asked the Minister of Food the dates upon which the British Restaurants run by the Colne Valley Urban District Council closed down; the amount of the deficit at that date; and whether, in view of the pressure brought by his Ministry on this local authority to open these restaurants as part of the war emergency measures, he will meet the deficit incurred.

One restaurant was closed in January, 1944, and the remaining two on 24th February last. According to the latest provisional accounts received from the council there was a loss of £1,356 up to 31sf January, 1945, before making provision for amortisation of capital expenditure. Amortisation provision up to this date should have been about £2,800 and the loss of this fails on the Ministry. I have undertaken to reimburse to the council any loss incurred after 21st June, 1944, but I cannot regard the part of the loss of £1,356 incurred before that date as due for reimbursement by my Department.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is making any arrangements to permit extra supplies of food to be allocated to the seaside holiday resorts during the forthcoming season, in view of the expected influx of visitors.

In seaside holiday resorts supplies of rationed food and milk will be made available in adequate quantities to meet the requirements of visitors during the forthcoming season. With regard to unrationed foods, the trades concerned are being asked to adjust distribution to meet the extra needs of these areas.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will remove the present restrictions on the icing and decorating of cakes.

Yes, Sir. An Order has just been made amending the Flour Confectionery (Control and Maximum Prices) Order so as to permit producers, on and after i9th March, to make additions to cakes after baking. I regret that I am not in a position at present to release additional ingredients; moreover, bakers are very short of labour. While these conditions continue no considerable change can be expected in the supply or character of cakes and pastries offered for sale.

asked the Minister of Food how many retail food shops have been taken over by the Co-operative Societies and multiple stores since February, 1944.

I refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given on the 28th February to the hon. Member for Balham and Tooting (Mr. Doland). I regret that I am unable to give any figures for 1944 prior to the 17th April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the approximate loss to the Exchequer if the allowances promised by the Family Allowances Bill were to be made free of Income Tax, assuming the present personal allowance of £50 per child under Income Tax law remained unchanged; and what would be the loss if the allowance were to belong to the child but expendable by the parent on its behalf.

It is impossible to say how much revenue would be involved in exempting the child allowances that will be payable in the future under the Family Allowance Bill, for the amount depends on the rate of Income Tax in force when the allowances become payable, the graduation of the -Income Tax then in force, especially the personal allowances enjoyed by a married man, and the levels of income then obtaining. It will be appreciated that the personal allowances given for Income Tax.purposes to the family constitute, in effect, an exemption limit. Under the existing Income Tax law the married man with earned income and three children is exempt from Income Tax if his income does not exceed £323.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an assurance that no class of goods will be exempted from the operation of the Purchase Tax without long notice so that traders will not lose the tax they have paid on unsold goods.

When fixing the period of notice to be given of any exemption from Purchase Tax the consideration to which my hon. Friend draws attention is, of course, important, but it is not the only aspect to be considered, and I do not think it would be possible to lay down a general principle which would be a satisfactory guide in all the varying circumstances in which such exemptions might come into operation.

asked the Minister of Information whether he has considered the dropping of leaflets on Germany giving particulars of the inhuman conduct of the German forces in Holland whereby the Dutch people are being deliberately starved to death.

The suggestion made by my hon. and gallant Friend is one of many possible subjects for leaflets. He will, however, appreciate that, in present circumstances, priority must be given to leaflets bearing directly upon current operations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state the names of the persons appointed by the Dominion Governments to represent them on the United Nations War Crimes Commission.

I am informed that the names of the Dominion Governments' representatives are the following:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has considered the request from the French Government for assistance in meeting the shortage of newsprint in France, which is so acute that many French newspapers may have to suspend publication unless additional supplies are quickly forthcoming; and what steps he is taking to remedy this situation.

Yes, Sir. I am glad to say that in response to urgent appeals from the French Government the British newspapers have, at the request of His Majesty's Government, agreed to make 2,000 tons of newsprint available for immediate shipment to France out of the limited supplies at their disposal. This addition to the stocks already available should suffice to cover essential French needs, pending the arrival of consignments which the French have under procurement in North America.

asked the Minister of Supply whether, in connection with the collection of waste food by local authorities, he will publish the figures relating to the amount collected by each individual authority, namely, based on the tonnage per 1,000 head of population, in order that the dilatory authorities may be assisted to make good.

