asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that 100 employees were dismissed in a war-time factory in Glasgow, of which he has been informed; that 70 per cent. of the said employees had not been near the place for months and that their absence was not reported to his Ministry; and what action he proposes to take against the firm responsible.

I am informed that about 100 workers were discharged from this employment last October and November with the permission of the National Service Officer and that a number of them, the majority of whom were married women with household responsibilities, had previously been reported by the firm to my Department for absenteeism. In the circumstances no further action on my part is called for.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent he proposes that employment negotiations shall be a monopoly of his Department in the interim period between the defeat of Germany and of Japan.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the proposals set out in Cmd. 6568, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Minister of Labour what Orders are being dispensed with by him, in narrowing the field of compulsion in labour control as promised in Cmd. 6568, that are not being replaced by an Order at least equally comprehensive.

The changes proposed in the scheme of labour controls for the period between the defeat of Germany and the defeat of Japan are set out in detail in Part III of Cmd. 6568. I do not think any useful purpose would be served in attempting to arrive at a balance by comparing the changes with each other individually. The scheme must be read as a whole, and regarded in this way it is intended to represent a substantial relaxation of control as compared with the existing position.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he proposes to exempt theatrical artistes engagements under the new Control of Engagement Order proposed in Cmd. 6568.

The scope of the proposed Order is still under consideration.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the labour force distributing coal in London is from 25 per cent. to 30 per cent. below pre-war, and in the rest of the country, only 15 per cent. below pre-war, and will he take steps to make good the deficiency.

I understand that the figures referred to by the hon. Member relate to a date in 1943, when there was no acute shortage of labour for coal distribution in London. Within the limits of present man-power resources I am, however, taking all steps open to me to meet the present requirements and so allow the soldiers whose temporary assistance is so valuable to return to their proper duties.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has considered the objections of the Derbyshire County Tuberculosis Committee to the development of the opencast site near their sanatorium at Walton; on what grounds he is proceeding with this work in view of the concern it is causing those in charge of the sanatorium; and if he will confer with the Minister of Health on the matter before operations commence.

I am aware that representations have been made both to the Regional Offices of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Works, and that, after investigation by the former, the objections were not sustained. On receipt of a notification to that effect my Regional Controller approved the working of the site.

asked the Minister of Education what steps he has taken in fulfilment of the promise given in the Debate on Clause 31 of the Education Bill to consider appointing an advisory committee on handicapped children.

I have appointed the following as an Advisory Committee to advise me on such matters relating to children requiring special educational treatment as I may submit to them or as they may consider require investigation:The hon. Member for Tottenham, South (Mr. Messer)—(Chairman).Professor James M. Mackintosh, Barrister-at-Law, Professor of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine—(Vice-Chairman).Dr. A. A. E. Newth, D.P.H., Senior School Medical Officer of Nottingham.Mr. E. W. Woodhead, Director of Education, Kent.To assist the Committee in their consideration of any specific question under review, I shall, from time to time, appoint as additional members persons possessing special knowledge and experience of the particular category of handicapped children concerned.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware of the decline of 19 per cent. in evening school institutes in London, including a reduction of 3,000 enrolments for A.T.C. classes, and that Southend reports a large drop in enrolments for youth organisations; and whether this decline is general.

I am aware of the decrease of 19 per cent. in the numbers enrolled in London evening institutes in November, 1944, as compared with November, 1943. This decrease appears to be due to adverse conditions specially affecting London and the immediate neighbourhood. There is no reason to think that there has been a general decline in total enrolments. I am inquiring about the position in Southend.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is satisfied that the compulsory registration and voluntary attendance at interviews for all boys and girls at the age of 16 is now serving a useful purpose and justifying the clerical work of local education authorities.

In Administrative Memorandum No. 535, a copy of which I am sending my hon. Friend, I have asked local education authorities for a short report on the value of registration in the light of the simplified arrangements there suggested. I hope that these reports, when they are all available, will enable a conclusion to be reached as to whether registration is now serving a useful purpose.

asked the Minister of Education under what authority schemes are being pepared by some excepted districts providing in general terms for the delegation of all the functions of the local education authority in respect of primary and secondary education, with the exception of the power to raise a rate and to borrow money.

