asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider forming a British export trade information office, by using intelligence officers of the Ministry of Economic Warfare and his own Department, where-from medium and small businesses could obtain reliable information on conditions of foreign markets against a fee for each inquiry.

:No, Sir. The Department of Overseas Trade already provides, free of charge, a very wide range of commercial intelligence. That Department are now issuing reports containing the latest information on commercial conditions in the principal overseas markets. Ten such reports have already been published; and further reports will follow shortly.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production why it is intended to stop the production of aircraft in the factory of Blackburn Aircraft Limited; and what reduction in the demand for skilled labour will result.

:The necessity for reducing the output of aircraft from the Dumbarton factory of Blackburn Aircraft Co. (which I assume is the factory which my hon. Friend has in mind) is due to a reduction in R.A.F. requirements for the type of aircraft at present produced there. Alternative work is being provided in the production of aluminium houses, which will occupy the whole factory for some time. It is expected that the number of skilled workers required for house production will eventually be less than that needed for aircraft manufacture, but I regret that I cannot at this stage give the Hon. Member an estimate of the reduction that is likely to progressively take place.

asked the Minister of Information if he will abolish the censorship of mails from Orkney and Shetland.

:Yes, Sir. This has been done.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis are at present awaiting beds in hospital in Scotland as a whole, and in Glasgow, respectively; and what steps he proposes to take to bring an immediate end to this situation.

:At 31st March, 1945, there were 1,776 persons in Scotland suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis awaiting admission to hospital. Of this number 1,142 were in Glasgow. We have provided 758 beds from the Government's Emergency Hospital Scheme, and the number of patients undergoing hospital treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis in Scotland has already been increased by over 60 per cent. since the war began. Further beds could be made available, but there is a serious shortage of nursing staff and there are obvious difficulties, which the House will readily recognise, in compulsorily directing girls to this service. On this grave problem I am in constant touch with the Minister of Labour and National Service, and he hopes that this Question and Answer will draw public attention to the desirability of more volunteers being rapidly forthcoming for the nursing of tuberculosis patients.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why there is such a delay in disclosing the results of the leaving certificate examinations after the papers have been corrected by the school staffs and passed.

:No avoidable delay occurs in intimating the awards of the Senior Leaving Certificate. Under the present emergency regulations, candidates' scripts in each subject, after correction by the school staffs, are referred, together with the school estimates of proficiency, to the appropriate local panel of teachers, who standardise the marking and determine the final marks. The candidate's performance as a whole is then considered by a Board of Assessors for the area, who submit recommendations for awards to the Department. The Department scrutinise each candidate's record and thereafter issue certificates for all schools in the country simultaneously. The procedure followed is the result of consultation with the various educational interests concerned, and it is not practicable to complete it at an earlier date than at present.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Association of Municipal Corporations support the Final Report of the Land Values Committee of the Manchester City Council that the Government should set up an expert committee to advise them whether a prima facie case exists for making a valuation of site values, either nationally or in respect of typical areas, with a view to determining whether the introduction of the rating of land values and the abolition of the present rating sys- tem is in the public interest; and when the Government expect to reach a decision upon the setting up of such a committee.

:I have received a communication from the Association of Municipal Corporations on this matter, but I am not prepared to entertain the suggestion which they support.

asked the Minister of Labour how soon it is hoped to begin augmenting the numbers of building trade workers available for war damage repairs and house-building by releases from the Armed Forces.

:I would ask my hon. Friend to await the statement of my right hon. Friend in the Debate tomorrow.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the possibility of reducing the rate of Purchase Tax on all kinds of materials and apparatus used in schools and other educational establishments.

:While I appreciate the motive underlying my hon. Friend's suggestion, I am afraid I could not provide any general reduction of the rate of Purchase Tax for materials and apparatus of a kind used in educational establishments. In many cases the articles so used could not be distinguished from those used elsewhere and it would not be possible to allow a special reduction of rate for purchases by education authorities without contravening an essential principle of the tax that there must be no classes of privileged buyers.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the bad condition of the teeth of schoolchildren, as evidenced by the findings of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Dentistry, he will consider the appointment of a dental surgeon upon the Central Advisory Councils set up by the Education Act, 1943, in order that the development of the school dental service and of education in the care of teeth may be kept in the forefront of educational reforms.