A statement of the quantity of kitchen waste collected per 1,000 inhabitants would be misleading as an indication whether particular local authorities had done well or badly, in view of the varying circumstances of different localities and the differing quantities which are bought directly by domestic pig and poulty keepers, pig clubs, etc. In these circumstances, I do not think the expenditure of labour in calculating precise figures for the 674 local authorities concerned would be justified.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that a woman land worker recently lost her life through being struck by a jettisoned spare petrol tank from a military aircraft near Woodbridge, Suffolk; that the practice of dropping these tanks in certain areas is increasing, with growing danger to land workers; and if he will give instructions to prevent this as far as possible.

I am informed that the aircraft involved in this unfortunate accident belongs to the U.S. Army Air Forces. I understand that the regulations of the U.S. Army Air Forces provide that spare petrol tanks should only be jettisoned over friendly territory in an emergency. Similar regulations apply in the R.A F.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production the approximate total value and proportion of building and structural work carried out for his Ministry in the United Kingdom during the past five years and controlled by civil or structural engineers acting as the principal co-ordinators.

The cost of buildings and structural work carried out for my Ministry in the United Kingdom during the past five years is, in round figures, £135,000,000. A substantial proportion of this work has been controlled by civil or structural engineers acting as the principal co-ordinators, but as the works have formed the subject of some thousands of separate contracts, most of them let on behalf of my Department by agent companies, I regret that it is impracticable to state what proportion of the whole comes within this category.

asked the Minister of Works if he can indicate what proportion of the total amount of building and structural work carried out under contracts with his Ministry in the last five years was undertaken with engineers acting as principal co-ordinators.

Building and structural work amounting in total to approximately £190,000,000 has been carried out by the Ministry of Works in the last five years. Of this, as indicated in my reply on 14th February approximately £23,000,000 has been ender the supervision of civil engineering firms.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production what was the cost of building the shadow factory at Banner Lane, Coventry; and what was the cost of the machinery, plant and equipment installed therein.

The moneys expended on this factory are £1,700,000 on purchasing the land and erecting the buildings (including A.R.P. services) and £2,700,000 on buying and installing machinery and other equipment; a total of £4,400,000.

asked the President of the Board of Trade upon what terms has the shadow factory at Banner Lane, Coventry, been leased to the Standard Motor Company; and whether the lease comprises the machinery, plant and equipment installed therein.

This factory has been leased on the terms which, as was explained to my hon. Friend the Member for East Middlesbrough on 28th November last, will apply to the re-allocation of Government factories generally. This provides for a short-period rent based on 1939 values, to be adjusted later in accordance with current market values. The lease extends only to such machinery and plant as is necessary for operation of the services installed in the factory, together with certain lifting tackle.

asked the Attorney-General whether he can now state the settlement arrived at in regard to the charitable funds in possession of the Rev. Clapham at the time of his prosecution.

The settlement has now been sanctioned by the Court. With regard to a sum of some £7,000 admittedly collected for various charitable purposes, these have now been placed on a proper footing and a division made among the various charities for which the moneys were collected. A further sum of some £2,170 will be available under the Order of the Court for the relief of the poor in the parish.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can give an assurance that the freedom of discussion permitted in A.B.C.A. periods among both Indian troops and British troops in India is the same as in other units of the British Army.

I have no reason to believe the contrary.

asked the Attorney-General how many appeals against decisions of Pensions Appeal Tribunals have been heard; and how many of these were successful.

Nine appeals have been taken to the Courts from Pensions Appeal Tribunals, eight by applicants and one by the Minister. Three of the former and the latter were successful.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will reduce the charge of 6d. for air-mail letters to the Middle East to bring it more into line with the charge of 2d. for air-mail letters to India, Ceylon, etc., and H.M. ships.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer on this subject which I gave the hon. and gallant Member for Kettering (Lieut.-Colonel Profumo) on 7th March, and of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Postmaster-General why the Forces letter, price 2d., is intended only for members of the Forces in Ceylon, India and S.E.A.C., and to the R.N. and Merchant Navy in all parts of the world and is not available for the C.M.F. and M.E.F. for whom 6d. air letters are required; and will he take steps to enable it to be used to all Forces overseas.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer on this subject which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Kettering (Lieut.-Colonel Profumo) on 7th March and of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the low percentage of sub-postmasters who would benefit under the new regulation of paid annual leave for those not mainly dependent for their livelihood on earnings other than Post Office employment, he will amend this regulation so as to include those sub-postmasters who would be unable to make a livelihood without some other source of income; if he will initiate a scheme for head offices to provide holiday substitutes for village sub-postmasters; and if he will give the number of offices that have been closed down since the war due to lack of applicants for the post of sub-postmaster or mistress.

