asked the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland if the details of the compromise with the county of Dumbartonshire in respect of the Loch Sloy hydro-electric scheme have now been agreed; and if he will say what they are.

My Noble Friend is informed that discussions between the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and the County Council of Dunbarton are still proceeding, and I am not in a position to make any statement.

Does my hon. Friend appreciate the fact that the secret bargain with the Dumbartonshire County Council was only made a few minutes before the Prayer was due to be discussed; and does he not see that, in order to ensure that this Order as presented to the House has not been amended behind the back of Parliament, the details should be published; and if he cannot get these from the Board will he ask the lawyers of the County Council to produce them so that we may see that Parliamentary Privilege has not been infringed?

That is another question. Discussions are proceeding on the details now.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the County Council of Dumbarton are quite willing that the work should proceed?

Will the hon. Gentleman give an assurance that the work will not be allowed to proceed until these details have been made public?

asked the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland how many permanent and temporary houses, respectively, it is intended to have built in Scotland during the next 12 months; and how many builders will be released under Class B for work in Scotland during the same period.

:The aim is to have 20,000 permanent houses built or building and some 20,000 temporary houses completed in the period in question. My Noble Friend is informed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service that it is proposed to release some 60,000 building operatives in Class B in the first year, but that it is not possible to say in what proportion Scotland will share in this release.

Is my hon. Friend conveying to the House that he is satisfied that with the labour likely to be available anything comparable to this number of houses will be built?

That is the position at the present moment. My hon. Friend may take it that we shall press for all the help we can get from building labour and other sources.

asked the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, what limitations are now imposed on the amount of expenditure to be incurred in private house repairs and alterations; and if any changes are contemplated.

:I have been asked to reply. As the answer is long I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate a statement in the Official Report.

Could not the hon. Gentleman indicate at least whether any changes are contemplated?

The whole operation of this regulation will be kept under review.

asked the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses have been built in Scotland since 31st December, 1944; and what steps he is taking to secure further supplies of materials, the release of skilled men from the Forces for the building industry and generally to expedite the building of houses which are so urgently needed in Scotland.

:The number of houses completed by local authorities in Scotland since 31st December, 1944, is 459. With regard to the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the White Paper on Housing issued in March which explains the steps taken for carrying the Government's housing policy into effect, and to the statement made on the 16th May by the then Minister of Labour about the release of building trade operatives from the Forces.

:Arising from that reply, which is not very encouraging—seeing that we have now got an earl as Secretary of State for Scotland I expected something outstanding—I wish to ask the Under-secretary if he is aware that in Scotland to-day there are thousands of mothers whose sons have been out fighting and conquering for us in every part of the world, and that these men are coming home, and their mothers and sisters have nowhere for them to lay their heads? What are the Government going to do in a situation like that?

:It is true that the soldiers are away fighting. They have been fighting Hitler, and it is Hitler who has prevented those houses being built. Owing to war conditions, housing would have been held up whoever had been in power. Every step at our disposal is being taken to create the maximum number of houses.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that building trade employers have been making public statements in Scotland that they have the material and the labour available, and that regulations are preventing them from getting on with building? Could he have that matter looked into?

I will certainly have that looked into, but if the regulations exist they have been in existence for some time.

Why is it expected that the Noble Lord should do in a week, what his predecessor failed to do in five years?

Will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind that Scotland is the worst-housed country in Europe other than Spain and Portugal? Is he prepared to produce a scheme which will produce the houses?

Yes, that will be tackled with the utmost speed.

:The majority of Members here heard the Prime Minister saying last night that we must provide homes for the soldiers when they come back. I am here giving the Government an opportunity of providing those homes£

Speech.

You are shouting "speech" because: you cannot deliver one.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many man-shifts have been lost this year at Hucknall No. 1 pit owing to underground workers being sent home because no work was available for them; whether he will give the estimated amount of coal production lost through this cause, the amount of wages paid for men standing idle, and the number of workmen affected.

