asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many Greeks, sent to Egypt from this country on board a British ship, in July, 1944, are still detained in the Greek naval prisoners-of-war camp at Bardia; and whether he is aware that many of them have not been tried in any court and have had no specific charges lodged against them.

The total number of Greek seamen who have been interned at Bardia amounts to about 2,500. Arrangements for the repatriation of all these men to Greece are now in hand. I understand that this total includes 76 Greeks who were sent to Egypt from this country in July, 1944. I believe it is correct that the majority of them have not been brought to trial.

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that these Greeks are very alarmed lest when they get back to Greece they should be exiled to the islands? Would he remand the Greek Government that that would make a bad impression in this country?

I understand that it is the intention of the Greek Government that when these men get back to Greece those who have not been sentenced will be released to their homes. So far as the men who have been sentenced are concerned, I understand that in a great many cases the sentences have been commuted and, in consequence, some of those will go back to their, homes, too.

Does that mean that those established in England will be allowed to return to this country?

Perhaps my hon. Friend will put that question on the Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why Service personnel serving on the Control Commission in Germany are not to receive the same rates of pay and the same allowances and enjoy the same facilities regarding free accommodation and messing as are to be accorded to civilian members of the Commission.

As regards the rates of pay of these two classes of personnel employed in the British element of the Control Commission for Germany, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the Question on this subject asked by the hon. Member for Down (Dr. Little) on 26th April. As regards the free accommodation and messing of Service personnel these must, like rates of pay, follow the normal Service rules.

Can my right hon. Friend say why Service personnel should be at a great disadvantage compared with civilian personnel when both are carrying out exactly the same duties?

I can give a reason why the treatment should be different, but I do not accept the suggestion that Service personnel are at a great disadvantage. The reason why there must be different treatment is that the conditions of Service personnel must be equated to the ordinary Army rules. For instance, they must be equated to the conditions under which the Army of Occupation serves, but the conditions for civilian personnel have to be equated to conditions in the Civil Service.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the emoluments for civil servants are such as to enable them to pay for their own accommodation, and that now they are to receive the same emoluments and have the accommodation given to them?

I do not think it is possible to draw an exact comparison between Service conditions and civilian conditions, but I am satisfied that in general the Service element is not at a disadvantage.

Will my right hon. Friend publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT the rates of remuneration and allowances accorded to civilian members, so that they can be compared with those for Service members?

I will look into that.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will instruct the British Minister at the Vatican to make arrangements for German Roman Catholic bishops and high officials of the Vatican to visit the concentration camps as they are overrun by British and U.S.A. forces in order that the Church may have fully-authenticated evidence of the Nazi crimes against Christian civilisation.

The making of arrangements for visits to these concentration camps are a matter for the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force. While His Majesty's Government see no reason to ask for any special invitations to be issued to the Vatican, they would certainly view with favour any request the latter might make for their representatives to be allowed to visit the camps, and would support it with Supreme Allied Headquarters. The possibility of including representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and other religious bodies in Germany in any visits arranged for German nationals has, I understand, already been suggested to Supreme Allied Headquarters.

Can my right hon. Friend, say that if representatives of any of the Churches, not only Roman Catholic, make application, facilities will be afforded?

As I have said, that is a matter for the Supreme Commander, and he is familiar with our views.

Have there not been concentration camps in Italy for some time? They might have taken a look at them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, since the Jews were the only people singled out daily for anti-racial propaganda in Germany, he will consider affording them early facilities to use the radio in Germany for counter-propaganda.

The use made of radio stations in those parts of Germany occupied by British and American forces is at the moment the responsibility of the Supreme Allied Commander, and I think it can be left to him to employ them to the best advantage. I have no doubt that in any programmes which may be broadcast from German stations under the Supreme Commander's control full publicity will be given to the position of the Jews and the systematic atrocities committed against them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Streicher, the Nazi persecutor, is on the list of war criminals, and if he has been caught.

Streicher has certainly been listed. I have no report so far of his capture.

Does my right hon. Friend know where Goebbels, Goering and Himmler are, and will he see that all of them are brought to trial?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the present position regarding the winding-up of the affairs of the International Committee for Non-intervention in Spain in this country.

The final meeting of the Nonintervention Committee was held on 20th April, 1939. At this meeting it was agreed that the several activities of the International Board should be closed down as rapidly as possible, and that the international funds connected therewith should be disposed of according to an agreed plan. On the outbreak of war in September, 1939, the Secretary to the Board, after first notifying the members in advance, closed the offices of the Board and dispersed the staff with the exception of one financial officer. With the outbreak of war it became impossible to carry out liquidation of the several international funds. It will be necessary after the war for the accounts to be completed and audited, and any funds remaining must then be distributed.

