F.O.B. Price per cwt.
	s.	d.
1935	7	6
1936	7	7½
1937	9	3
1938	8	3
1939	9	10½
1940	10	6¾
1941	11	11¼
1942	13	0¾
1943	13	6¾
1944	14	6¾*
1945	16	6¾

All of the prices quoted take into account the basic preference of 3s. 9d. per cwt. but the value of the Colonial Special Preference Certificates has been excluded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give an assurance that the House will be given an opportunity of discussing any further important constitutional changes in the Colonies before they are implemented, bearing in mind the fact that a public announcement of the intentions of the Secretary of State is apt to be construed in the Colonies as committing him to seeing that the changes are carried out.

I fully realise the importance of giving this House complete information at the earliest possible moment of any major changes proposed to be made in the Constitution of any Colony, and of affording full opportunities for consultation and consideration in such matters. It has been my practice, and that of my predecessors, to make a very full statement of the policy of His Majesty's Government in each case. If in any particular case there is a general desire for a Debate, I would welcome it. A considerable time must necessarily elapse between the announcement of policy and its implementation, and during this period opportunities are open to the House for discussion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the Motion recently carried in the Kenya Legislative Council urging His Majesty's Government to invite the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa to arrange a conference, which would include non-official representatives from Kenya, in order to plan and co-ordinate the development of British territories in southern, central and eastern Africa; and what action he proposes to take.

Yes, Sir. I am awaiting an account of the Debate and the Governor's comments, and I am not yet in a position to make any statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can give an assurance that all schools and colleges in areas under the control of his Department taken over or used for military purposes during the war have now been made available for their original purposes.

I cannot make a categorical statement without making inquiries of every territory. But I can assure my hon. Friend that every effort is being made to enable educational establishments loaned to the military to be restored to their original use as soon as possible. A number of such establishments in East and West Africa have already been released.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what collective and other measures were taken, following upon the assassination of District Commissioner Andrews, in 1937, to put down, discourage, prevent and punish Arab terrorism in Palestine.

The following measures were taken against the political organisations which in the opinion of His Majesty's Government were to be held morally responsible for this crime and similar outrages:

(1) The Arab Higher Committee and all National Committees were declared illegal organisations.

(2) Four members of the Arab Higher Committee and another leading Arab politician were arrested and deported.

(3) The Mufti of Jerusalem was deposed from the Presidency of the Supreme Moslem Council and from membership and chairmanship of the General Wakf Committee in which capacity he had wide powers of control over the disposal of Wakf funds.

(4) Nearly two hundred Arabs who were believed to be terrorists or political undesirables were arrested and interned.

(5) Some weeks later, military courts were set up for the trial of cases of discharging firearms at any person, carrying arms, bombs, etc., sabotage and intimidation. The first two of these offences were made punishable by death.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can make a further statement regarding the measures taken to deal with the terrorist gangs operating from Palestine.

There is little I can add to the reply given to a similar question by my hon. Friend on 13th December. The authorities in Palestine have continued unabated their measures to suppress the terrorists and have made a considerable number of arrests, including some important members of the terrorist groups. Since the date of my last answer, it has been reported that there has been an improvement in co-operation by the Jewish Agency. There have been no major incidents in Palestine for several months, but the danger of further incidents is not yet at an end.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of last year's citrus crop in Palestine was marketed; what proportion wasted; and what progress has been made regarding dehydration, concentration and similar processes.

For the current season it is probable that of an estimated crop of 7,000,000 cases, 71 per cent. will be used and exported in its natural state, 12 per cent. will be used for citrus products and 17 per cent. will not be used. I am obtaining the figures for the 1943–44 season from the High Commissioner and will communicate them to the hon. Member. Citrus is not dehydrated commercially in Palestine but, as stated in my answer to the hon. Member on 22nd March, 1944, efforts are being directed to the improvement of facilities for the production of concentrated juices. All producers have formed themselves into an association and are pooling their technical knowledge. A delegation from the association has recently visited this country to study the question with technical experts and plant manufacturers. The association has obtained a pilot plant from this country in order to demonstrate to producers the proper process of concentration, and I am glad to be able to state that good progress is being made. Commercial samples of dried citrus pulp from Palestine are also at present being examined in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has any further information respecting the strike of Arab workers in the Jerusalem American Colony; whether the police eviction of the strikers was legally carried out; and whether further investigation into the dispute has been or will be made.

As regards the first and second parts of the Question, I have nothing to add to the reply given to a Question on the subject by the hon. Member for Shipley (Mr. Creech Jones) on 20th December. As regards the last part of the Question, no further investigation of the dispute has been made or so far as I am aware will be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on his recent visit to Jamaica.

As in the case of my visit to Africa in 1943, I do not think that either the nature or the length of my recent visit lend themselves to a formal statement. I shall be most happy, however, to place myself at the disposal of any hon. Members who would like me to give them informally my impressions of my visits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether arrangements will be made to enable citizens evacuated from Gibraltar to stand as candidates and to vote in the forthcoming election under the revised Constitution.

No, Sir. The possibility of devising machinery to embrace the widely scattered Gibraltarians has been carefully considered by the Gibraltar Government, but the conclusion was reached that the difficulties involved, if not insuperable, would certainly result in a substantial and undesirable delay in holding the first election. It is proposed, however, that the first period of office of the new City Council should be shorter than the normal period of three years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made with the repatriation of the Gibraltarians who were evacuated to the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Of about 15,000 Gibraltarian civilians evacuated in 1940 to the United Kingdom, Madeira and Jamaica, about 8,400 have been repatriated during the past twelve months. The repatriation of the remainder raises problems of great difficulty owing to grave shortage of accommodation in the Colony, and I have decided, after consultation with the Governor, to appoint a Commissioner to examine the whole question urgently. I am glad to say that Sir Findlater Stewart has accepted my invitation to undertake this investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many local African doctors are now employed by the Government of Tanganyika; what are their starting salaries; and how these starting salaries compare with the starting salaries of European doctors.

There were five posts of African Assistant Medical Officer on the establishment of the Tanganyika Medical Department in 1944, with an initial salary of £96 per annum. These officers hold the Diploma in Medicine of Makerere College, which is not yet recognised for registration by the General Medical School. The initial salary for European Medical Officers is £600 per annum.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will, at an early date, arrange for an alternative loaf to be permitted for sale without the extraneous ingredients included in the present loaf.

Calcium is the only extraneous ingredient included generally in the national loaf to-day which was not present in the pre-war loaf. As I am advised that substantial advantages have been obtained from this addition I am not prepared to make available an alternative national loaf without it. Speciality breads containing no added calcium are, however, available from most bakers.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that on 19th December Messrs. Morgan & Company, Poulterers, Brick Lane, London, E.C., charged £1 12s. for a chicken weighing 3¾ pounds which was required for a woman seriously ill after confinement; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

If my hon. and gallant Friend will give me the name and address of the purchaser I will cause immediate inquiries to be made.

asked the Minister of Production whether Lord Portal remains Chairman of the Raw Materials Committee and the Central Priority Committee; and what are the present terms of reference of these committees.

No, Sir. Lord Portal relinquished the chairmanship of these committees when he resigned from the Government. I have since appointed my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Production as chairman of these two committees. The following are the terms of reference:

asked the Prime Minister if an agreement between the U.S.A. and Great Britain has now been made to maintain the Combined Production and Raw Materials Board after the war; and what provision can be made to safeguard the interests of British affairs in view of the fact that U.S.A. productive capacity has been multiplied during the war.

I have been asked to reply. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the full text of the announcement made on 19th January, according to which it has been decided to maintain these Combined Boards after the collapse of resistance in Germany and for the duration of the Japanese war. As regards the second part of the Question, I do not accept the implication that the existence of the Boards is in any way prejudicial to British interests.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in view of the recent pronouncement by General McNaughton, Canadian War Minister, regarding the number of U-boats in the Atlantic, if he can give an assurance that the Allies have sufficient surface vessels and aircraft to deal with this increased submarine menace.

My attention has been drawn to the statement. I am not prepared to comment beyond saying that any additional strain which the enemy can place on our resources wilt be met and overcome as in the past.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has information to show to what extent modern U-boats can, by means of a floating air device, run their Diesel engines for charging the electric batteries when submerged.

It has already been disclosed that U-boats are fitted with a device to enable them to charge their batteries while submerged. The publication of any further details would not be in the public interest.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can state the number of educational centres now providing training for building trade operatives; and the number of students attending them with the object of entering the building industry at the end of the course.

I assume my hon. Friend has in mind the number of adults taking courses in building trades at the Government Training Centres operated by my Department. There are at present 361 men training in building trades at 11 Government Training Centres. All the men in question are disabled.

asked the Minister of Labour if the various unions in the building industry are agreeable to trainees who have passed through building trade courses in the education centres joining the unions and working on buildings without further restrictions if they are competent.

Substantial progress has been made in the discussions with the employers' and workers' organisations in the building industry on the training of new entrants, and arrangements are being worked out which will ensure that the trainees produced will be acceptable to both sides.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the exchange of views between Britain, U.S.A. and Russia on their oil policies in Iran has been terminated; and what result, if any, has been achieved.