:While I am fully alive to the importance of the school dental service, I do not see my way to increase the membership of either of the Central Advisory Councils.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury which Departments of the Government have created regional organisations in the last six years; what is the total annual cost of these organisations and the number of officials employed; and what steps his Department is taking to curtail this war-time development.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when, in view of the announcement of the restoration of the basic petrol ration, he proposes to abolish the regional petrol offices.

:The Regional Petroleum Offices will be closed as soon as the supply position makes it possible to dispense with the issue of supplementary coupons. In the meanwhile, as

:The answer to the first two parts of the Question is contained in the following table of figures. In answer to the third part of the Question, the functions and staff of regional organisations are being kept under continuous review in the light of changing circumstances.

The following table shows the Departments which have created new regional organisations since April, 1939, together with the latest available estimates of staff employed in the regions, and the annual cost of such staff. No account has been taken of purely local activities of Departments unconnected with a regional organisation, or of temporarily evacuated sections of headquarters offices. The figures of cost include salaries, wages, war bonus, travelling and subsistence, but not allied services such as accommodation or stationery, for which separate figures are not readily obtainable.

stated by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister last week, the relaxations in the petrol rationing system then announced will impose a heavy strain upon these offices.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the recent repeal of a number of Defence Regulations and of Statutory Rules and Orders, he will arrange for the early publication of a revised edition of the Defence Regulations.

:Yes, Sir. A revised edition will be published as soon as possible.

asked the Prime Minister whether consideration has now been given to the request for the inclusion of the armorial emblems of Wales in the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, etc.; and what progress has been made in the matter.

:The legal and technical questions involved are being considered, but I am not at present in a position to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has been informed as to the treatment of a soldier, a former employee, recently returned to employment at the Houghton Main Colliery, Yorkshire, who had been wounded, but was able to perform his former work efficiently; that the colliery company reduced his wages by 2s. 3d. a shift; that a strike at the pit ensued, with loss of output; and if he will take some action with the colliery company in the case of this returned soldier, and endeavour to prevent similar cases arising.

:The case to which the hon. Member refers was dealt with under the Reinstatement in Civil Employment Act, 1944, and full reinstatement resulted. The Act provides for disputed reinstatement claims to be dealt with by Reinstatement Committees, and I could not anticipate their decision on this or similar cases which may arise in future. The men who withdrew their labour should have remained at work while the machinery of the Act operated.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what were the average earnings, all workers, in the coalmining industry in the last quarter of 1944.

:The average cash earnings for all workers in the coalmining industry during the last quarter of 1944 was £5 13s. 0d. per week or 22s. 3¾d. per shift worked.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the total tonnage per annum of free coal given to miners in the United Kingdom.

:The quantity of coal supplied free of all charge to miners and other persons (including officials) connected with the mining industry in 1944 was just short of 2,000,000 tons. In addition, about 2,600,060 tons were supplied at cheap rates.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he proposes to use the coal supplies from the Ruhr area to the advantage of British consumers, in conjunction with the Governments of other allied countries.

:Owing to the general dislocation, and to the lack of transport facilities and suitable labour, I am advise dthat coal supplies from the Ruhr area are unlikely materially to exceed the essential needs of occupation for some months.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware of the shortage in certain districts of coal for agricultural purposes such as threshing and the sterilizing of milk plant; and whether, in view of the importance of food production, he will give the demands for these purposes a priority.

:Very few cases of this sort have been brought to my notice, but if my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of any case within his knowledge, I shall take steps to ensure that any reasonable requirements are met.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, as there is no longer any security reason for withholding the figures, he will resume publication of the weekly output figures for coal so that the House and the country may have up-to-date information on the situation.

:Figures of coal production have never been published at weekly intervals, and I am, in fact, publishing much more each quarter than appeared before the war. I explained in my answer to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bosworth (Sir W. Edge) on 9th May, 1944, my reasons for limiting publication to quarterly figures.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what steps he is taking, by means of a local reserve dump and otherwise, to make certain that all residents in Shaw will be able to obtain their maximum permitted quantities of coal during the coming winter and thus avoid the difficulties which arose in the early part of this year.

:Difficulties experienced in Shaw during the early part of this year were due to the severe weather conditions which hampered merchants' operations rather than to the shortage of supplies. I have made arrangements for stocking by merchants during the summer months of a proportion of their receipts to ensure that reasonable supplies will be available against a period of severe weather next winter, but I do not anticipate that the general supply position will be as such as to enable me to do any general laying down or restocking of Government dumps in addition. The maximum permitted quantities of coal during the coming year have, moreover, been reduced to a figure more closely related to the average available supplies and the maximum should, therefore, be more readily available to consumers who have genuine need of it.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if, in view of the extreme shortage of coal this winter, he proposes to provide where conditions are suitable for the use of peat.

:The possibility of extending peat production has been under periodical consideration since 1940, but hitherto the decision has been that any large extension of production would be uneconomic in the use of man-power and transport. The labour and transport requirements for winning and moving peat have been calculated to be twice and five times respectively as great as those of its heat equivalent of coal, apart from the fact that peat can only be ut during a limited period in the year. Encouragement has, however, been given to those who have access to peat to cut it for their own use. It is unlikely that transport will be available for any considerable extension of the production of peat in the immediate future.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the defeat of Germany, he will reintroduce a petrol ration for lawn mowers.

:As announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, on 10th May, it has been decided to grant allowances for private motor mowers for the season ending 30th September next. Applications to Regional Petroleum Offices should be made on Form RM(S) 5 which is obtainable from any Post Office dealing with motor business and should state clearly the area to be mown.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether any record is kept of the numbers of those learning to drive cars on the public roads and the issue to them of petrol; and what conditions are imposed in such cases.

:The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. As regards the second part of the Question, petrol allowances are granted in respect of vehicles and not drivers.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the end of hostilities in Europe, he can say when it will be possible to reinstate the basic petrol ration and to grant an increase in the present allocation to omnibus companies in order that the public may enjoy a little well-earned relaxation during the coming summer.

:I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 10th May.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is now in a position to make arrangements for petrol granted to Service personnel home on leave to be "made available not only for a motor-car owned by a Serviceman but, if the Serviceman has no motor-car of his own available, for any one other motorcar which can be placed at his disposal.

:It has been decided that petrol allowances granted to Service personnel in this country from abroad shall in future be available for use in the cars of the Serviceman or women's parents, as well as in their own or in the wife's or husband's car.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the cessation of hostilities, he is now able to make any further statement with regard to the issue of a basic petrol ration at an early date.

:I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by the Prime Minister on this subject on 10th May.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is now satisfied that arrangements will be made in connection with the 4,000,000 houses to be built after the war to ensure that the most efficient coal-burning appliances are installed; and what is the annual saving in coal consumption he anticipates will result from such installation.

:With regard to the fuel burning appliances to be installed in houses constructed after the war, I have nothing to add to the reply I made to the hon. Member for Manchester, Moss Side (Mr. R. Duckworth) on 13th February. It is difficult to make any estimates of the amount of fuel which will be saved by the use of more efficient appliances, especially in view of the fact that the householder may prefer to maintain his consumption and raise his standard of comfort.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the present annual consumption of coal in domestic premises in this country; what is the approximate average percentage of the heat content of such coal which is usefully applied by existing coal-burning appliances therein; and what plans have been made by his Department to ensure that in the post-war period coal is less waste-fully used in domestic premises.

:The annual consumption of coal of all kinds in domestic premises in the coal year 1944–45 was 35,800,000 tons. No exact figures of the percentage of the heat content of this coal which is usefully applied are available, but estimates of the average are in the region of 20 per cent. As regards the use of coal in domestic premises after the war, I would refer by hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Manchester, Moss Side (Mr. R. Duckworth) on 13th February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Constable A. R. Dixon, of the Palestine police force, is refused home leave after continuous service in Palestine extending from June, 1939; and will he give an assurance that this man is not being compelled to reengage for a further period of service by the denial of gratuities, bonus, or paid leave to him if he refuses.