Schemes of divisional administration made by the councils of excepted districts will be considered by me on their individual merits and will come into operation when I have made an Order approving them. While it is to be expected that these schemes will provide for real and effective delegation of functions, their provisions must not be such as to deprive the local education authority of their general responsibilities for securing the efficient education of the population of their area. This principle is inherent in the provisions of Section 7 of the Education Act, 1944, and is a natural corollary to paragraph 8 of Part III of the First Schedule. In so far, therefore, as any scheme of divisional administration made by the council of an excepted district failed to take account of this principle, I should not be able to approve it without modifications.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that the section of the McNair Committee's Report contributed by its most experienced members stresses the disastrous results which would follow from divorcing from the work of the universities the training of teachers in the national schools; why he has ignored this warning in the principles of selection of new teachers laid down in Circular 18; and whether he will recomsider this position before proceeding further with recruitment of new teachers.

As I have previously stated, I am in consultation with the Vice-Chancellors of the Universities on the major issue raised in the McNair Committee's Report, namely the question of the future organisation of the training of teachers. I consider that the proposals outlined in Circular 18 constitute a suitable method for selecting students for training for teaching under the emergency arrangements, and I think it reasonable in this connection to look for advice and help to persons with experience of the schools for which these training courses will prepare. I hope that some university teachers will serve on the interviewing Boards described in the circular.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the London Old Age Pensions Committee has refused a request of one of its sub-committees to ask his interpretation of Section 1 (b) of the First Schedule to the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936, for the reason only that in doing so after a lapse of 34 years it would cast some reflection upon their administration of the Act, with the result that pension was revoked in the case of an old gentleman of 82 years of age who was casually employed from 2nd October, 1944, and expected only to be employed until 3rd February, 1945; and if he will take action in the matter.

The reply to the first part of the Question is "No, Sir." I have no jurisdiction under the Old Age Pensions Act, 1936, unless an appeal is made to me against a decision of the local pension committee and it would not, therefore, be proper for me to intervene in the matter.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the announced decision to remove the staff of the new Ministry of Social Insurance to Newcastle-on-Tyne, any provision will be made for housing the large numbers of civil servants involved without aggravating the housing difficulties of the present local population.

This decision will be taken into account in determining the number of houses to be built in the Tyneside area.

asked the Minister of Health what price the Runcorn Rural District Council has paid or proposes to pay for 9.764 acres as a housing site in the parish of Appleton; and what has hitherto been the rateable value of that land.

The Runcorn Rural District Council have made a Compulsory Purchase Order in respect of this land, which I have decided to confirm. The amount of compensation to be paid has not yet been fixed. The land has not been rated since 1929; before that date the rateable value was approximately £17.

asked the Minister of Health what reason was given by the Worthing Rural District Council for referring back a recommendation of the public health committee to acquire, for housing purposes, three and one-third acres of land at Sompting at a cost of £2,750; whether renewed steps have been taken to acquire this land and what price has been agreed; and what is the rateable value of the land.

The matter has not been submitted to me, but I am informed that the rural district council are reconsidering the question of purchase. The land is derated.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in connection with rebuilding on a large scale, for which plans are being made, he will encourage the installation of covered and protected pipes in view of the damage done to homes over a wide period of years by burst pipes due to no provision having been made against specially severe weather during the winter months.

Yes, Sir. Recommendations to this end have already been made in the Housing Manual, 1944.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that cases are occurring of Servicemen who have been invalided out of the Services finding that in their absence their homes have been requisitioned for war workers and evacuees; and whether, in view of the hardship thus caused, he will take steps to see that they obtain possession of their homes at as early a date as possible.

Yes, Sir. Every effort is made to release requisitioned houses to owners who require them for their own occupation.

asked the Minister of Health why, in view of the terms of his Ministry's Circular No. 2282 of 31st January, 1941, and London Regional Circular No. 301 of 13th February, 1941, which make it clear that local authorities may and should apply where necessary their requisitioning powers to unoccupied council houses, approval has been refused for the requisitioning of a local-authority-owned house in the London Region on the ground that the requisitioning of unoccupied council houses has always been resisted.