Hucknall No. 1 and No. 2 pits have been connected underground since 2nd September, 1944,and consequently no separate returns for each pit have been made. I regret, therefore, I am unable to give the information requested by my hon. Friend.

Can the Minister say whether the situation as envisaged in the Question is still continuing?

:The concentration of these two pits which took place in September still continues. Whilst there is difficulty in obtaining transport there has been an improvement in output which has been quite substantial. I hope the position will be quite normal before long.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power (1) how many man-shifts have been lost this year in the Nottinghamshire coalfield owing to underground workers being sent home because no work was available; whether he will give the estimated tonnage lost through this cause; the amount of wages paid for men standing idle; the number of workmen affected; and the names of the collieries at which this occurred;

(2) why a certain number of underground workers in the Nottinghamshire coalfield, although receiving the guaranteed wage, have not been found continuous employment.

Eighty thousand man-shifts were lost by underground workers in the Nottinghamshire district from 1st January to 12th May, 1945, owing to work not being available. This figure includes lost shifts arising from wagon shortages and also those of men who have become redundant under the concentration schemes. The corresponding loss of output was 160,000 tons and the payments made to the men concerned amounted to £82,000. The number of men involved is not known. All the collieries in the district except one were affected.

Is it surprising that the output per man-shift is falling when this appalling state of affairs continues? [Interruption.] Then what is it due to—the inefficiency of the Ministry of Mines?

:With regard to the pits mentioned in the first Question, output has not fallen but increased since concentration took place. Of the loss 01 160,000 tons referred to by far the largest part is due to wagon shortage, which is entirely outside my control.

As this loss is not attributable to the miners, will the Minister say what he and his organisation have done to correct the position, and to see that the wagon shortage is corrected?

:The hon. Member will be surprised to know that this situation is not unusual in this particular part of the world. Every effort has been made to try to get the position put right. There has been a great deal of improvement, but there are times when owing to operational needs, the area suffers considerably, and this cause is outside my control.

Are we to understand from the answer that loss in output is not always due to the miners?

I have answered the Question on the Paper. The Question asked what the losses were. I have stated that of the loss of 160,000 tons in this particular coalfield by far the largest part was due to lack of transport.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many mineworkers in South Wales, Cannock Chase, North Staffordshire and Yorkshire, respectively, received coal from collieries at special rates during the year 1944; and what was the average amount per mineworker.

As the answer in-includes a number of figures, I will, with the permission of my hon. Friend, circulate it in the Official Report.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the figures for the last year to the latest convenient date of the number of shifts worked in coalmines; and separate figures for voluntary absenteeism and absenteeism due to accident or sickness.

The figures my hon. Friend requires are now published in the 1944 Statistical Digest, Cmd. 6639.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he has yet decided that German prisoners are to be employed in coalmines as a temporary measure.

No, Sir. I have reached the conclusion that the employment of German prisoners in British coalmines would not be desirable.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the estimated capital cost of implementing the recommendations of the Reid Report and the time estimated to be necessary to carry out the changes; and the amount of capital at present invested in the industry.

:Until the necessary detailed examinations have been carried out it is not possible, as the Reid Committee itself reported, to estimate the capital cost of implementing the recommendations of the Committee or the time necessary to carry out all the changes. The amount of capital at present invested in the industry is of the order of £200,000,000 to £250,000,000.

Is that nominal value or the present market price?

Nominal value.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the profits made in the coal industry, as revealed by the ascertainments, for the periods 1936 to 1939 and 1940 to 1944, respectively.

As the answer involves a tabular statement, I will, with the hon. Member's consent, circulate it in the Official Report.

It has often been declared by the mine owners that their profits are not considerable, and, in fact, that quite the contrary is the case. Where is all the money to be found for re-equipping the mines of this country, on the basis of the Reid Report?

On the basis of the Reid Report, which counts on getting something like double the output per man-shift that is got to-day, that would make it possible to re-equip them.

I have not asked about revenue on the basis of production; I have asked, in view of the allegation of the mine owners that they are not making large profits, where the money is to be found for capital re-equipment?

I have answered the question. If you can make the proposition sufficiently attractive by reducing the cost of production, it will be possible to get people to invest money.

What would be the cost, on the basis of the Reid Report?

It is very difficult to say that. The Reid Report suggests that until a detailed investigation has been made of the whole project, it is not possible to give a figure.

But the Government have accepted the Reid Report.

We have accepted the Reid Report as it is written. It does not give a figure.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will authorise the commissioners to increase the supply of electricity at present available to the agricultural distracts of Norfolk.

It has been necessary during the war to restrict the development of electricity supply to war needs and cases of exceptional hardship. The relaxation of these restrictions is at present under consideration, but, even if some relaxation were found possible, shortages of materials and man-power will continue for some time to limit the rate of development.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the volume of coke oven gas burned at the bleeder pipe at the coke ovens at Clyde Iron Works, Folcross, on the two days, 8th and 9th May.

:The volume of coke oven gas bled at the coke ovens in question on 8th and 9th May amounted to 3,976,000 cubic feet. The gas available from the coke ovens is partly used in the steel works of Messrs. Colvilles. Owing to VE-holidays, however, the steel furnaces of this undertaking were idle on the days mentioned, and there was no outlet for the gas for the steel works.

:Who is responsible for this disgusting waste? Is there any means of using this gas, or is the waste inevitable in a system of private enterprise?

It has nothing to do with private enterprise. It is purely a question of whether the gas can be connected with the grid. In this case it is not connected. There is no alternative at present.

Whose responsibility is it to see that the gas is connected with the grid?

My hon. Friend will appreciate that at present it is impossible to see that it is connected.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether any modifications have yet been decided on in the active-service leave allowance for petrol.

:Yes, Sir. It has been decided that, as from 1st June, the active-service leave allowance of petrol for members of the Services coming to this country from overseas shall in future be available in respect of the cars of parents, as well as that of the applicant or his wife, or her husband, as the case may be. Further, it has been decided that a proportionately larger allowance may be granted in cases where leave is granted for more than 28 days, provided that a maximum of 600 miles per annum is not exceeded.

Is my right hon. and gallant Friend aware that that decision will give great satisfaction?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether the basic ration of petrol will be in addition to that already allotted to certain persons in rural districts for shopping purposes in their nearest town.

Yes, Sir.

asked the Under-secretary of State for Dominion Affairs if he is satisfied that Eire preserved strict neutrality during the war in Europe.

:I need not add to what the Prime Minister has said as to the danger involved to our security, and, indeed, our existence, by the attitude of neutrality adopted by the Eire Government in the war. There are, however, no grounds for suggesting that the Eire Government committed un-neutral acts to the disadvantage of this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why hosiery needles are still being imported, when home producers have idle machinery and can supply all requirements.

Owing mainly to shortage of suitable labour, home production of hosiery needles is insufficient to meet all requirements. I am trying to get the existing capacity manned up.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in the meantime hosiery needles are being imported to a larger extent than is really necessary?

I am aware that a large number are imported, but the number, I think, is not in excess of what is required.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when mothers in the Spennymoor Division will be able to purchase babies soothers; is he aware that some months ago hon. Members were assured that supplies would be available in the shops, and up to the present time none has been available to retailers or the general public.

:The hon. Member is perhaps under a misapprehension, and is confusing soothers with teats. I have every sympathy with him. Soothers, however, are a means of deception to which, in view of the imminence of the General Election and the present scarcity of rubber, His Majesty's Government cannot lend themselves. The assurances that he, no doubt, has in mind were given in respect of teats, and have been carried out.

Is the Minister aware that his answer makes the position still more ridiculous? It does happen to be a question of teats. I have a letter saying that a woman has given birth to twins, and that she is unable to feed these two children. She has four bottles in the house, with one teat. [Laughter.] Hon. Members need not laugh. They ought to be in the homes of some of these people. Is the Minister aware that I saw these two children yesterday, and the mother told me that she had to scrape the teat of the bottle before she could feed the other children? What is the Minister going to do about a thing like that?

:The point of my answer is that the Board of Trade are releasing rubber for teats. We cannot adopt the same attitude with regard to soothers. If there are any cases where teats are in short supply, we shall be glad to look into them.

:In view of the statement that babies soothers are intended for deceptive purposes, will they be part of the equipment of the Tory Party at the General Election?

asked the President of the Board of Trade what advice His Majesty's Government are giving to local authorities and to private individuals with regard to the disposal of mattresses, blankets, etc., which have been used in air-raid shelters, having regard to the shortage of such goods for civilian purposes; and what steps are being taken to ensure the reconditioning and cleansing of all such goods before they are offered for sale.

Local authorities have been requested to dispose of surplus stores, including surplus bedding, in accordance with the principles set out in the White Paper on the Disposal of Surplus Government Stores. In view of the present shortage of bedding, I hope that both local authorities and private firms who still hold stocks of blankets, mattresses, and other bedding formerly used for A.R.P. purposes, will release them for general consumption as quickly as possible. Used mattresses and pillows need reconditioning before being used again, and local authorities have, therefore, been asked to sell them only to firms who will recondition them. I hope that private firms will follow the same course.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Messrs. D. Napier and Sons are in the process of closing down their wartime factory at Liverpool, and that it is anticipated that some 7,000 workers will become redundant; and whether his Department has any scheme for the continued use of this modern and efficient factory and personnel that will prevent the threatened unemployment and assist in meeting the country's peace-time requirements.

It is intended to continue aero-engine production permanently on a substantial scale in this factory, and arrangements are being made for civilian production in such parts of the factory as may be surplus.

:Will my right hon. Friend make the decision more clear in regard to the probable number of people to be employed there? Is he aware that the firm tell the workpeople one week about the number of people who are to be kept on, and then the next week they say that they do not know anything about the future?

If the hon. Member will put the question down, I will give a more precise answer about the numbers. I do not know as yet what numbers will be absorbed by the civilian production to which I have referred.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how many people are going to be employed on aero-engine production?

I cannot do that without notice.

:What are the grounds for assuming that directly a war factory is closed the employees will be without work? Is there not plenty of other employment available?

asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether he can give any particulars of the arrangement entered into between Messrs. Hutchinson and the Russian Government for the production of English books in Russia.

The arrangement to which the hon. and gallant Member refers is, as far as this country is concerned, a private commercial one between Hutchinson & Co., Ltd., and the International Book Co., Ltd., of Moscow. It provides for the production in this country of Russian translations of English books for sale in the Soviet Union.

:As this would appear to be the only channel by which English books may enter Russia, does not the right hon. Gentleman feel it to be important that they should be representative of the 'books of this country? Do Messrs. Hutchinson represent all the publishers, or are they in association with them?

The hon. and gallant Member's supplementary question seems to go a good deal beyond the responsibilities of the Board of Trade.

Could the right hon. Gentleman ensure that a certain proportion of these books are English dictionaries?

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the arrangements regarding the issue of clothing coupons to returned prisoners of war; and whether he is aware that many of these men, who are now on leave, are, owing to lack of coupons, deficient of various articles of clothing and particularly of pyjamas which are needed by men living with their families.

:Repatriated prisoners of war, who return to civilian life on release from the Services, receive civilian clothing coupons in the same way as other men released from the Forces. Repatriated prisoners or war who are not yet released may retain, for their own use, the twenty coupons issued to their next-of-kin for parcels by the Red Cross, or may apply to the Red Cross for the coupons if the next-of-kin has returned them.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, possibly owing to some mischance, many of these men have not got all these coupons, whatever the regulations may be, and that they are subject to very considerable discomfort through lack of such things as pyjamas and other articles, when they join their families?