:A leave scheme was introduced early last year under which British Police other ranks having the longest service in Palestine are granted leave to the United Kingdom. I do not know why this constable has not come on leave, but I am making inquiry of the High Commissioner for Palestine.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements have been made for African troops in regard to their discharge for disablement, gratuities, pensions, medical treatment and training; what arrangements have been made with the local Colonial Governments for the resettlement of these troops; and where and what policy has been laid down for absorbing these troops in the economic and social life of their respective countries.

:As these matters are mostly the concern of the civil administrations I have been asked to reply. West and East African troops receive the same rates of war service gratuities. These vary from 3s. 6d. for each month's war service in the case of privates to 6s. for W.O. 1s. Rates of pension for 100 per cent. disability for West African troops vary from 30s. a month for privates to 67s. 6d. for W.O. 1s. In addition to pensions, gratuities of from £50 to £75 are payable. For lower degrees of disability there are proportionately lower awards. present rates of disability pensions and gratuities for East African troops are fully set out in the memorandum Colonial Troops (Pay, Allowances and Pensions) which was placed in the Library of the House on 28th August, 1943. They tend to be generally lower than for West African troops, but are shortly to be reviewed by the East African Governments.

Medical treatment after discharge is provided free by the local government medical services. Rehabilitation treatment is also available free at the regional centres which serve all the African territories. I am sending the hon. Member fuller particulars of these centres. The provision of vocational training for disabled African troops is also being planned in East and West Africa.

In certain Territories legislation provides for the employment of a quota of disabled Servicemen, and in other Territories Labour Officers or Employment Bureaux advise on suitable employment for men who do not wish to live on their own land or return to their previous employment. In East Africa the Principal Civil Dispersals Officer has established an organisation for interviewing all soldiers on discharge with a view to placing in employment all those who require it. It is the policy for all African Territories to make adequate provision for the reabsorption of returned members of the Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the sisal crop in Tanganyika was bought by His Majesty's Government; what are the monthly wages of the labourers employed now and in 1942; and what steps were taken to ensure that no part of the £5 7s. per ton extra paid to sisal growers from 1st January, 1944, has resulted in higher profits for the sisal growers.

:Under the existing contract the Ministry of Supply purchase the entire sisal crop except a negligible quan- tity below exportable standard of grading. Minimum wage rates in respect of each 30-day ticket are 15s. for cutters and skilled labour and 12s. for cleaners and unskilled labour, to which are added quarters and rations on a prescribed scale. The wage rates are unchanged since 1942, but the cost of rations has risen considerably. The increase in price paid under the 1944 contract was fixed after a close scrutiny of actual costs of production of the industry as a whole.

asked the Minister of Education if, in view of the keen industrial competition expected after the war, he will institute a chair of industrial design at the Universities of London, Birmingham and Edinburgh, so that British industrial design consultants of a recognised status will become available to British manufacturers.

:I have been asked to reply. I think this is a matter for consideration primarily by the universities themselves, who would no doubt consult the University Grants Committee on the financial implications of any projects which they might have in mind.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will arrange for the immediate abolition of passes and other forms of security control to which the citizen is subjected before he can gain admission to Government Departments.

:I have been asked to reply. Arrangements have already been made for the abolition of the pass system controlling admission to Government offices except where there is a continuing and extensive volume of secret work which makes the retention of such, control necessary.

asked the Prime Minister if it is the intention of the Government to revise the regulations governing Service disability or dependants' pensions prior to the General Election.

:Sir, I trust there will be no popularity-hunting at the public expense in this or kindred subjects. War Pensions were comprehensively reviewed in July, 1943, when a number of major improvements both as to the scope and amounts were made. From time to time since then other changes have been made, and the system will continue to be adjusted as and when required.

asked the Minister of Pensions what steps he proposes to take to ensure that adequate allowances are made to parents whose children are in the Services or other employment and who have insufficient coming in to meet their weekly costs.

:Under the War Service Grant scheme I have power, where the circumstances warrant it, to issue allowances to the parents of persons serving in the Armed Forces and, in certain circumstances, of those serving in Civil Defence. Except for the classes provided for under that scheme I have no responsibility.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether pensions to parents of soldiers killed during the war are granted free of any test of need; what are the conditions and amount of such pensions; and when a test of need was introduced after the last war.