Could the Minister tell us whether, during the period of the existence of the Non-intervention Committee, they ever discovered any intervention on the part of Hitler and Mussolini in Spain?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why information regarding German V weapons and their emplacements given to Sir Knatchbull-Hugessen, His Majesty's Ambassador in Turkey in February, 1943, was ignored; and whether he will now make this information available to Members of this House.

Sir H. Knatchbull-Hugessen informs me that he, himself, has no recollection of having received any such information. Nor do the archives of His Majesty's Embassy at Angora contain any trace of it.

That answer does not surprise me at all. Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that the facts with regard to the matters mentioned in the Question were laid before His Majesty's Ambassador in Turkey, and were deliberately suppressed? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Yes, and were passed on to the American Ambassador, who took notice of them. Will the right hon. Gentleman make an examination of the facts?

No, Sir, I am not aware of that, and in the light of what Sir Knatchbull-Hugessen told me I am afraid that I cannot give credence to it.

I shall return to this again.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the legislation now pending in the Egyptian Parliament, at the instance of the Government of Egypt, of which the effect will be the restriction of British trade in that country and the discharge of many British subjects from positions which the Egyptian Government proposes to bar to British subjects although wholly in the pay of British firms; and what representations he has made to the Egyptian Government on this subject.

Yes, Sir. I am aware that such a law appears to be under contemplation. It has not, however, yet been introduced into the Egyptian Parliament. I am also aware that its reported terms have caused, and I think reasonably caused, the gravest anxiety among foreign communities in Egypt. The matter has already been discussed with the Egyptian Prime Minister, and I am not without hope that the fears of foreign traders may be eventually allayed.

Have not the Egyptians made more money out of us than anybody else?

While my right hon. Friend is making representations on this matter, would he also make representations regarding the fact that all books and accounts are required to be kept in Arabic?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, if Syria and the Lebanon are not to be supplied with automatic weapons and reconnaissance cars for their gendarmeries from British sources; he will see that no difficulties are placed by our authorities in the way of their purchasing this essential equipment from the Iraqis, the Egyptians or the U.S.A.

I cannot add to the replies given to previous questions about this matter, which is still under discussion.

As this question has been pending for months, is it not time a decision was come to?

I would recommend my hon. and gallant Friend to accept the advice which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to him a week or two ago.

I have no idea to what my right hon. Friend is referring.

Is it not a fact that we have subscribed to the independence of Syria and the Lebanon, and if that be so, why are they not allowed to arm their gendarmerie in any way they like?

I have nothing to add to the reply which I have given.

Will the Minister give us an assurance that the armament rings will not be encouraged to foist weapons on them?

On a point of Order. The Minister made a statement, Mr. Speaker, in answer to my Question and referred me to what the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is alleged to have said to me a week or two ago. There is an implied criticism in this, which I do not accept. Furthermore, I have had no such conversation, as is alleged, with the Foreign Secretary.

That is not a point of Order.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how long it is likely to be before all British subjects now resident in Switzerland who desire to return to this country will be repatriated.

There are some 200 British subjects in Switzerland who wish to come here as soon as they can. For military reasons and as a result of the shortage of transport in France and of accommodation in Paris, it has only just become possible for repatriation to begin. Small parties of about 10 British subjects are now coming here weekly, priority being given to the wives of serving men. At this rate some months would elapse before repatriation was complete, but I hope that, with improved facilities, this period will be considerably curtailed. I am afraid, however, that I can at present make no prediction.

Will the Government continue to give priority to the families of ex-Servicemen?

We will certainly do our best for them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether he has now received any answer to the inquiries addressed by him to the Soviet Government with regard to M. Witos, the former Polish Prime Minister, who was taken away from his home near Cracow on 31st March;

(2) whether he has now received a reply to the inquiries which he has made of the Soviet Government as to the whereabouts of M. Jankowski, Vice-Premier of Poland, three Cabinet Ministers and 11 other representatives who were carried away by the Soviet authorities on 28th March.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet any information concerning the whereabouts and condition of the Vice-Premier of the Polish Government in London, the three other Ministers and eight representatives of four Polish political parties who visited the headquarters of the Russian General Ivanoff at his invitation on 28th March, 1945.

asked the Secretary State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet received from the Russian Government information with regard to the fate of the 15 Polish political leaders who have disappeared, and about whose disappearance the gravest concern is felt by the Polish Government in London.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the inquiries which he has made of the Soviet Government regarding the whereabouts of a number of Polish representatives, including Messieurs Witos and Jankowski, have, as yet, placed him in a position to give any information on the subject.

His Majesty's Government have not ceased to press the Soviet Government as to the whereabouts of the prominent Poles referred to. No information has, however, been received by His Majesty's Embassy at Moscow in reply to their repeated inquiries. I regret that I can give the House no assurance as to the safety of the persons mentioned in the Questions.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman realise that a month has now elapsed since these gentlemen were carried off and that the anguish of their Polish colleagues in the Ministry is intense? Were they not offered a safe conduct by General Iyanoff?

I certainly fully understand the point which my hon. Friend has made. As I said, we have made repeated inquiries of the Soviet Embassy and in Moscow, and so far have had no reply whatever. That is a matter which His Majesty's Government regret.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that not only the Polish authorities are suffering from great anxiety, but public opinion in this country is violently aroused about this?

In view of this situation in which between Allies we apparently are unable to get a civil reply to a civil question, will not my right hon. Friend take some extra steps to ensure obtaining a reply?

Will my right hon. Friend have this brought up at San Francisco?

Will my right hon. Friend telegraph at once to the Foreign Secretary to ask him to talk to Mr. Molotov about this and ask Mr. Molotov to give personal attention to it?

I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that the Foreign Secretary has done, and is still doing, all he can to obtain information on this point.

Is the Minister aware that hundreds of people have been taken from their homes in Ulster and their relatives are suffering great anxiety, and will he take that matter up?

On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker. Is it open to an hon. Member to raise an entirely different question which has got nothing to do with the Question on the Paper, and if so, can we have a debate on it?

A supplementary question must always be relevant to the Question on the Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that a public meeting was held, on 14th April, in Siedece, in Poland, at which representatives of the Lublin Government announced forthcoming elections on a one-party basis; that 24 Poles who opposed the speakers were publicly executed in the market place by Lublin special police in the presence of senior officers of the Russian police; that on 15th April five other Poles were shot, two of whom were American citizens of Polish descent; that on 16th April a further six Polish farmers were publicly hanged without trial; and if, in view of the Yalta agreements, he will make representations to secure the avoidance of such incidents in future.

His Majesty's Government have received one report which appears to bear upon two of the incidents described by my hon. and gallant Friend, but does not altogether correspond with the details he has given. They are, however, unable to confirm the truth of this report or to acquire information regarding events in Poland, since they do not recognise the present Provisional Government in Warsaw and, therefore, are not officially represented in Poland; nor have the Soviet authorities granted facilities for British observers to proceed to areas which are on the lines of communication of the Red Army. Inquiries have been made, however, of the Soviet Government regarding the reports referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend.

If we are to collaborate with our Ally successfully in the time before us, is it not very necessary that there should be a great deal more frankness in the communications which we receive from the Soviet Government on this and allied matters?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give a list of the pensions still granted out of the Civil List to widows of diplomatic and consular officers in view of the distinguished public services of their late husbands, their straitened or necessitous circumstances, or their inadequate means of support; and why the facts have not been published in the Foreign Office List since 1921.

I will, with permission, circulate this answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the answer:

The following pensions are still being drawn from the Civil List by widows of diplomatic and consular officers:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the acting King's F.S. messengers and local couriers enlisted after the last war by the Communications Department of the Foreign Office are still employed on a temporary basis, subject to one month's notice; and whether he will arrange that those officials with a minimum of 20 years' service shall be entitled to pensions.

The position of the acting King's Messengers referred to is that their appointment is for the duration of the war or for such longer period as their services may be required. The grant of pensions is governed by the Superannuation Acts and temporary unestablished personnel are not eligible for pensions. I hope that after the war the posts which are likely to be required as a permanency will be established posts and that the holders will be pensionable. I cannot say at this stage how the posts will be filled, but I will certainly consider the cases which the hon. Member has in mind.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that some of these King's Service Messengers, who have served the country in very responsible posts, expect that after the war they will be sacked and younger men will be taken on? Will he make sure that that does not occur, because it would be a disgrace?

I think the hon. Member's information is not altogether correct. The position, as I understand it, is that the engagement of the officers in question, those who have served a large number of years on a temporary basis, terminated at the beginning of this war and they were then given a gratuity. Some were reengaged again on a temporary basis.

The gratuity could be taken into account. It would be wrong that they should not get a pension after their service.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement about the Provisional Government established in Austria; whether the British Government was consulted about its formation; and whether Austria and Vienna have been divided into zones of occupation.

Yes, Sir. On 26th April His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires in Moscow was informed by the Soviet Government that, on the entry of the Red Army into Austrian territory, the Soviet Commandant had been approached by Dr. Karl Renner, a past Chancellor of the Austrian Republic, with a suggestion for the formation of a provisional Austrian Government. His Majesty's Charge d'Affaires was at once instructed to inform the Soviet Government that His Majesty's Government would require time to consider the matter, which was of equal concern to all the Four Powers who are to participate in the occupation and control of Austria. However, on 29th April a broadcast from Moscow announced that a provisional Austrian Government had been established under Dr. Renner. The whole question is being taken up with the Soviet Government, both by His Majesty's Government and the United States Government, with whom we are in complete agreement, and I should prefer to say nothing further at present. As regards the occupation of Austria, this will be effected by British, American, Soviet and French forces and the zones in Austria as a whole have been agreed. The precise delimitation of zones in Vienna itself is under active consideration by the Four Powers.

While regretting that this action was not taken by the Allies jointly according to the understanding arrived at in Yalta, in view of the representative character of the Provisional Government and the standing and record of all the Ministers appointed, will His Majesty's Government at the first opportunity consider giving it full recognition?

Can my right hon. Friend give us some assurance that British Press representatives will be sent to Vienna as soon as possible?

That is one of the matters which I hope will be settled in the discussions now proceeding.

Has any reply been received to the representations by His Majesty's Government?

Nothing except what I gave in the original answer.

Can my right hon. Friend say where the Changé d'Affaires is, and whether the British element of the Allied Control Commission is now in Austria?

The Chargé d'Affaires is in Moscow. The answer to the second part of the supplementary question is "No."

Is he not allowed in?

I have already said that these matters are under active consideration at the moment between the four Governments concerned, and I really do not think it is advisable to discuss the matter further now.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can make any statement on the whereabouts of Dr. Kurt von Schuschnigg, the last Austrian Chancellor.

No, Sir. I have no information as to the whereabouts of Dr. Schuschnigg.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the excellent treatment given by the Russians to British prisoners of war whom they liberate, he can state whether special effort is made to extend similar treatment to Russian prisoners of war liberated by the British.

An agreement was concluded at the Yalta Conference laying down the treatment of British prisoners of war who fell into the hands of the Soviet Forces, and vice versa. We are, of course, carrying out this agreement, but quite apart from it special efforts have been made, and are being made, to provide the best possible treatment for Soviet citizens liberated by British Forces pending their repatriation to their own country.

In view of misleading statements about this matter which have recently appeared in the Press, I am circulating a fuller statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Can my right hon. Friend say whether, in fact, the Russians have carried out their part of the agreement with regard to British prisoners?

There are one or two matters on which we are not satisfied. These are being taken up with the Soviet Government.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the word "excellent" accurately describes the treatment which has been given to at any rate some of the British prisoners?

I cannot speak for certain British prisoners, but I should have thought that "excellent" was too emphatic a term to use.

Why is it that British prisoners who have been repatriated through Odessa have been prohibited from making any statement?

I think that would be a matter for the War Office.

As we have nothing to hide whatsoever in this matter, will not my right hon. Friend make it possible for representatives of the Russian Government to see how in fact the freed Russians are treated in this country?

I think the representatives of the Russian Government do have facilities far greater than the representatives of our Government have on the other side.

Will my right hon. Friend consult with the Secretary of State for War with a view to seeing that some of the prisoners who have been repatriated through Russia are given an opportunity of meeting hon. Members upstairs?

I will certainly see about that.

Following is the statement:

Ever since D-Day large numbers of Soviet citizens have been liberated by the advancing Anglo-American armies. Further numbers have been liberated in Italy and the Balkans. A large proportion of these persons had been, or were at the time of their liberation, serving in the Todt and other German organisations, and a considerable number of them fell into our hands in German uniform as members of German military formations. The vast majority of these men had been forced into German service against their will, and the task of segregating them and of arranging for their care and treatment pending repatriation has thrown an ever increasing burden on the Allied military authorities concerned I am glad to say that in discharging this task we have had the assistance of a number of Soviet officers who have been sent to Western and Southern Europe for the purpose. These officers have enjoyed facilities for visiting the Soviet citizens in question and discussing their conditions Which compare very favourably with the facilities enjoyed by similar British representatives in the Soviet Union and areas liberated by the Soviet Forces. Arrangements were made under which these Soviet citizens, while awaiting repatriation, were placed in special camps with Soviet officers in charge of them.

Since last October, 42,421 Soviet citizens have been repatriated from this country and from the Mediterranean area, to which may be added 14,565 liberated by United States Forces but repatriated in British ships. With the exception of one ship provided by the United States Government, all the shipping and other transport for these 56,986 Soviet citizens has been provided by the British authorities at the cost of reducing the amount available for other vital purposes. The remaining Soviet citizens in Western Europe could have been repatriated much earlier if shipping had been available, and if the Soviet Government had felt able to assist us in this task. Special efforts have throughout been made to provide the best possible treatment for Soviet citizens liberated by British Forces pending their repatriation, and close contact has been maintained with the Soviet authorities and their requests have wherever possible been met.

The Soviet authorities have notified us of 3,854 British subjects liberated by their Forces up to 21st April, and of these 3,639 have passed through the camp in Odessa, which is the most advanced point at which the Soviet authorities have allowed British officers to have regular access to liberated British prisoners of war. In this case, too, British shipping alone has been used to bring these men home. In addition several thousand American and other Allied ex-prisoners have been brought out from Odessa.

Where we have not been satisfied about the treatment of our men at the hands of the Russians we have taken the matter up with the Soviet authorities and we hope to settle these points in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the lack of food in the case of British residents in the South of France; and what action is being taken about the matter.

His Majesty's Government are aware of the unfortunate scarcity of food in the South of France to which my right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary referred in his answer to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Howdenshire (Colonel Carver) on 20th March. British subjects living in foreign countries must generally speaking share the conditions under which the local population live, and His Majesty's Government would consider it improper to take steps, even if they were practicable, to send in food for them apart from such steps as might be possible for the assistance of the population as a whole. Some Red Cross parcels, however, have become available for British subjects who are old or ill, and it is hoped that more of them will be forthcoming. Facilities for accommodating British subjects in transit through Paris and communications with the South of France have improved of late, and I am glad to say that it is now possible for small parties of British subjects to be repatriated from that region. Every endeavour is being made to use these facilities to the full. Despite local conditions, however, most of the British subjects concerned do not wish to leave.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that British subjects are entitled to protection and help in whatever part of the world they find themselves; and will he not facilitate the sending of Red Cross parcels to these people, most of whom are living on small means in very difficult circumstances?

Of course, British subjects are entitled to protection and help, but we must stand by the main principle; that it would not be proper to treat British subjects in a matter of this kind differently from the local population themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for Air approximately what percentage of R.A.F. personnel serving overseas have so far applied to have ballot papers sent to them by post at the next election.

The information for which the hon. Member asks is not yet available.

Will the right hon. Gentleman make it available very soon?

It will take some time to collect it from all the formations overseas, but it will be collected from returns which we hope to get by 1st June. It should be available soon after that.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the Special Investigation Branch of the Provost Marshal's Branch is called in to investigate losses and accidents in Transport Command and in B.O.A.C. respectively.

The Provost Marshal would be called upon to assist if questions arose which it was within his competence to investigate.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny that there have been losses and accidents? Is not the existence of the Special Investigation Branch for the purpose of investigating difficult questions of this kind?

Not accidents. There is a Chief Inspector of Accidents, and there are courts of inquiry which investigate accidents. It is true that circumstances might arise in which a group commander or a court of inquiry would require help of the Provost Marshal, in which case help would be made promptly available.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is now in a position to state who will be the chair man and the members of a national advisory council for the A.T.C.

No, Sir, but lists of names are being obtained, and these and the constitution and terms of reference of such a body are being considered.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give any indication of when he is likely to be able to make an announcement?

I think it will require very careful consideration. It is complicated owing to the large number of people who are interested in the formation of such a body.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will inform the House on the policy he proposes to adopt for the continuity of the A.T.C. as a constituent feature of the youth movement following the close of hostilities in Europe.

The Air Training Corps was established by the Air Ministry to provide pre-entry training for the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm. As such, it forms a valuable part of the youth movement of the country and it will continue to do so after the end of the war in Europe.

Does the right hon. Gentleman recall that he gave an undertaking that the organisation would be continued after the war as an element of the youth movement?

That is quite true, but on this occasion I am asked if I will inform the House as to the policy following the close of hostilities in Europe. That is why I confined my answer to that point.

Will the right hon. Gentleman see that any undertakings that he may give to these boys will in future be observed by all his colleagues?

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that the premises of a well-known public school for girls, the name of which has been given him, have for the past three years been requisitioned by his Department and the school has consequently been closed; and whether, in view of the urgent need for educational facilities of the type afforded by this school, he can give an assurance that the premises will be released at an early date and that they will not be used for other purposes when the units now in occupation have been moved.

I am glad to be able to give the assurance that the school buildings will be released as soon as the Allied unit now occupying them has been moved.

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1) the number of houses in the Stanmore area still requisitioned; and the number which are not occupied at the present time;

(2) if he is aware that the requisitioned premises known as "The Bowls," Stan-more, have not been used or occupied since December; and, in view of the shortage of housing accommodation in that neighbourhood, whether he will terminate his policy of refusing to release unoccupied houses in case they may be required again.

Sixty houses in the Stanmore area are held on requisition by the Royal Air Force. Five of these are at present unoccupied and are being relinquished. A Royal Air Force reorganisation in this area, which has been planned during the last few months and is now being put into effect, has required certain houses to remain vacant pending reoccupation. One of these is the property known as "The Bowls," which was vacated a few months ago but is now being reoccupied. I am keenly aware of the importance of releasing accommodation in this neighbourhood and the position is kept constantly under review. No vacant property is retained unless a further need for it is foreseen, but it would be a disservice to all concerned for a property to be relinquished which has to be requisitioned again shortly afterwards.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that these premises are very rapidly deteriorating, and that at least three families are awaiting possession of the house?