I hope the concession with regard to the 20 coupons will remedy the position to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether members of county police forces will come under the National Insurance Scheme for pensions for themselves, their wives or their widows, or whether present arrangements will continue in force.

:I would refer my Noble Friend to paragraphs 38 to 42 of Part 1 of the White Paper on Social Insurance, which set out the position.

Could not the right hon. Gentleman explain the matter a little more closely? Why should we always be referred, not to Acts of Parliament, but to White Papers, and particularly to White Papers that are not going to be implemented by the Tory Party?

I thought the reference might strike a responsive chord. The White Paper is certainly going to be implemented by the Government when it is returned.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will arrange for the bands of units serving on the Continent of Europe to be sent out to join those units as soon as possible.

:Owing to the expansion of the Army and the relative shortage of instruments and musicians, it is considered better to pool the existing bands for the benefit of the Army as a whole and not necessarily to attach them to the regiments with which they are associated. Nine bands are at present permanently stationed with the B.L.A., and five are there on tour.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that bands have a very definite value in maintaining the morale of the troops, and is he also aware that there are cases of a number of battalions of the same regiment serving together? Could not their band be sent to one of them?

In the first place, of course, I am aware that it is a morale-raising factor to let the soldiers hear the bands, and that is why I have taken steps to see that as many as possible hear bands, and that the bands are not confined only to their own regiments. As regards the second supplementary question, the band in which I think my hon. and gallant Friend is particularly interested is at present on tour in the B.L.A., and I hope that the group of regiments in which he is interested will hear it.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is satisfied that the arrangements for placing the names of repatriated prisoners of war on the electoral register are working well; and what is the approximate percentage so registered.

Each repatriated prisoner of war who returns to this country is given an opportunity as soon as he arrives, whether he goes to a reception camp or a hospital, to complete an Armed Forces Declaration Card (Army Form B 2626). These declarations can be received by Registration Officers up to four days before Nomination Day, for the purpose of the forthcoming General Election. Special measures have also been taken to obtain declarations from prisoners of war arriving in Italy, who may not reach this country in time to register here. I believe these arrangements are working well, but as the completion of the card is a voluntary matter on the part of the individual registering, and as he can post the card at his own convenience, I have no means of knowing even the approximate percentage of those who have availed themselves of the arrangements made.

:If repatriated prisoners of war are not at their own homes at the time of the election, but are in this country, will they have to vote by proxy, or will they be able to vote by post?

:That is a matter of their applying for the postal registration facilities, and these are open up to four days before nomination day, which is still some time off.

Are they also told about these facilities?

To the best of my belief, yes; instruction after instruction has been sent to them.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that AFB 2639, the form applicable to troops voting by post, has not been made available for large numbers of Servicemen in the United Kingdom; and what arrangements he is making to ensure its early and complete availability.

On 28th April, an instruction was issued to all units in the United Kingdom telling them that supplies of the form were available, and to obtain the quantities they required. Two reminders have since been sent out to ensure compliance with the instruction.

May I ask whether, as it sounds that the War Office is doing its best, the various units are playing up by applying for the forms?

:A fair question merits a fair answer. I think there is some evidence that the staffs of some units were caught well off the mark, but I hope and believe that they have been reminded of their obligations pretty effectively.

Will nurses in hospitals also have it?

It may be my stupidity, but I am unable to distinguish any connection between that question and the one originally asked.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say if he has any idea what proportion of the men in this country have so far filled up this application?

The hon. Member has a Question on that point later on the Order Paper. He is trying to get "most-favoured-nation" treatment.

:May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether, as the previous reminders apparently have not done what they were intended to do, a further reminder may be sent, in view of the importance of this form?