:The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. For the general conditions relating to the grant of parents' pensions, I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Deritend (Sir Smedley Crooke) on 28th October, 1943. The maximum rates of pension are 22s. 6d. a week where there is one parent and 30s. a week where there are two. The arrangements in force during the last war included provision for the award of a pension related to need. As from 1st April, 1922, following upon the Select Committee's report, all fresh awards were on this basis.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that young soldiers on leave, after long service abroad, find on arrival that owing to growth and development they have no civilian clothes or shoes they can wear and cannot obtain any civilian clothes to wear; and whether in such circumstances he will provide what is necessary for them.

:I would refer my Noble Friend to the reply given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Bedwellty (Sir C. Edwards) on 22nd February.

asked the Minister of Works if the question of prefabricated factories has been considered; and whether it has been decided to be a practical proposition.

:I understand that, while standard parts can be used to a considerable extent in the construction of factories, the mass production of buildings of similar type and size is not so appropriate for industrial purposes as for housing. Consideration is, however, being given to the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that numbers of British medical students have been sent to work in Europe, he will consider the advisability of now returning some of the foreign doctors to their native countries.

:Some of the foreign doctors admitted temporarily to this country have already returned and others are preparing to leave. The remainder are still rendering valuable service in this country where, for the time being, there is an extreme shortage of medical manpower.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he can give the list of officers of the Navy, Army and R.A.F. of the rank of commodore and above, of brigadier and above and of air vice-marshal and above, respectively, who have lost their lives in air accidents whilst on duty since September, 1939, with the dates of the accidents.

:The names are as follow:

1939.

1940.

1941.

1942.

1943.

1944.

1945.

Note. —The lists above refer only to accidents involving R.A.F. aircraft. They include four officers who are missing and who are presumed to have lost their lives in accidents.

asked the Minister of Works whether a local authority, whose sanitary inspector has served a notice on an owner requiring essential repairs to be carried out in order to make dwelling-houses let to persons of the working class reasonably habitable can itself authorise such owner to spend more than the permitted £10 per house; or what is the proper procedure to enable such essential sanitary work costing more than £10 to be carried out.

:Local authorities can license work covered by a sanitary notice up to £100. Applications for licences for work exceeding £100 should be made to the Regional Licensing Officer of the Ministry of Works.

asked the Minister of Food what proportion of the flour used in this country is derived from wheat imported from abroad in the form of grain, not flour; what is the proportion of the whole stock of wheat-germ distributed by the Ministry which is allotted to making bread; and whether flour which is supplied for biscuit and self-raising flour is deprived of wheat-germ before that allocation is made.

:The proportion of imported wheat used for flour milling varies from time to time in accordance with the supply position. The present proportion of imported wheat in all flour produced in this country is 47 per cent. It is estimated that about 70 per cent. of the total available germ is in the flour supplied to the bakery trade for bread-making purposes, but a further considerable percentage is included in the flour used by confectioners and in flour used in the home for bread, confectionery and other food purposes. The flour supplied specifically for the manufacture of biscuits and self-raising flour is "M" flour from which the germ has been removed.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has any information about the transfer of British prisoners from outer occupied territories to camps in Korea and Manchuria; and whether he can give any further information on this subject.

:75 prisoners of war belonging to the forces of the United Kingdom and including the most senior officers in Japanese hands were transferred to Manchuria from Formosa in October of last year. Next-of-kin have been informed. There is no information suggesting that further transfers have taken place.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether there has been any change in the conditions in prisoner-of-war camps in Thailand; and whether he can give any further information on this matter.

:I regret that I have no further information to give the House regarding prisoner-of-war camps in Siam, the conditions in which, so far as I am aware, remain as described in the statement which I made on 19th December last.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give the necessary authority for an Italian prisoner, of whose name he has been informed, to marry a British woman who is about to become a mother, in order that the child may be born legitimate.

:Prisoners of war are forbidden to have relations of this kind with British women, and I am satisfied that this rule is fully supported by public opinion. My hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion which I have considered carefully would amount to condoning the breach of the rule, and I regret that I cannot adopt it.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has any statement to make on the subject of compensation for Cadet West, of Dereham, Norfolk, who lost an eye through an accident at a rifle range while undergoing training in the Army Cadet Force; and why compensation has so long been withheld.