The house required will not be relinquished. Five houses which are not required will be relinquished.

If we can be told where these houses are, why cannot we be told where the factory is?

Why is it necessary, in this case, to ask a Question before the houses are relinquished when the people who hold them know very well that they do not want them and are not likely to want them?

asked the Secretary of State for Air for how long he intends occupying the factory of which he has been informed.

So far as can be seen at present, this depot, which is the property of the Air Ministry and is not held on requisition, will be required by the Royal Air Force after the war.

On a point of Order. In view of the fact that, presumably, the public interest has precluded giving the name of the factory with which the Question is intended to deal, may I ask if any useful purpose is served by putting on the Paper a Question relating to a factory which the House and the public cannot possibly identify?

That is not for me to say. It is for any Member to put down his Question as he thinks best himself. As long as it is in Order, I cannot edit it.

In view of the relaxations that are being made in this sort of matter, could not the right hon. Gentleman tell the House where the factory is?

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that some men who went overseas with the B.L.A. in June have hot yet been given home leave and see no prospect of getting any in the near future whereas men who have been overseas for a shorter period have been granted leave; and will he substitute for the present leave scheme one that operates more fairly.

The basic principle of the leave scheme for men in North-West Europe is "first out, first home," but operational requirements make it impossible to apply this principle inflexibly. I hope, however, that within the next few weeks it will be possible for the majority of the men to whom my hon. Friend refers to enjoy a period of home leave.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether personnel of the W.A.A.F. who enlisted in 1939 under Paragraph 652, Clause 1, K.R. and A.C.I., and have served for four years according to their terms of enrolment and have been discharged on the termination of their engagement, are entitled to war gratuities.

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why members of the W.A.A.F. doing the work of station signals officers at operational stations are not receiving their pay as tradeswomen, namely, two-thirds of the pay of an R.A.F. signals officer; and whether he will look into the matter.

W.A.A.F. Officers who are qualified for membership of the technical branch receive two-thirds of the pay of R.A.F. Signals Officers who are members of the technical branch. The position of W.A.A.F. officers who are not so qualified and who are employed as Stations Signals Officers is under consideration.

Is it not the general rule that women performing technical duties who are skilled in those duties receive two-thirds of the pay of the corresponding male personnel?

Yes, Sir, and those who are eligible to be regarded as technical officers do receive that two-thirds, but there are some whose qualifications are still the subject of consideration.

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that fair?

asked the Secretary of State for Air why service air passengers to India are required to be vaccinated when all service personnel have the right to decline to be vaccinated.

Recently there was an outbreak of smallpox in India at an airfield used by transport aircraft. Not only for their own protection but for the protection of others, Service personnel were not allowed to proceed by air to this airfield unless they had been vaccinated shortly before. I should add that vaccination was, and is, voluntary and no one has been vaccinated against his will.

But is it not true that they will not take people unless they agree to be vaccinated, and is not that compulsion?

It is not compulsion. The position is that I have not power, and I do not seek power, to compel any man to be vaccinated against his will, but I must use such powers as I have got to prevent numbers of other people from suffering by his refusal.

Does the right hon. Gentleman still cling to the idea that vaccination is the cure for smallpox?

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production what steps he has taken or proposes to take to keep the men and women employed in the aircraft factory in North-east Lancashire, the name of which has been sent to him; and, in view of the widespread anxiety as to the future of this factory, if he will make a statement as to its post-war position.

Owing to smaller requirements for the type of stores hitherto produced at this factory, consequent on the course of the war, a substantial reduction in employment is unavoidable. I am arranging to ameliorate the position as far as possible by putting other work into the factory. As to the second part of the Question, I have now informed my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade when and to what extent the factory, or parts of it, will be vacant. He informed the hon. Member on Tuesday, 24th April, that he was confident that he would have no difficulty in allocating it for civilian production.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state whether the manufacture of the same kind of stores will be carried on in the future as before?

To a certain extent, and other work of a similar character is being put in.

In view of the fact that some of the aircraft industry will be redundant after the war, will my right hon. Friend take the earliest opportunity to let both managements and workpeople know which factories are no longer to be used in the industry, so that both parties can make other plans?

We have uniformly taken the earliest opportunity of doing so.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what steps have been, or are being, taken to counter the large thefts of diamonds and the slitting of mailbags on the B.O.A.C. planes, as a loss of British prestige is the likely result of continual thefts.

The B.O.A.C, with the assistance of the Special Investigations Branch of the Provost Marshal's Branch and the local police authorities in the areas concerned, have investigated losses arising from the violation of mailbags. Measures which have been taken to eliminate these thefts include special arrangements for supervision during flight and the strengthening of the ground supervisory traffic staff and Inspectors while mails are in the custody of B.O.A.C.

