asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will announce the particulars of benefits to be given to men and women released from the Forces of the Colonial Empire on the cessation of hostilities.

Particulars will vary from territory to territory to suit widely differing local circumstances. But broadly speaking members of the Colonial Forces will be entitled to a period of leave on full Service pay at the rate appropriate to their rank and force; and to gratuities and overseas service gratuities at rates now under consideration. They will also be given clothing, or money allowance in lieu, on appropriate scales.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of recent experiences in Mauritius and Uganda, where failure to implement minimum wage Ordinances to meet the rising cost of living has led to strikes and bloodshed, he will cause a review to be made of the machinery for wage regulations in those Colonies where trade unions are not functioning effectively.

Yes, Sir. Consideration is being given to this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the wide differences in the salaries of African assistant medical officers and European medical officers, what opportunities are available to African assistant medical officers to qualify as full medical officers; and whether he is satisfied that an initial salary of £96 per annum is adequate for a man who has studied medicine for a number of years and qualified as a doctor.

The building up of medical schools in Colonial territories is a matter to which I attach great importance and on which the Asquith and Elliot Commissions will no doubt make recommendations. With regard to the last part of the Question, I am consulting the East African Governments as to the salaries of these assistant medical officers, to which I am aware that they have already been giving consideration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport what steps he is taking to encourage the railway companies to remove unnecessary black-out paint from carriage windows.

I regret that it is not practicable with the present shortage of labour to remove a part only of the existing black-out paint on railway carriage windows, and that for security reasons the railways cannot yet be permitted to remove it all.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he will consult with the railway companies on the possibility of their engines being fitted with radio-telephony sets, with correspondingly suitable sets at control points, with a view to relieving the anxiety of engine-drivers proceeding blind, and thus slowly, in bad weather, and incidentally doing away with railway delays.

I am advised that there is as yet no wireless apparatus which would afford a satisfactory remedy for the failure to observe signals. It is not at present practicable to carry out the experiments required to perfect the present apparatus. I hope that this work will be undertaken after the war.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport why is it that in some cases members of clerical staffs travelling in company with other workers are not accorded the same privilege of having workmen's fares.

Workmen's tickets were originally intended only for artisans, mechanics and labourers who travelled in the early morning hours. Where they are now issued, however, on the main line railways and on certain services of the London Passenger Transport Board, their availability has been extended usually to all travellers before a certain hour. A further extension has been made to workmen who are employed on shift turns of duty and who must, therefore, travel outside the normal hours of issue. This extension has been limited to artisans, mechanics and labourers. It has been decided, after full consideration, that any general extension outside the normal hours would be both impracticable and undesirable.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the shortage of labour in the building trade and the urgent necessity of repairing and building houses, German prisoners of war will be retained in the United Kingdom for such period after the conclusion of hostilities as is in the national interest in order that they may participate in this work.

I am unable to make any statement on this matter at the present time.

asked the Minister of Works whether tenders were invited from the group of contractors who have been authorised by his Ministry to proceed with the building of Phoenix bungalows; and what was the agreed price for the erection of these bungalows.

No, Sir. The only contracts so far placed for Phoenix bungalows are of an experimental nature and are designed to ascertain the actual cost of supply and erection. The price to be paid and the procedure to be followed in placing further contracts will be decided in the light of the experience gained in this experimental order.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the important post-war plans now being negotiated between this country and America, he can expedite mail facilities and reduce the time taken by the censor's department.

Full advantage is taken of all available opportunities for the despatch of air and surface mails to the United States of America. I assume that the hon. Member has air mails principally in mind and transatlantic air services are, of course, liable to interruption by weather conditions, particularly during winter: this is reflected in irregularity and delay in the transmission of the mails. The question of censorship is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Information.

asked the Minister of Information if he is aware that the time taken by the censor's department for U.S.A. mails is much longer than the time required for transmission; and what steps he proposes to take to reduce this loss of time, in view of the important post-war trade negotiations now proceeding.

Perhaps the hon. Member would let me have the details of any case he has in mind. According to my information most letters addressed to the United States are returned to the General Post Office by the Censorship within a day. Letters arriving from the United States are sometimes delayed for longer periods, but this is mainly due to irregularity in times of arrival.

asked the Postmaster-General how long it normally takes at present before letters posted in London are delivered in Brussels; and will he take steps to expedite the postal service from this country to Belgium and back.