The Circulars to which the hon. Member refers were framed at a time of great urgency to deal with cases in which the local authority were unable to obtain the address of their tenant and consequently could not take legal proceedings for the recovery of possession. The circumstances in which it would be right to authorise requisition of local authority's houses containing a tenant's furniture are now clearly exceptional, and no such case has been brought to my notice within recent months.

asked the Minister of Health what is the Government's intention in regard to the acceptance or otherwise of the recommendations for permanent post-war housing contained in the various Reports recently issued, particularly the Housing Manual and Technical Appendices; in what measure are local authorities to be required to act upon these recommendations; and are housing subsidies to be paid on the basis of such action.

Housing Manual, 1944, and its Appendices embody the Government's advice to local authorities and others concerned as to the general lines on which they should frame their post-war housing schemes. The extent to which the recommendations made in other Reports recently issued by my Department have been accepted by the Government has been indicated in statements in this House. Account will naturally be taken of the advice given to local authorities in assessing the amount of post-war housing subsidies.

asked the Minister of Health whether all the local authorities in Glamorganshire have submitted housing schemes for the immediate post-war period; what is the total number of permanent houses involved; and has his approval been given to any or all schemes submitted.

All but two of the local authorities in Glamorganshire have submitted programmes for that period. The total number of houses involved is 6,724. Sites for 6,274 have been approved.

asked the Minister of Health what is the allocation of temporary prefabricated houses to the various housing authorities in Glamorganshire; and can he give an assurance that the preparations for the development of sites are proceeding satisfactorily.

3,122 temporary houses have been allocated to 22 out of the 27 housing authorities in Glamorganshire. Sites for 2,119 houses have been selected by 15 of the 22 authorities and approved by the Welsh Board of Health. I am satisfied that the authorities are proceeding urgently with the necessary preparations.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take further steps to spread knowledge among the general public of the benefits of sleeping in the open air and also to facilitate it, as some alleviation of the present overcrowding by making available some inexpensive form of open-air shelter, attachable to existing houses.

I will consider the suggestion made in the first part of the Question, but I do not think that the present circumstances are propitious. As regards the second part, I fear that in view of the stringent control of the necessary material and the prior claims of housing, I cannot at present adopt the suggestion.

asked the Minister of Health how many children who had been attending the Amersham War-time Nursery have now been prevented from attending on the grounds that their parents are not war workers; what is the present number of vacant places in this nursery; and if he will give instructions that any places not required for the children of war workers will be allocated to other children who would benefit by attendance at this nursery.

I am informed that there have been six refusals of children on the ground that their mothers were not working. From the latest figures supplied at the end of December, 40 children are on the register of this nursery, which has 40 places. The average attendance in December was 31. Three of the 40 children had been admitted on compassionate grounds; 37 were the children of working mothers. As the hon. Member is no doubt aware, these war-time nurseries were provided for the children of working women and although permission has been given for the admission to vacant places of occasional cases of special hardship, for example in the illness of a mother, I could not properly agree to the general use of these nurseries by children other than those of working mothers.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that many weeks often elapse between the collection of refuse in London and that this gives rise to great inconvenience as well as being unhealthy; and whether he can take steps to lessen the intervals between collection of refuse.

I am aware of the difficulty which local authorities in London are experiencing in this matter. It is one instance of the man-power problem which is acute in the Metropolitan area, and I am in communication with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service in regard to it.

asked the Minister of Health whether any practical scheme has now been evolved whereby wives of serving men can be provided with all necessaries during childbirth, so that their own domestic difficulties may be met and the natural anxiety of the men allayed.