I think my hon. Friend is under a misapprehension. All the information at my disposal goes to show that the reminders have been effective.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether members of the Army who have been in German prison camps or working on forced labour in Germany for long periods, and who had suffered physically and mentally, can claim their discharge on arrival in this country.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave the hon. Member for London University (Sir E. Graham-Little) on 3rd May and the hon. Member for Grantham (Mr. Kendall) on 8th May.

In view of the great suffering that some of these prisoners have gone through, in some cases to my own knowledge, will the right hon. Gentleman do his best to give them relief as soon as possible?

:I would be very grateful if my hon. Friend will read the answers to which I have referred. I dealt with the question at some length and as sym-pathetically as I possibly could, and I earnestly think that their requirements have been fulfilled.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make arrangements to avoid the need for the batteries at Lydd firing into the sea at Rye Bay, in view of the fact that Rye Bay is the richest fishing ground in the area and the practice endangers the lives of the fishermen who have to trawl there.

This area has recently been used for special trials but I understand that it will be used very rarely in future. The local authorities are warned when firing is to take place and military lookouts are posted to watch for shipping. If danger to it becomes imminent, firing is at once stopped.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will now lift the ban imposed on near relatives visiting their kinsmen in Dungeness.

:The by-laws restricting entry to the Dungeness controlled area will be revoked as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, persons who can satisfy the local military authorities that they are relatives or residents in the area, will be permitted to enter it to visit them.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the area of Dungeness is like a vast concentration camp and that, though I have a pass to take me anywhere in my division, it took me three-quarters of an hour to get into it the other night and that while I was there three men home on leave were refused admittance?

I do not wish to be accused of undue subservience to the hon. Member or to his constituents, but the defence laws are concerned not with security in the ordinary accepted sense of the word but with the safety of the persons entering the area.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will take steps to provide main water for the inhabitants of Dungeness whose wells have been poisoned by the seepage of Army petrol and who, at present, have to depend upon supplies brought every three days or so and deposited in tanks scattered haphazard about the village.

This matter is under consideration with the local authority and the Ministry of Health.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the village of Dungeness had some of the finest natural water in Kent and will he do his utmost to provide all the inhabitants with main water?

The intention of my answer was to indicate that the restoration of the previous delectable position was a matter which we were pursuing as quickly as possible.

:Can my right hon. Friend say why petrol has been allowed to seep into these wells? Why could not it be kept in a proper place in containers?

I think that if my hon. Friend had studied or listened to certain accounts of the defensive measures taken to protect this island against invasion in the earlier stages of our fortunes or misfortunes, he would have gathered the answer from that himself.

That is the way to talk to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is now satisfied that all possible steps are being taken to allow local leave to members of the Forces serving in the Far East and to provide them with leave centres, entertainments, particularly E.N.S.A. shows, comforts and welfare generally.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether steps are being taken to introduce N.A.A.F.I. canteens for the use of British troops in the Far East in place of local service contractors.

asked the Secretary of State for War if the improvements recently announced by the Prime Minister for the comfort and welfare of the troops in India and Burma have now been carried out in full.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can make any further report on the welfare conditions available to the troops in Burma; and what organisation is being prepared for the extension of this service to China and other Far Eastern areas into which our naval, air and Army forces will enter in the progressive advance upon Japan.

:I hope hon. Members will allow me to deal with all these welfare matters in the course of the Debate on Friday at greater length—and I hope more satisfactorily—than is possible in replies to Questions.

Can my right hon. Friend say, at this stage, how many E.N.S.A. parties there are operating in forward areas of S.E.A.C.?

No, Sir, but I will try to get my hon. and gallant Friend an answer to that question before the Debate on Friday.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether officers who have served more than two years and five months in a tropical climate and are now stationed in this country, may still be sent overseas.

:Yes, Sir, subject to medical examination and in the case of the Far East to their having had at least six months at home.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman why, as I understand is the case, officers have to be under a rather stricter obligation than the men? Why are they not allowed the same rights as the men?