I have not precise information of the total time taken from posting to delivery in Brussels, but mails are despatched each week-day from London to Brussels and take an average of some four days in transmission, without counting any delays due to censorship in this country and in Belgium. As I stated in answer to the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Bartlett) on 31st January, causes of delay to civilian mail between this country and Europe exist which are beyond my control, and I would repeat the assurance then given that every opportunity of accelerating the mail services is, and will continue to be, taken by my Department.

asked the Minister of Works whether it is proposed to compile a priority list of works to be carried out after the conclusion of the war in Europe, so that plans for the repair and in some cases the rebuilding of hospitals can be proceeded with and thus remove the difficulties due to uncertainties as to availability of labour and material.

Provisional estimates have been made of the amount of building labour likely to be available for different categories of work, including those mentioned in the Question. Priorities within each category will be settled by the Government Department principally concerned, with the advice in appropriate cases of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Works the value of building and structural work which has been carried under the control of engineers as principal co-ordinators during the last five years.

The total value of building and constructional work carried out under contracts with the Ministry of Works in the last five years, under the supervision of civil engineering firms is approximately £23,000,000. I am unable to give figures for work carried out in this way under contracts for which other Departments were responsible.

asked the Minister of Works what was the cost of erecting the miners' hostel at Great Wyrley, near Walsall; what has been the cost of upkeep since completion on 15th November; and who will use this vacant accommodation for 500 residents.

The cost of erection is about £90,000, and the cost of upkeep has been about £400. The circumstances in which this miners' hostel became redundant were explained in a reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power on 6th February. The use of the hostel for accommodating either evacuated school-children or foreign refugee children is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Supply if it is his intention to increase the supply of paint and painting utensils to painters and decorators before the spring.

I have been asked to reply. Arrangements to increase the availability of paint and painting utensils before the spring have already been made.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Aircraft Production, as representing the Minister for Civil Aviation, what His Majesty's Government has done to conclude reciprocal air transport agreements to further British post-war civil aviation; and with which States negotiations are on foot.

His Majesty's Government have signed the International Air Services Transit Agreement, which provides as between the signatories the right of transit over territory and the right of making non-traffic stops. This Agreement remains open for signature and hitherto 32 countries have signed. The United Kingdom Government have also signed the Interim Agreement for the establishment of the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organisation. His Majesty's Government are in constant touch with other British Commonwealth countries and agreement has been reached for the operation of Commonwealth Air Services, subject to the exigencies of the war. The United Kingdom Government are also in touch with a number of foreign Governments, and are discussing with them the conditions under which their and our mutual interests can best be met as and when it becomes possible to establish reciprocal air services.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Aircraft Production, as representing the Minister for Civil Aviation, whether observation posts, as now manned by the Royal Observer Corps or comparable installations, will be necessary for post-war civil aviation; and whether plans have been formulated in this respect.

No, Sir. I am afraid there would be no justification for retaining for civil aviation this Corps, which has done such valuable service in war.

asked the Secretary of State for War under what class do time-expired Regular soldiers come, when considered for discharge.

When the release scheme comes into operation a Regular soldier who has completed his period of service with the Colours will become eligible for release on the same terms as any other soldier and the normal rules in the release scheme will apply to him. If under the terms of his engagement he has reserve service to complete he will, on release in the United Kingdom, be transferred to the appropriate section of reserve.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has any statement to make on the recent official request of the Italian Government on the currency strain in Italy in connection with the Allied military lire if he can state the volume of British issued Allied military lire; and whether there is a concerted Anglo-American policy on that matter.

All Allied military lire are issued, in the first instance, by the Allied Financial Agency, which is responsible through the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean, to the Combined Chiefs of Staff in Washington. It is at present undesirable to disclose the amount issued to the British Forces alone, which is naturally related to their numbers. I can, however, assure the hon. Member that the currency policy is concerted with the American authorities, and that every effort is being made not to place any greater currency strain than is necessary to meet the local requirements of our Forces.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in connection with the proposal contained in Section 121 of the Report of the Departmental Committee on Higher Appointments, he proposes to lay down that any applicant for a post under the machinery of the official scheme will be barred from making written application for jobs to other potential employers; or whether he will be only invited not to do so.

The answer to both parts of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will investigate the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of a science graduate of London University, a specialist in statistics, who has been offered an important research post in that subject by the Nuffield Foundation, but who is now engaged as a temporary assistant in the Ministry of Transport, and although the service with that Department is by her contract terminable now, and her release is supported by the head of the Department, she is detained in that service with serious risk of losing the post where her special qualifications are urgently needed.

I have investigated the case, details of which were sent to me by my hon. Friend. In all the circumstances, I did not issue a direction to the graduate in question to continue in her employment in the Ministry of War Transport. I shall now, however, have to consider her for one of the urgent vacancies in Government Departments, including the Ministry of War Transport, which have higher priority than the research post referred to by my hon. Friend.