The arrangement under which, within limits, the Post Office reimburses a sub-postmaster for the cost of a holiday substitute was the subject of a recent agreement with the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters. It covers all those sub-postmasters who are insurable as such under the National Insurance Acts, i.e., those who are not mainly dependent for their livelihood on earnings from other than Post Office employment, who render not less than 18 hours personal service each week in the capacity of sub-postmaster, and whose net remuneration in respect of indoor Post Office employment does not exceed £420 per annum. Some 9,000, or 40 per cent., of a total of nearly 23,000 sub-postmasters fall within this category. I regret that I cannot see my way to extend the concession, or to relieve the sub-postmasters concerned of the obligation to find their own holiday substitutes. As regards the last part of my hon. Friend's Question, exact information could not be furnished without considerable inquiry, but the number is not large.

asked the Postmaster-General what steps have been taken since 28th November, 1944, to render as soundproof as possible the Members' telephone booths in the Central Lobby of the House of Commons.

The existing cabinets are being replaced during the Easter recess by fresh cabinets lined with sound-proofing material.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether, in view of the inconvenience and loss caused to the fishing trade in Northern Ireland by the shortage of boxes he will make shipping arrangements to bring about a speedier return of empty fish boxes to Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Adequate shipping space has always been provided for the transport of empty fish boxes from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, but the severe weather in January and in the early part of February caused some difficulty. I understand that there is now no delay in the return of the boxes.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he will arrange for all shades over railway carriage lights to be removed so as to provide effective illumination during morning and evening on L.N.E.R. suburban and other trains, particularly in view of the present inadequacy of lighting on some lines; and whether he will order lights to be lowered or extinguished only in the event of alerts in the vicinity of trains.

I am advised that the use of unshaded lights cannot at present be permitted in railway carriages where blinds are not in use. The order to extinguish or reduce such lights during an Alert has been suspended since January.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many men specially trained on radiolocation instruments are retained, at a place of which he has been informed, as unfit for service overseas; how many of them came from 73 Wing; and why some of them are being retained at that place and are not being returned to their units.

Seven radar operators and one radar mechanic who were found permanently unfit for overseas service were temporarily retained at the unit in question. The seven operators have now been re-posted in accordance with Service requirements. The radar mechanic is being retained as an instructor. One of these eight airmen previously served in No. 73 Wing.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will arrange for members of the R.A.F., who were engaged in medical and other professional studies at the time they joined, to be permitted to resume their studies in the autumn of 1945 and to receive the promised grant to enable them to complete their courses.

I am not yet in a position to make any statement about the release of students from the Forces. When they are released they will be able to apply for financial assistance under the Further Education and Training Scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the marine biologist who was appointed to report on the Fisheries of the Seychelles has yet reported; whether the report is to be published; and whether he can make a statement on' plans for land settlement in the Seychelles both for people in the Colony and for men in the Forces and the Pioneer Corps on their release.

I regret that it has not yet been possible to arrange for a visit by a marine biologist to the Seychelles, but every effort is being made to do so. As regards the second part of the Question, plans for land settlement which would provide employment for a limited number of persons in the categories mentioned have been submitted by the Governor and are under examination with a view to the grant of assistance under the Colonial Development and Welfare Act.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the workshops and industrial undertakings established during the war to meet military needs in West Africa are to be retained by or transferred to the Colonial Governments and utilised by them for civil and industrial purposes.

Undertakings established or extended by Colonial Governments during the war to meet Service needs will remain under civil control after the war. No general decision in principle has yet been made on the undertakings established by the Services for their own requirements, and I am asking that this question may in the first instance be considered at the next meeting of the West African War Council.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will inquire into the basis on- which the inhabitants of Coletown, Waterloo, in Sierra Leone, are being offered compensation for the expropriation of their lands, buildings and trees for the construction of an aerodrome, with a view to satisfying himself that the proposed basis for compensation is adequate; and what complaints he has so far received on this subject.

I have received no communication on this subject from the Governor, but I have just received a copy of a petition regarding their land addressed to the Governor of Sierra Leone by the inhabitants of Coletown. I am asking the Governor for a report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will investigate the complaints, evidence for which has been submitted to him, that the Government, in the absence of direction by the General Medical Council, encourages medical practice in Kenya by unlicensed persons in opposition to duly qualified and registered medical practitioners; and will he take steps to alter these arrangements.

I have asked the Governor for a report, and will communicate with the hon. Member on receipt of his reply.