Can my hon. Friend say what success has attended those efforts, and whether these thefts and crimes have not been frequent of late?

These measures have been in operation for the last three weeks, and so far, I am informed, we have not succeeded in catching a thief, but I am full of hope.

asked the Minister of Works how many premises have been requisitioned by him for the purposes of the Polish Government; and the names of those British undertakings who owned them.

Thirty requisitioned premises have been placed at the disposal of the Polish Government by the Ministry of Works. I will send my hon. Friend a list of those who occupied them at the time they were requisitioned.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware that in many cases Government Departments hand over requisitioned houses and cottages in an uninhabitable condition and refuse to do the necessary repairs themselves; and whether, in these cases, he will raise the £10 limit on building repairs to enable the reoccupation of the premises and to help the housing shortage.

Where labour is available, licences will be granted for such repairs as are absolutely necessary to make derequisitioned dwelling houses habitable.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give a little more latitude to the local authorities to do things which are really necessary?

This must be judged in the light of local circumstances. Local authorities have a great deal of latitude in the matter. The question of how much labour may be allotted to this particular type of work depends entirely on what other urgent work needs to be done in the area.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give them power to be the judges of what labour there is in the district?

asked the Minister of Works if, taking the types of houses which before the war cost to erect £400 and £800, respectively, inclusive of every outlay, he will state the present cost of erecting precisely similar houses both in the towns and in the country; and to what the increased cost is mainly attributable.

asked the Minister of Works the cost of the separate items of building material, including bricks, cement, timber, flooring tiles, roofing tiles or slates utilised in the construction of the ordinary subsidy houses built from 1935 to 1938 and the total cost of such material; the average labour costs embodied in the prices paid for completed houses; and the estimated costs of the same quantity of material and labour at the present time or in the immediate future.

As the answer is long and includes a table of figures, I will circulate it in HANSARD.

Following is the answer:

Very few houses are being built at present and costs will vary widely according to local and other circumstances. This makes estimates of present day building costs very unreliable. It is estimated that the net cost exclusive of overheads and profit and exclusive of land and estate development costs, of building a pre-war house of about 800 sq. ft. ranged from £335–£405, of which £105–1125 were represented by labour and £230–£280 by materials. The estimated costs in 1935–1938 of the materials used in such a house is shown in the following table: Tentative estimates of the cost of building houses of a similar type under present conditions suggest that there has been an overall increase of 70 per cent. to 100 per cent. This rise is attributable to increased labour costs which result both from wage increases and from such factors as long hours of working, overtime, cost of directed labour and the high average age of the present building labour force, as well as to a rise in the cost of materials, notably timber, due to a general increase in the cost of labour, raw materials and distribution.

asked the Minister of Works what percentage of the total labour cost of building a small house of six to eight rooms is represented by cost of bricklayer and labourer.

Between 30 and 40 per cent.

If a house with six or or eight rooms is a small house, what is a medium house?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will address that question to the hon. and learned Gentleman who put down this Question.

asked the Minister of Works if he will state the minimum number of bricks which a bricklayer is now estimated to lay in a day of eight hours on a straight internal wall with a normal amounts of labourer's assistance; how much he is paid for such a day's work; and what bonus or extra pay he receives if he lays more than the minimum.

Where the present payment by results scheme is in operation, the normal average output for this type of nine inch brick walling is a little over 570 bricks in a 10-hour working day. This output is, of course, frequently exceeded. For the laying of 570 bricks in a 10-hour day a bricklayer at London rates receives 28s. 9½d., including overtime. Of this, 5s. 7d. is bonus.

Is it not a fact that some bricklayers can lay 1,000 bricks a day?

Would the Minister consult the Prime Minister as to whether a sufficient number of bricks had been laid?

Tell us how many bricks are laid in Russia.

How many bricks have been dropped?

asked the Minister of Works what consultations took place between his Department and the organised building industry in Scotland before imposing the £10 limit on civil building work in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware of the resentment expressed by those principally concerned in Scotland in connection with the intended reduction from £100 to £10 of the limit for obtaining a licence for repairs and other building work, and whether, in view of the different situation prevailing in Scotland to that in London and certain other parts of England, he will consider setting up a special commission of inquiry in Scotland before taking any further action in this matter.

In reviewing the arrangements for the licensing of building work, I have had consultations with the representatives of local authorities and of the building trade employers and operatives in England, Wales and Scotland. In order, as far as possible, to meet the difficulties which were brought to my notice, I have decided, before lowering the limit in the rest of the country, to modify, in a number of respects the conditions governing the issue of building licences. Details of these new arrangements will be announced very shortly.

asked the Minister of Works whether consideration has been given, as a matter of urgency, to the scheduling as an ancient monument of the fabric of the disused church of St. John the Evangelist, Micklegate, York, in view of the deterioration of the building, its beauty and interest.