The main provision for which I am responsible, which is available to the wives of serving men equally with all other women, is the Emergency Maternity Scheme which provides beds for the confinement of mothers from evacuation

	Holland (A.C.).		Kesteven (A.C.).		Lindsey (A.C. and associated C.Bs.).
	Notns.	Deaths.	Notns.	Deaths.	Notns.	Deaths.
1940	54	3	85	4	339	12
1941	61	4	50	4	323	18
1942	72	2	32	2	383	11
1943	19	0	22	4	397	16
1944(1st 3 qrs.)	13(a)	—	12(a)	—	239(a)	—
	6(b)	—	12(b)	—	216(b)	—
Notes:
1. All the notifications and deaths refer to civilians only.
2. The notifications for the years 1940–1943 allow for such partial corrections of original notifications as were supplied to the Registrar-General.
3. For 1944 notifications are available only for the first three quarters of the year and no deaths are yet available. Two figures are shown for notifications in each area, those marked (a) being the numbers originally notified and (b) the numbers as finally corrected.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the declared intention of the Government, stated in the recent White Paper on Local Government, to set up a local government boundary commission, he will issue a standstill order restraining local authorities from promoting further extension Bills pending the introduction of legislation on the subject of extensions.

I have no power to make a standstill order to debar local authorities from approaching Parliament, but in fact only one borough extension Bill has been promoted in this Session. This is now awaiting Second Reading in another place. It may no doubt be expected that the proceedings

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of diphtheria have been notified in the three divisions of Lincolnshire since 1939; and how many deaths from that disease have been recorded in those areas.

The information desired by my hon. Friend is set out below:on that Bill will be influenced by the discussion in this House of the White Paper to which my hon. Friend refers.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can state the names and number of places which have adopted the new Home Help Scheme, and the number of women who have applied for this work.

The Circular that I issued in December authorised welfare authorities to make, without further approval, arrangements for the supply of domestic helps in accordance with the terms of that Circular, and I therefore cannot without special inquiry answer the first part of the Question. Forty-four welfare authorities have made special inquiries of my Department, and 19 are known to be establishing schemes. On the second part of the Question, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service is co-operating in the scheme by facilitating the supply of labour, and he has given it a high priority. He is not in a position to give the number of women who have applied for the work.

asked the Minister of Health what classes of the public are entitled, under his regulations, to apply to local authorities for temporary help in domestic emergencies especially in the case of sickness; and how many local authorities have so far brought the scheme into working order.

The types of case for which the scheme referred to by my hon. Friend is intended are described in the Circular that I issued to local authorities in December last, of which I am sending him

STATEMENT
—		Rates Levied in financial year ended 31st March, 1944		Estimated Resident Civilian Population (Middle 1940)	Rateable value in April, 1943
		s.	d.		£
Birmingham	…	16	0	997,900	7,531,244
Manchester	…	16	0	622,300	6,358,033
Westminster City	…	12	2	85,920‡	9,490,681
Bournemouth	…	8	0	130,100	1,972,435
Liverpool	…	15	9†	752,800	6,584,170
Sheffield*	…	17	6	496,700	3,396,871
Leeds*	…	16	0	465,700	3,896,566
Bradford*	…	16	4	271,700	2,190,425
West Ham	…	21	6	198,200	1,297,187
* The Borough comprises two or more differentially rated areas. The amount in the pound shown in Col. 2 relates to the oldest (or most central) portion of the borough.
† Liverpool—including a water rate levied on the occupiers of property as occupiers but not the water rent and charges levied on consumers as consumers.
‡ Westminster—estimated resident (i.e. night) population which is considerably less than the ratepaying (or day) population of the City.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what steps are to be taken and by what authorities, to terminate the pollution of the Rhymney river and its tributaries by coal dust and colliery effluent;(2) what authority is responsible for preventing the silting up of river beds in the South Wales coalfield area by rubbish from the collieries.

asked the Minister of Health the total rates, giving the population and rateable value for the financial year for 1943, for Birmingham, Manchester, Westminster City, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and West Ham, respectively.

Following is the information:

The responsibility for enforcing the Rivers Pollution Prevention Act, 1876, against persons who commit offences against the Act in non-tidal parts of the river Rhymney and of any other rivers in the South Wales coalfield area rests with the sanitary authorities through whose districts the rivers pass, and also with the county councils concerned, who have concurrent jurisdiction. I am making inquiries as to what action is in fact being taken and will communicate with my hon. Friend. As my hon. Friend is aware, the Government propose that rivers boards should be set up for certain areas, including the South Wales rivers and that they should be made responsible for the administration of the Act of 1876.

asked the Prime Minister if he will instruct the Service Departments to grant compassionate leave to men in the Services while their wives are incapacitated during childbirth in the absence of any local organised means of assisting the households.