I have never yet heard it suggested that there was not upon officers a rather stricter obligation than on the men, and that if sacrifices had to be made, they should not be made more readily by officers than by the men.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether he will examine the possibilities of a mare extensive use of Allied 'bomber aircraft as a means of transport, in order to increase the present scale of home leave from the Mediterranean and the Far East;

(2) whether the Government has now been able to make such adjustments to the forces occupying Germany and Italy as to allow a reduction of the qualifying period of service overseas for tine Python repatriation scheme;

(3) whether, since there are no longer any military operations in, the European theatre, he will take steps to ensure that troops who have served long periods in the M.E.F. and C.M.F. and have since been transferred to the B.L.A. without receiving the period of home leave to which they are entitled, shall be granted more than a week's leave on their first return to this country.

asked the Secretary of State for War, now that the European war is at an end if he will consider reducing by one year the period of ser vice abroad, particularly in the S.E.A.C, in Assam and Burma; and why men who have served over three years in these districts now that their repatriation is imminent have had their disembarkation leave reduced from 28 days to 21 days.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that men who fought with the 50th (N) Division in North Africa, were in the invasion of Sicily, have seen service in Europe from D plus six, including the Nijmegen salient and are in fairly early release groups, have been warned for service in the Far East; and if he will, in the light of these facts, say what limitations as to age, release group and fighting service overseas are applied before men are drafted to the Far East.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he has now been able to reduce the qualifying period for the Python leave scheme to three years or less.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements are now being made to provide additional home leave for those men now serving overseas.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether steps are being taken to make use of the rail route from Italy to facilitate an increase in the volume of home leave for Army personnel serving there.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the amount of shipping available will enable troops serving overseas to return earlier to this country; and whether he will state the maximum periods of service now applicable to the different theatres of operations.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the feeling amongst the Servicemen abroad that they are being unfairly treated in the allocation of home leave; that many have served long periods without a break; that some are performing duties not vital to the war effort; and will he do his utmost to facilitate the granting of leave to those who have served long periods abroad.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the general dissatisfaction among the Forces in the C.M.F., M.E.F. and S.E.A.C of his refusal to shorten the period of service qualifying for home leave, having regard to the cessation of hostilities in the West; and whether there is any immediate prospect of a revision of the period of 4½ to 3 years.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware of the disappointment felt by men who have served in North Africa and Italy and have been away four years without home leave; and will he now implement the undertaking that, after the war in Europe had been won, overseas service would be reduced to three years.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the absence of any home leave for the troops in Italy is causing acute dissatisfaction among them; and will he take steps to have home leave for these men introduced as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War when the troops who have been serving in the Mediterranean zone four years or over will be repatriated, and when those who have been serving three years or more will be repatriated.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the cessation of hostilities in Europe, the necessary adjustments have yet been made to enable a reduction in the length of service overseas to be made.

asked the Secretary of State for War why men who have served in the M.E.F. and C.M.F. for four years and four months and were then posted to Germany just before the war ceased, are excluded from the Python leave scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is now possible to reduce the length of over seas service in the C.M.F.

asked the Secretary of State for War, in view of the termination of hostilities in Europe, what are the lastest arrangements for home leave for men in the B.L.A.

:It is very difficult to deal with all these matters in reply to Questions and I hope hon. Members will allow me to deal with them at greater length in the course of the Debate on Friday.

Will my right hon. Friend be in a position to give an answer to this Question in the Debate on Friday?

Having contracted to make a statement on these things, there is a certain obligation that I should say something.

:As one of those Questions is mine may I ask for your guidance, Mr. Speaker? The right hon. Gentleman has chosen a most unusual procedure, and may I ask whether there is anything we can do now to get answers to our Questions?

:I have told the hon. Member that I have every intention of answering, to the best of my ability, all these Questions in a general statement which I will make on Friday.

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent he proposes to modify the non-fraternisation order in Germany at an early date; and whether measures are being taken to adopt equivalent standards governing the relationships of the troops with the civil population in the different zones of occupation.