No detailed discussion has yet taken place, but I am hopeful that the views of the three Governments, and those of the Persian Government, will in due course be found to be substantially in accord.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the special marketing officers who are to be employed in large numbers among our official representation abroad; and, in particular, where such officers are already working.

The need is felt at some overseas posts for a locally recruited man possessing business experience, familiar with local commercial practice, and sufficiently well known in business circles to be able expeditiously to acquire market information of the type required by members of His Majesty's Foreign Service engaged on commercial work. A despatch was recently sent by the Department of Overseas Trade to members of the commercial diplomatic branch of the Service asking them to give early consideration to their needs in this respect and to seek out and interview suitable candidates. It is expected that some appointments will be made in the near future.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what arrangements are under consideration for providing leave for the R.A.F. serving in Ceylon.

R.A.F. personnel in Ceylon will participate in the short leave scheme referred to in the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton) on 24th January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has yet received a Report on Medical Services in Trinidad; and whether he proposes to make any statement about the Report and to place a copy in the Library.

I have received from the Governor advance copies of the Report. He has promised to forward his comments upon it as early as possible. A copy of the Report is being placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make a statement on the Government's oil policy in connection with the re-drafting of the Anglo-American Oil Agreement of last summer; and what steps were taken to get the Soviet Union, the Netherlands and Mexico to participate in a new agreement.

His Majesty's Government are at present awaiting an approach from the United States Government with a view to discussions on the amendments to the Agreement which the United States Government are understood to be considering. Until these discussions are completed, the question of the participation of other Governments in the Agreement will not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether a British subject temporarily resident in the U.S.A. who has been called up for military service under the Draft Act, has elected to serve in the British Forces and subsequently found medically unfit by the British medical officer in the U.S.A., can then be compelled to serve in the American Forces.

I have been asked to reply. Such a situation could theoretically arise in borderline cases, and in view of the minor differences between the practices of the United States and United Kingdom military authorities. So far as I am aware no such case has actually arisen. His Majesty's Consular officers in the United States would normally accept a United States Army medical report as sufficient evidence of fitness of an optant for service in His Majesty's Forces pending final acceptance in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the scarcity of agricultural workers, he will make arrangements not to call up farmers and others engaged in agriculture for service on juries during the war emergency.

Various steps have been taken to lighten the calls of jury service in war-time, and to avoid calling up for jury service more persons than is absolutely necessary to discharge the business of the courts. Further, under Section 3 of the Juries Act, 1922, a Sheriff has power to excuse a person from attending as a juror if on application made in writing he is satisfied that there is good reason for doing so. I do not think it would he possible to exempt farmers, or any of the many other classes of persons engaged on work of national importance, from the obligation of jury service, but I have no doubt that Sheriffs will exercise their discretion under Section 3 of the Act of 1922 in any individual case in which the fulfilment of this obligation would seriously interfere with work of national importance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the adoption of Summer Time during the winter months, in addition to consuming extra gas and power, has added materially to the costs of the farmer and has greatly increased his labour difficulties; and will he therefore take steps to discontinue double Summer Time at the earliest opportunity.

As has been frequently made clear, the Government are well aware that there are conflicting considerations of which account must be taken, but on balance it has hitherto been found that the special war-time arrangement for advancing the clock by one hour in winter and two hours in summer has been of substantial advantage to the paramount purpose of supplying the needs of the Armed Forces.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement of the position as regards household bed linen; and whether it is possible to increase the supply of bed linen by reducing the output of fancy coloured fabrics for dresses.

The output of bed linen is maintained at the highest level possible after taking into account other essential needs. If any opportunity arises for increasing production I shall take it, but the production of dress fabrics has already been reduced, and I fear that no further easement can be looked for there.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is considering introducing some simplification of the formalities which have to be completed by the owner of a house which has been badly damaged by enemy action when he wishes to rebuild his property.

If my hon. Friend will be good enough to let me know the particular difficulties which he has in mind, or supply the details of any specific case, I will be glad to look into the matter.

asked the Minister of Works whether, when rebuilding generally is resumed, it is proposed that progress should be made with building all over the country or whether the tendency will be to concentrate on areas which have suffered the heaviest war damage.

The repair of war damage will be accorded a high priority when rebuilding generally is resumed and a due proportion of building capacity will be allocated to this work in the areas which have suffered the heaviest war damage.

asked the Minister of Education when it will be possible for the Plymouth secondary school buildings, commandeered by the Service authorities, to be returned for educational use.

I am doing everything possible to expedite the release of these premises, but I regret that I am not yet able to give a definite date when they are likely to be available.