No, Sir. Leave may be granted in such cases to men serving in this country where no other arrangements can be made to assist the wife. Each application is carefully considered. So far as the Army is concerned, when a man is serving overseas his case is considered on compassionate grounds by the Commander-in-Chief concerned. In this connection I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 6th February by the Secretary of State for War in answer to a number of hon. Members.So far as the R.A.F. is concerned, there is no scheme of compassionate leave from overseas theatres other than North-Western Europe, but where the compassionate grounds are strong enough a home posting may be arranged.So far as the Royal Navy is concerned, application for leave on extreme compassionate grounds from overseas theatres would be considered on its merits by the Admiralty.

asked the Minister of Food on what grounds persons, other than expectant mothers and young children, can obtain a priority supply of milk; the number of persons so privileged; and whether the circumstances of each case are reviewed from time to time.

Apart from expectant mothers and young children priority supplies of milk are provided for adolescents up to the age of 18 and invalids suffering from certain specified diseases. The number of persons other than expectant mothers and children up to the age of five who are entitled to priority supplies of milk is estimated to be approximately 9,100,000. The answer to the last part of the Question is "Yes, Sir."

asked the Minister of Food how many bottles of milk per day are allocated to schoolchildren in Bournemouth; what proportion of these is not taken up by them; and what happens to the surplus which remains.

The authorised quantity of milk is 778 gallons daily. During term time there is usually no surplus. During holidays, when less milk is wanted by the schools, the suppliers may dispose of any surplus among their registered customers.

asked the Minister of Food at what date the instructions conveyed in a letter from the Director of Cereal Products, dated 30th July, 1942, that it was not intended to license fresh mills ceased to be operative; how many flour mills producing stone ground flour are now licensed by his Department; and upon the advice of what advisory committee to his Department he has reduced the extraction of flour supplied for the national loaf to 82½ per cent.

In the Spring of 1943 reconsideration was given to the licensing of new mills in areas where the production facilities were deficient. Thirty-seven mills under the control of my Department are producing stone-ground flour, and their capacity is more than sufficient to meet the demand of the public for such flour. As regards the last part of the Question, I considered the views expressed by all my advisers concerned in this matter before reaching my decision.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has any information as to the price received by the Cuban producers of sugar for each year of the war; the average price paid for the corresponding number of years before the war; and to what extent this price is higher than that received by any British colonial sugar producer.

I have been asked to reply. The price received by the Cuban producers for each year of the war is given in the following table, together with the price received in each corresponding year by British Caribbean producers. The prices include all preferences in both cases.

	Cuba.	British Caribbean.
	per cwt. f.o.b.	per cwt. f.o.b.
1940	7s. 7d.	11s. 6d. to 12s. 10½d.
1941	9s. 6d.	12s. 10½d.
1942	14s. 9d.	14s. 0d.
1943	14s. 9d.	14s. 6d.
1944	14s. 9d.	16s. 0d.
1945	not yet fixed	18s. 0d.

The official average price for Cuban sugar for six years from 1934 to 1939 inclusive was equivalent to 7s. 1½d. per cwt. f.o.b. The corresponding average f.o.b. price received by British Caribbean producers in the same period, as near as it can be calculated, was 9s. 6d. per cwt. f.o.b. No other British Colonial sugar producers received lower prices than indicated, except in connection with freight adjustments agreed with them to place them in the same relative position to other colonies as they held pre-war.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if it is proposed to establish an Anglo-Chilean Committee either in London or in Santiago to prepare a scheme for mutual trade relations; and what steps have so far been taken to this end.

No proposal of this kind has been submitted to my right hon. Friend. Perhaps my hon. Friend would be good enough to let me know in greater detail what he has in mind.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the improvement of veterinary education is regarded in any way as a national responsibility; how the Government contribution to such education compares with that for other medical education; and what contribution the Government has made to the success of the Veterinary Educational Trust scheme.