:Towards the end of shooting practice in a hut at Bawdeswell, Norfolk, on 17th December, 1943, Cadet West switched off the lights "for a lark." Another cadet who was just about to fire the last round of the practice was startled, apparently moved his rifle and pulled the trigger, hitting West in the eye. West was treated locally and the local Cadet Committee paid him £3 15s. 1d. out-of-pocket expenses from their own funds. No claim for compensation was made by West or his parents, and the War Office heard of the case only when my hon. Friend wrote about it in August, 1944. This was the first case of a cadet being injured through his own misconduct and consequently the Treasury and other Service Departments had to be consulted on the general question of principle as to whether compensation could be granted. It has been decided to pay Cadet West an ex gratia pension.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether special consideration will be given to repatriated prisoners of war, whose military service has interrupted their specialist or professional education, to enable them to resume their studies if their general health makes it improbable that they can resume an active military career in the near future.

:Returned prisoners of war who, for medical reasons, are unfit for further military service, will be discharged from the Army. All so discharged and those released with their age and service groups within a period of six months from their arrival in this country will be eligible at their own request to undergo a course of Civil Resettlement. Facilities exist at these courses for providing advice on specialist or professional education, and for putting students in touch with educational establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for War why savings made by British prisoners of war during captivity are being in part credited at Rm. 15 to the £, and in part at Rm. 40 to the £; and whether he will allow all such savings to be credited at Rm. 15 to the £.

:His Majesty's Government have guaranteed to redeem savings of pay of repatriated prisoners of war at the rate of 15 Reichsmarks to the £, because this is the rate at which the advances of pay they received from the German Government were debited against their home accounts. As a concession working pay, too, is also exchanged at this rate. Money obtained from other sources, for example, from private transactions, is exchanged at the rate now current of 40 Reichsmarks to the £.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that war gratuities are to be paid to R.A.F. recruiting officers and as similar conditions are not to prevail among Army recruiting officers, will he take steps to remedy this anomaly.

:The R.A.F. recruiting officers are officers of the R.A.F.V.R. serving on a normal basis with Service rates of pay, whereas the Army recruiting officers are re-employed retired Army officers who receive civilian rates of pay.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, since many German towns are being cleared of rubble, he will give technical assistance in the shape of bulldozers, cranes and other machinery to the French people, to enable them to clear the ruins and the roads in their northern towns which have suffered through military operations.

:The work being done in Germany is not for the benefit of the Germans but to enable the military commander to carry out the tasks assigned to him. Any urgent requirement for technical assistance of the kind suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend should be addressed by the French authorities to S.H.A.E.F.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can now state if he is prepared to review his decision not to sell the land at King Alfred Road, Sedbury, in the Parish of Tidenham, for a building site to the Lydney Rural District Council.

:Yes, Sir. This case has now been further examined and my hon. Friend will be glad to hear that the War Department can now sell the land wanted by the Lydney Rural District Council.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether facilities have been given for the release, for relief work in Europe with U.N.R.R.A., of qualified women in the Auxiliary Services whose work is no longer required in the women's services.

:All ranks of the A.T.S. are permitted to volunteer for work with U.N.R.R.A. and this has been announced in Army Council Instructions. Each application by the U.N.R.R.A. authorities for the release of an individual is considered on its merits and in the light of service needs. Owing to the shortage of nursing officers, these arrangements do not apply to the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service and the Territorial Army Nursing Service.

asked the Secretary of State for War the incidence of infantile paralysis amongst members of His Majesty's Forces since the outbreak of the present war; how this compares with, the statistics covering the war of 1914–18 and our civil population, respectively; and to what extent steps already taken to prevent and cure the disease have proved successful.

:It is regretted that the incidence of infantile paralysis in the Army since the outbreak of the present war has not yet been worked out. The incidence of this disease is low and from the general man-power viewpoint insignificant. Current statistics are not therefore maintained and it would not be justifiable at present to divert the limited statistical staff from more important work to have this incidence worked out. It is, however, hoped that details will eventually be published in the Medical History of the War. As the disease occurs in small sporadic outbreaks, and as the source and transmission of the virus is not yet known, it is not possible to say to what extent special preventive measures employed are responsible for the cessation of an outbreak as compared with, for example, natural or climatic conditions.

No remedy for the disease as such is known. The damage to the nerve cells attacked by the virus occurs at once and is irremediable. But once the infective process has been arrested a very great deal can be done by physiotherapy and by orthopædic surgery to re-educate partially affected muscles or muscles which have deteriorated through inactivity. During the acute period, iron lungs are used to replace damaged respiratory muscles.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the battle area, of which he has been informed, which contains many valuable acres of rich marshland, is to be retained as a permanent battle school or not, in view of the fact that residents were assured that they would be able to return to their homes when the emergency period ended.

:The Army's post-war requirements of lands for training have not yet been fully surveyed. There is still a war-time requirement for this area.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, at the prisoner of war camp in Dunham Park, Altrincham, an Austrian flag was recently hoisted on one of the highest trees in the park; how this flag was obtained; and whether disciplinary measures were taken against those who were responsible for displaying this emblem.

:An Austrian flag made by Austrian prisoners from scrap materials was thrown over the branches of a tree at this camp by Austrian prisoners to celebrate the capture of Vienna. The flag was removed but no disciplinary action was taken.

:asked the Secretary of State for War if Germans will now be used to take up and clear mines laid on land or at sea.

:I am informed that German minesweepers and crews are already being employed in sweeping the approaches to German ports, and it is intended to use them to clear waters adjacent to the German coast. The question of using them in other waters is being considered. The possibility of using them to clear land mines is one of a number of matters concerning the employment of prisoners of war which is at present under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will announce the present scale of rations for civilians in Germany and give an assurance that priorities of supply shall be given to the countries previously under German domination.

:I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary on 9th May to my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth (Sir L. Lyle).

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will reconsider the case, of which details have been sent to him, of a medical student who took his first M.B. last year then volunteered for the R.A.F. but was discharged from that force as there was a surplus of applicants and directed to continue his studies but has not been allowed by the local labour office to apply for admission to a medical school.

:As the reply is somewhat lengthy I am writing to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour if arrangements have been made to cover cases where key men who are prospective Members of Parliament will have to be replaced while they are away fighting the election; and if other key men who are now engaged in the Forces will be released for a period to take their place.

:I do not anticipate that these cases will make necessary any special arrangements by my Department.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will take steps, in conjunction with the Minister of Agriculture and the Secretary of State for Scotland, to secure the early release from the services of skilled farm workers and former cultivators of agricultural holdings under Class B of the release scheme.

:No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the extra suffering caused to Londoners by the recent strike affecting London transport services; what were the precise grounds for the strike; and whether he can make a statement.

:Yes, Sir. The London transport services have been working under a heavy strain and my Department, together with the Ministry of War Transport and the London Passenger Transport Board, have been taking special steps to augment the labour force. I very much regret that despite the knowledge that these efforts were being made in full co-operation with the Union, a certain section of the workers decided to stop work as a protest against the introduction of the Summer Schedules. I have every hope that the measures that have been and are being taken to maintain reasonable conditions of working will be successful.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the maximum amount of grant he proposes to make in respect of the further education and training scheme for those discharged from war service.

:Awards under the Further Education and Training Scheme for courses other than full time courses at Universities, Technical Colleges or similar institution will take the form of a grant, which in addition to payments covering fees, tuition and books, may include a payment for maintenance up to the maximum sum of £160 per annum and in the case of married persons an additional sum not exceeding £110 per annum in respect of a wife and £40 per annum in respect of each child, all free of Income Tax. Maintenance grants in respect of courses at educational institutions may be slightly higher and in the case of universities will be based on the figures assessed by the Committees of Universities themselves. The position is set out in paras. 14–19 of the leaflet P.L.120, of which I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the implementation of the recommendations of the Reid Report by the coal industry would involve capital expenditure of over £100,000,000; and whether he is prepared to authorise the raising of such capital.

:Perhaps my hon. and gallant Friend will await a statement, which I hope to make very shortly, about the future control of capital issues in general.