asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department what steps the Government are taking for assisting the development of the tourist industry.

In view of the valuable contribution which foreign tourist traffic can make to our post-war balance of payments, and also in view of the opportunities which would be provided for a better international understanding, His Majesty's Government are impressed with the need for encouraging visits by overseas tourists and for promoting the proper development of the tourist industry through an organisation enjoying official support. His Majesty's Government are not yet in a position to decide upon the constitution of this organisation, but the matter is under consideration. A further report by the Catering Wages Commission and a report on Scottish aspects by a Committee of the Scottish Council on Industry are awaited. There is, however, important preliminary and exploratory work to be done as the first part of a consecutive programme of development and His Majesty's Government have decided that the Travel Association, which was the organisation responsible for the promotion of tourist traffic from overseas before the war, should be put in a position to undertake this preliminary work in co-operation with the interests concerned and should be given adequate financial support for the purpose.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will make supplies of continental potash available, in the near future, to British farmers.

The position regarding supplies of potash from France is being investigated by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply, and it is expected that an appreciable quantity will be available for British agriculture as soon as transport conditions permit.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Economic Warfare whether he will give particulars of the present situation in Norway as regards food supplies and more especially the privation among children in the towns; and what supplies are being sent from Sweden under control of the Red Cross.

I have been asked to reply. The most recent information which has reached me is to the effect that the food situation in Norway is serious, though not catastrophic. It is not nearly so bad as in Holland or as it was in Greece just before the liberation. There appears to be no widespread starvation amongst Norwegian children, and much of the relief provided by Sweden has been earmarked for children. From November, 1943, supplies of foodstuffs at the rate of 250 tons a month, increased in June, 1944, to 500 tons a month, have been sent from Sweden to Norway. In recent months the Anglo-American authorities have approved the despatch from Sweden of 2,000 tons of flour, 1,000 tons of sugar, 1,000 tons of fats, 200 tons of dried milk, 200 tons of blood pudding, 200 tons of dried vegetables, 5,000 tons of fodder cake, 3,000 tons of turnips and 300 tons of other foodstuffs, including milk powder and margarine. These supplies are now being sent forward from Sweden as well as drugs, surgical instruments, grass seed and 6,700 tons of seed grain. Some 1,500 tons of clothing, including clothes for children, have also been sent from Sweden. Shipments from overseas to Norway via Sweden through the controls include 500 tons of stewed steak and 2,000 tons of fats, and the shipment of 13,000 tons of grain from South America has been approved. Very considerable quantities of medical supplies are being sent by the American Red Cross. Supplies from Sweden to Norway are not generally sent under the auspices of the International Red Cross. These supplies which are provided by Swedish and Norwegian-American Donors Committees, the Swedish-Norwegian Help Society and the Swedish Red Cross, are sent to a body in Oslo called the Swedish Donors' Representatives, who distribute them through various charitable organisations, schools and children's institutions. A delegate of the International Red Cross has reported that the arrangements made by the body in Oslo ensure a wise and judicious use of the various relief supplies.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has considered a resolution passed by the Executive Council of the County Councils Association, a copy of which has been sent to him, regarding the effect of the continual increases which have taken place in wages and salaries during the war period; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I have considered the Resolution to which my hon. Friend refers. As regards the action to be taken, I would refer to paragraphs 49 to 54 of the White Paper on Employment Policy, in which the Government set out their views on the respective responsibilities of the Government, employers and workers in this matter.

asked the Minister of Health for how many families hutments have been provided in the London area and elsewhere.

4,331 emergency hutments have been supplied to local authorities in the London Civil Defence Region. Of these 2,099 had been erected and 1,721 are occupied.

asked the Minister of Health how many temporary houses have been applied for; and how many have been sanctioned to date.

Applications from local authorities in England and Wales for 183,036 temporary houses have been received and 117,826 houses have to date been allocated.

asked the Minister of Works if, in view of the great demand for holiday accommodation and the loss being sustained by hotel and boarding-house managements where de-requisitions have been made of premises which are unfit for immediate use, he will immediately authorise sufficient labour to be made available for necessary cleaning up and repairs to enable the premises to be opened as early as possible this season.

The Government recognise the importance of enabling these properties to be brought back into use as soon as possible. Licences to carry out the minimum amount of work necessary for this purpose will be granted in so far as labour can be made available in the locality concerned. It will, however, be appreciated that there are many other demands upon our very limited resources of building labour, and that some of these demands, such as war damage repair, are of a very urgent character.

asked the Minister of Health if he will institute inquiries into the increased incidence of tuberculosis, as billeting young children and placing young children with elderly people who have the disease may be the cause of the increase, and take steps to warn parents of this danger.

No, Sir. I do not think any special inquiry is needed. Nor do I think that the trend of tuberculosis can be fairly judged from incidence rates alone: in fact, the number of deaths from tuberculosis is no higher to-day than before the war. My hon. Friend will, however, see from the Report on Tuberculosis in Wartime issued by the Medical Research Council in September, 1942 (Special Report Series No. 246), that the danger he refers to was recognised, and great care in billeting children was exercised by local authorities while evacuation was in progress.

asked the Minister of Health why his Department informed the Press that a case of smallpox had been confirmed on 24th January in Anglesey as it was subsequently stated that the case was not smallpox.

No information about the case to which my hon. Friend refers was supplied to the Press by my Department.

asked the Minister of Health what is the present estimated adult population of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The total adult population of England and Wales as at 30th June, 1944, the date of last ascertainment, inclusive of the Armed Forces of the country temporarily abroad and exclusive of the Armed Forces of Dominions, Colonies and Foreign Countries temporarily present in the country, is estimated at approximately 30,104,000. I am informed by my right hon. Friend that the corresponding figure for Scotland is approximately 3,490,000. The adult civilian population in Northern Ireland at that date is estimated at approximately 820,000.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in co-operation with electricity undertakings, the telephone service and radio manufacturers, he will organise research to ensure that electricity, telephone and a number of radio programmes can be taken to villages and remote farms on the same poles or even the same wires, so as to reduce the cost of these services and make them universally available.

Use is already made of the same poles for electricity and telephone wires to a limited extent, and in conjunction with my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power I have arranged to examine the possibility of extending this practice. Much information is already available in the Post Office with regard to the possibility of providing electricity, telephone service, and radio programmes over common line plant. While this would be technically practicable with suitably designed plant, the evidence available shows that there would be no economy over the existing methods of providing the services separately. I will, however, see that my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion is not overlooked as a possible future development.

asked the Minister of Labour what progress has been made in the last six weeks in the discussions about shortage of labour in the cotton industry in Northeast Cheshire and the Manchester area.

Proposals made to me on 12th April by the representative Committee of the Cotton Board are now under consideration. Further discussion will take place in the next few weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the total civilian casualties to date from enemy action.

The total number of civilian casualties, killed and injured, due to enemy action in the United Kingdom from the outbreak of war to date is 146,760.

The following table gives the separate figures of killed and injured and detained in hospital: