Written Answers To Questions
Channel Islands (Relief Supplies)
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can give any further information about the despatch of supplies for the civil population of the Channel Islands and about the evacuation of sick persons.
The Red Cross relief ship "Vega" recently arrived in the Islands with her fourth cargo of relief supplies. This included further consignments of flour, yeast, salt, Red Cross food parcels, soap and medical and surgical supplies, in addition to sugar, clothing, footwear, boot repairing material, matches, candles, flints, hospital equipment, seeds for crops for civilian consumption and for cattle fodder, and a small supply of liquid fuel. I would like to take this opportunity of acknowledging the generosity of the American Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross in putting stocks of clothing and some children's footwear at the disposal of His Majesty's Government as a free gift to the civil population of the Islands and the work which the Women's Voluntary Services for Civil Defence speedily carried out in assembling and packing the supplies. I regret that it is not yet possible to make any statement about the supply of coal to the Islands or the evacuation of sick persons. Both matters involve the use of an additional vessel, but the House will be glad to know that two doctors of neutral nationality who will act as a medical commission for the selection of sick persons for evacuation, travelled to the Islands on the "Vega's" fourth voyage, and should by now have started their task.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will publish a list of the supplies taken to the Channel Islands in each of the three trips made by the ss. "Vega."
The supplies carried to the Channel Islands from Lisbon by the ss. "Vega" on her first three voyages were as follows:
First cargo.
- 119,792 Red Cross Food Parcels.
- 4,200 Invalid Diet Supplement Food Parcels.
- 4,137 Kilos (about 4 tons) soap.
- 5,265 Kilos (about 5.2 tons) salt.
- 37 cwts. mixed medical and surgical supplies.
- 96,000 cigarettes.
- A small quantity of children's clothing and layettes.
Second Cargo.
- 134,656 Red Cross Food Parcels.
- 4,200 Invalid Diet Supplement Food Parcels.
- 5,645 Kilos (about 5.5 tons) tobacco and cigarettes.
- One parcel of hearing aid for the deaf.
- 20 tons of mixed medical supplies from Messrs. Boots.
- Small consignment of anaesthetics.
- 200 Kilos (about 4 cwt.) seeds.
- 4 cwt. shoe leather.
- 12 tons salt.
In addition to the supplies for civilians 10 tons of food parcels, and a small quantity of clothing were taken for Allied P.O.W.
Third Cargo.
- 500 tons flour.
- 1 ton dried yeast.
- 72,704 Red Cross Food Parcels.
- 1,800 Invalid Diet Supplement Food Parcels.
- 5 tons soap.
- 1 ton X-ray films.
- 12 tons salt.
- One consignment of hearing aid for the deaf.
- One consignment of miscellaneous medical supplies.
- 1,400 litres of petrol for doctors' cars and ambulances.
Television (Committee's Recommendations)
asked the President of the. Board of Trade (1) whether in considering paragraph 36 of the Report of the Television Committee he will give attention to the extension of the Copyright Act, 1911, with a view to the rights of promoters of sporting and other public events being protected;(2) asked the Prime Minister whether he will. consider carrying out the recommendations in paragraph 13 of the Report of the Television Committee and set up, as soon as possible, an advisory committee to include representatives of sporting and public events.
I have been asked to reply. The recommendations of the Television Committee are at present under consideration by the Government and no decisions have yet been reached. The points raised by my hon. Friend are, however, being borne in mind.
Trade And Commerce
Consumer Goods And Investment Expenditure
asked the President of the Board of Trade the value and volume of a normal year's output in Great Britain of consumers' goods and producers' goods, respectively.
None of the war years can, of course, be described as normal, but in 1938, the last complete pre-war year, personal expenditure on consumption at market prices was estimated, in the White Paper on National Income and Expenditure in the Years 1938 to 1943 (Cmd. 6520), at £4,072,000,000 and net private investment at home as £305,000,000.
Industrial Spirits
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in relation to the manufacture of industrial methylated spirits, he is prepared to make an order that petroleum as the raw material shall receive like treatment to molasses and be free of import duty when cleared for use by a licensed distiller in the manufacture of industrial spirits; and is it proposed to make an order under Section 15 (3) of the Finance Act, 1927, entitling the licensed methylator to the Excise allowance of 5d. per proof gallon on the resultant spirit.
I would draw the attention of my hon. Friend to the report of the Committee appointed to consider the effect of the hydrocarbon oil duties on the synthetic chemical industry, which was published yesterday (Cmd. 6615). The recommendations of this Committee are now under consideration.