The corporation of York, who own this building, originally intended to pull it down. However, a proposal is now being considered to convert it into a museum of ecclesiastical art. I am keeping in touch with the position, and should the circumstances change I shall consider the desirability of scheduling this building as an ancient monument.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his answer will give great satisfaction in York?

asked the Prime Minister by what means other than a pamphlet by the Minister of Reconstruction, Service personnel in the Far East are being kept abreast of developments in the social and political field.

Apart from reading the national newspapers which are flown out to the Far East, soldiers also have the opportunity to listen to the wireless, attend A.B.C.A. discussions and read Service newspapers.

I am aware of all those things, and I would like to ask the Prime Minister if he is aware that a pamphlet which is to be distributed by the Service Departments, and which is bound to bear a close resemblance to the election programme of the Conservative Party, will not be considered a fair means of keeping troops abreast of developments in the social and political field?

Would it assist the Forces in the Far East to clear their minds if they were told that while the Common Wealth Party had gained the hon. and gallant Member for Chelmsford (Wing-Commander Millington), it had lost the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Loverseed)?

asked the Prime Minister if he will explain the duties of General Beresford Pierce in India; and whether it is proposed to create a similar post to co-ordinate and stimulate welfare arrangements for the troops in Burma.

General Beresford-Peirse has been appointed Welfare General in India to take charge of the Directorates of Welfare, Education, Resettlement and Service Kinematography. His duties cover Indian troops both in India and overseas and British troops in India. It will be noted that the duties extend beyond those of welfare in the narrow sense. The Supreme Allied Commander, S.E.A.C., has not suggested that any such appointment should be made in his Command and I see no necessity for it. As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, I have appointed General King as my personal representative to overlook these matters in India and S.E.A.C.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that letters from Burma reaching some of us indicate that the troops there are not yet satisfied that all that could be done for them is being done, and might something equivalent to the admirable step which my right hon. Friend is taking in India be considered for Burma as well?

General King is specially active in this matter and has furnished the Government with a report in regard to which a great deal of action has been taken. Much remains to be done, and I am hoping to receive from him another report in the near future, but he is most active and carries with him the authority of His Majesty's Government on the spot. I think that is more than a substitute for the appointment of a general officer for welfare in the Burma theatre.

Would my right hon. Friend say whether they have power to improve the third-class travelling for the troops in India?

I am afraid I do not quite see the relevance of this particular question, but perhaps my hon. Friend would explain his point to me.

asked the Prime Minister when the Home Office first granted exit permits to persons desirous of going abroad; under what authority this was done; and if he will now consider restoring the supervision over the issue of passports to the Foreign Office.

The first exit permit was granted on 4th September, 1939, under powers conferred by Defence Regulation 18 and the Passenger Traffic Order, 1939. This Regulation and the Orders made under it affect British subjects only, but aliens are required to obtain exit permits under Article 1 (B) of the Aliens Order, 1920, as amended, and a Direction of the Home Secretary made thereunder. The issue of permits to leave the United Kingdom is one of the security measures for which the Home Secretary is responsible; and while the work is done by the Passport and Permit Office, acting as agents for the Home Secretary, it is distinct from and in no way conflicts with that of issuing passports, which has throughout remained the responsibility of the Foreign Secretary.

asked the Prime Minister what is the exact status of the T.U.C. delegation at San Francisco.

The Trades Union Congress has no official status at the Conference, which is between representatives of Governments. The United Kingdom delegation, which includes representatives of the political Labour movement in this country will, of course, take advantage of the presence of British trade union leaders in San Francisco to consult them as and when necessary on Labour matters that may arise during the Conference.

Am I to understand from the right hon. Gentleman's reply, that no promise has been given to the Trades Union Congress delegation that they have any right to be consulted as to the British attitude at the San Francisco Conference?

They never asked for any right.

We have all got along pretty well together in this hard war; we owe an immense debt to the trade unions, and never can this country forget how they have stood by and helped. At the same time, I, personally, do not feel that we should, without very much careful Parliamentary consideration, set up other bodies besides the official bodies which are based upon Ministries responsible to the House of Commons.

Is the right hon. Gentleman able to give the House any information as to what extent, if any, the Russian and American Governments have given official recognition to their trade union organisations?

I could not give it offhand. The relationships would be quite different from those which prevail here. I earnestly hope that the closest consultation will be maintained, but to give official status is quite different. I do stand on the basis of a universal suffrage electorate, and a House of Commons elected by them.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the same principles of consultation as those enjoyed by the T.U.C. will be enjoyed by representatives of employers?