The question will be kept under review in consultation with the other members of the quadripartite Control Council.

While that question is under review, would my right hon. Friend bear in mind that an order, which is justifiable during military operations and in a period of uncertainty afterwards, may be a very great danger as well as a great hardship on troops if it is continued?

I will certainly bear it in mind, but I have not the slightest intention of taking unilateral action.

:May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is true that this non-fraternisation imposition is not carried out in the Russian zone of occupation, and, if that is so, why distinguish between them?

:I think the hon. Member speaks in some ignorance of what is going on in the Russian zone. Anyhow, my answer was that I think it is a matter for the Control Commission to bring action in the war zones into some sort of co-ordination.

:Has the Secretary of State for War observed the reports from reputable newspaper correspondents on the most unsatisfactory working disorder, and is he aware of the statement that there was a Russian-German football match during the week-end?

Yes, Sir.

:Is my right hon. Friend aware that during the Rhine occupation at the end of the last war the disregard of the fraternisation order and its relaxation had the most prejudicial effect on the authority of the Army in the Rhineland?

:My answer to that question is the same as to the other Questions, that being, on the eve, as one hopes, of an effective Control Commission in which four nations take their place, it is extremely desirable that these matters should be regulated by the four nations in agreement.

Have His Majesty's Government made representations on this matter to the Control Commission and, if so, what is the nature of them?

The Control Commission has not yet been set up. To the best of my hope and belief it will be set up this very day. After that, I have not the slightest doubt that this is one of the questions which will obtrude itself upon the Control Commission without any reminders from me.

But is it the intention of His Majesty's Government to make any representations whatsoever on this matter, as we are represented on the Control Commission, and is it not a fact that discipline in our Army is breaking down as a consequence of this order?

The answer to the second question is, certainly not.

I do not agree with the right hon. Gentleman.

The hon. Gentleman knows, of course.

We know more than you do about it.

The hon. Member's knowledge of the Army is very deep, prolonged and vast. The answer to the first part is, as I have already said, that this question is bound to obtrude itself on the attention of the Control Commission as soon as it is set up.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether Austrian prisoners of war are being segregated from German prisoners; and whether any steps are being taken to send those who are not Nazis to Austria.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes, Sir," and to the second part "Not yet."

:Can we take it that steps will be taken as soon as possible to send back to Austria key workers, and, particularly, agricultural workers, who are not Nazis, in order to stave off the threatened food shortage?

I cannot give any guarantee on this subject, because "as soon as possible" is always read to mean "at once."

Oh, no.

All right, then; it either means "at once" or it means nothing. I am certainly not in a position to give the assurance "at once," and I am unwilling to give a meaningless assurance. There are lots of things concerning the movement of prisoners which have to be taken into account, and all I can say to the hon. Member is that these things are in mind and will be borne in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give an assurance that all Nazi leaders, of whatever rank, are now imprisoned in ordinary prison cages or other prisons and not allowed the facility of house arrest; whether he will issue instructions that no special facilities, such as the right to have special food obtained for them, will be allowed; and that they will be treated strictly as prisoners who are only entitled to the minimum amenities consistent with the rules of war.

:All German prisoners of war of whatever rank are accommodated in this country in prisoner of war camps and none receive any special facilities. The rations provided for them are to the scales given in my reply in this House on 29th May and none are allowed to obtain special food. They are treated strictly as prisoners of war in accordance with the rules of war.

May I ask my right hon. Friend whether Field Marshal Goering is covered by that answer?

I have enough to look after without being responsible for other people's affairs. Field Marshal Goering is not in the custody of the British Forces.

asked the Prime Minister to what medal men who have served in Paiforce will be entitled.

I am still not satisfied with the arrangements which have been made on this subject up to the present time, and therefore I will ask my hon. and gallant Friend to allow me to pursue my task which involves many minor complications.

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that he has not much time, if he is to get these things settled before he leaves that side of the House?

That is counting chickens before they are hatched.