The improvement of veterinary education is certainly regarded by the Government as a matter of national concern. A Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Loveday, appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself, has made a number of recommendations for the improvement of veterinary education, and these are now under consideration by the Government and the various bodies concerned. The Government's financial contributions to medical and veterinary education are made on different bases, and it is hardly practicable to make a useful comparison between them; but the grants made to the two veterinary schools in England during the last four years amount to nearly £100,000. The Loveday Committee's recommendations envisage substantially larger grants for the veterinary educational facilities they propose. The Government does not contribute financially to the Veterinary Educational Trust, which is, of course, intended to supplement other resources.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can yet indicate if it is intended to announce the Government's long-term agricultural policy within the next six months, or whether it is intended that this should await either the end of the war or the result of the General Election.

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what are the total numbers of the W.L.A. in England and Wales and in Scotland, respectively; what is the net monthly loss in membership; by how much does the monthly intake fall short of requirements; and what is the reason for the increasing loss of membership and fall in recruitment.

The enrolled strength of the Women's Land Army on 31st January, 1945, was 64,551 in England and Wales, and 7,972 in Scotland, and the reductions in membership in January were 1,610 and 235 respectively. It is estimated that the present rate of intake is inadequate by fully 50 per cent. for immediate requirements, and the deficiency will become greater as farmers' needs increase in the spring. The continued reduction in membership is largely due to the low rate of recruitment, which is attributable mainly to the general man-power position.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he has yet decided whether certain ranks, who served in the last war, shall be granted the right to claim an increase in disability pension owing to the increased cost of living; and, if so, will he state the qualifying ranks.

No increase in Great War rates of disability pension have been granted, or are contemplated, with reference to the cost of living, which is still below that obtaining when they were laid down.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many permanent civil servants are Members of the House of Lords; how many have taken their seats in that House; and whether he has any regulations governing the matter.

I regret that the answers to the first two parts of the Question are not readily available, but the number is very small. As regards the third part, permanent civil servants who are Members of the House of Lords may attend in their places when their official duties permit, but they may not take part in debate or vote in the House of Lords until they have retired or resigned.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in how many cases have Pensions Appeal Tribunals in Scotland granted entitlement to a disability pension for a limited period in respect of the appellant having had his injury aggravated as a result of war service; in how many of these cases has the appellant been examined by a medical specialist in terms of Section 15 (2) of S.R. & O., No. 1495, s. 47; and in those cases where such examination was not carried out, upon what principle have the tribunals fixed the date upon which aggravation ceased.

The answer to the first part of the Question is 112 and to the second part 3. As regards the last part of the Question, I am advised that the principle followed is to continue the pension granted so long as in the judgment of the tribunal, which includes a medical member, the disability remains aggravated as the result of war service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many appeals to Pensions Appeal Tribunals in Scotland in respect of injuries attributed to, or aggravated by, war service have been dismissed; and in how many of these cases have tribunals arranged for the appellant to be examined by a medical specialist in terms of Section 15 (2) of S.R. & O., 1940, No. 1495, s. 47.

The answer to the first part of the Question is 1392, and to the second part 18.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has in view any extension of facilities for the prevention and treatment of blindness among the civilian population by amendment of the Prevention and Treatment of Blindness (Scotland) Act, 1938, or otherwise.

Provision for prevention and treatment of blindness has hitherto been made by Scottish local authorities, in varying measure, as part of their maternity and child welfare, school health, tuberculosis and other services. A small number of authorities have exercised their powers under the Act of 1938 to extend such provisions to persons outside the scope of these special services. In certain areas, also, voluntary hospitals have provided valuable facilities, and voluntary societies for the blind have done most useful work. As part of the National Health Service, it is contemplated that every person will have access, either through his general practitioner or through an appropriate local clinic service or otherwise, to all necessary specialist and hospital facilities required for all purposes, including facilities for the prevention and treatment of blindness.

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers, male and female, respectively, in each of the Islands of Barra, South Uist, including Benbecula and Eriskay, North Uist and Harris, who were registered as unemployed at the most recent representative date.

I am writing to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed, male and female, respectively, in the Stornoway area at the most recent representative date; and what percentage this represents of the local insurable population.

I am writing to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning when his findings regarding the recent joint inquiry into the Durham City Power Station Scheme will be issued.

I am not yet in a position to make an announcement on this subject, but I can assure my hon. Friend that there will be no avoidable delay.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes to continue the present tap issues after their forthcoming interest date.

Yes, Sir. Three per cent. Savings Bonds 1965–75 were first placed on sale in August, 1944, and now amount to about £125,000,000. One and three-quarter per cent. Exchequer Bonds 1950 were first placed on sale in November, 1944, and now amount to about £90,000,000. In each case a first interest payment is due on 15th February, 1945. I propose to continue to offer both these securities for the present; but, as on previous similar occasions, 3 per cent. Savings Bonds 1965–75 and 1¾ per cent. Exchequer Bonds 1950 issued on or after the 15th February, 1945, will in each case be designated Series "A" until 15th August, 1945, on which date they will be amalgamated with the relative Bonds already issued. The first interest payment on Bonds of Series "A" of each issue will be due on 15th August, 1945.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider making a concession to ex-Servicemen, some of whom desire to get married, by permitting them to draw their post-war credits instead of waiting until the end of the war.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Faversham (Sir A. Maitland) on Tuesday last, 6th February [OFFICIAL REPORT, Vol. 407, c. 1890].

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of civilians killed through enemy action in Great Britain from 3rd September, 1939, to the end of September, 1944, and the number in the Greater London area; how many civilians were seriously injured and detained in hospital in Great Britain in the same period and the number in the Greater London area; how many private houses were destroyed and how many damaged by enemy action in Great Britain in that period and the number in the Greater London area; and the estimated weight of explosive dropped on Great Britain in the same period and how much of that was dropped on the Greater London area.

The total numbers of civilian casualties due to enemy action in the United Kingdom from the outbreak of war to 30th September, 1944, are as follows:

Killed (or missing believed killed)	57,468
Injured and detained in hospital	79,178

In round figures the total number of dwellings destroyed in the same period was 190,000; the total damaged but repairable was 4,000,000. I regret that, for reasons of security, I am unable to give separate figures for casualties or dwellings for London or elsewhere. I fear it would not be in the public interest to give information in reply to the last part of the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will describe the various stages in the process of registration of voters now in progress, and the dates of completion of each stage.

Electoral Registration Regulations will provide for the publication in every constituency on a date not later than 31st March of lists of persons who appear to be qualified for inclusion in the Civilian Residence and Business Premises Registers. These lists will be open to claims and objections which will require to be lodged and disposed of within specified dates after the publication of the list in respect of which the claim or objection is made. Thereafter it is intended to publish on 7th May Registers of Civilian Residence and Business Premises and Service electors. Owing to the printing difficulties it will not in all cases be possible to reprint a list subsequent to the result of claims and objections. In cases where a list is not reprinted the names of persons successfully objected to will be deleted from the electors list, and a supplementary list of successful claimants will be published.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many countries are at war with our enemies; and how many are still neutral and in relations with them.

Including the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations, 40 countries are at war with one or more of our enemies. This number includes four of our ex-enemies which have since broken with Germany and declared war on her. Seven countries are still neutral and in relations with at least one of our enemies.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether the period of employment of all teachers in educational establishments is to be regarded as continuous throughout the year even though divided into terms with intervening vacations.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the question of liability for payment of insurance contributions in respect of teachers during vacations. The general rule will no doubt be that this liability will depend on whether the contract of service continues during the vacation. The question whether any special provisions should be made with regard to teachers in this respect will be considered in the preparation of the relative legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the Mayors of Birkenhead, Bootle and Bebington were not allowed on board the "Letitia" for the purpose of giving a civic welcome to repatriated prisoners of war when they recently arrived in Liverpool.

The men who are repatriated naturally wish to disembark as soon as possible. The invitations to board the ship are, therefore, in general confined to those who have specific duties to perform in connection with the arrival of the men. I understand, however, that the Mayors referred to by my hon. Friend did in fact go on board.