asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider introducing a system of age and service release from the N.F.S. in place of the present system, by which the area fire officers decide redundancy irrespective of the men's claims for release.

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply to Questions by the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Bartlett) and the hon. Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Murray) on 8th November, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will relax the rule forbidding entry to the police force to candidates over 30 years of age in favour of demobilised ex-Servicemen.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to a Question on a similar point by the hon. Member for Luton (Mr. Warbey) on 1st November.

asked the Minister of Food if, in view of his plans to import foreign boxed fish, he will give a reassurance to the British fishing industry as to the long-term future of prices, as it was formerly the regular practice of the importers of foreign boxed fish to undersell the British fishermen.

Imports of limited quantities of boxed fish from Denmark and Norway are being permitted during the winter solely in the interest of the public. These imports have no bearing on long term policy regarding fish prices. This long term policy is at present under consideration by the Departments concerned, and it is not possible at the moment to make an announcement on the matter. I am sending to the hon. and gallant Member a copy of the Press notice which has been issued on the subject of imports of boxed fish.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will provide a list of all the countries in which the British Council is at present operating, with the number of paid employees and the total of their salaries in each of those countries.

The following statement shows the foreign countries in which on 30th September the British Council was operating, with paid employees, the numbers of those employees and the total of their salaries:

asked the Minister of Health to what extent deaf persons may be assisted out of public funds in the purchase of aural aids.

If deafness is attributable to or aggravated by war service in His Majesty's Forces the Ministry of Pensions may provide any necessary aural aid. In other cases an approved society which has included payment towards the cost of medical and surgical appliances in its scheme of additional benefits may pay the whole or any part of the cost of such an instrument for one of its members.

asked the Minister of Health what is the price payable by the Runcorn Rural District Council for 9·764 acres of land in the parish of Appleton, the purchase of which his Ministry has sanctioned for housing purposes.

I understand that negotiations between the Council and the owner for the purchase of this land are not yet complete.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give comparative figures for the last ten years, showing the amount of subsidy paid out for the production of sugar-beet.

Subsidy payments in respect of sugar manufactured from home grown beet were:

asked the Secretary of State for War where the 779 men who left the Czechoslovak camp at Southend-on-Sea between 1st October and nth November were sent; and how many of them expressed unwillingness to return to Czechoslovakia.

Apart from a very small number repatriated to other countries overseas, all were returned to Czechoslovakia. In all, 12 individuals had expressed their unwillingness to return.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will give, in tabular form, a comparison of the charges made by the G.P.O. and Cable and Wireless, Limited, for similar services in 1930, 1935, 1940 and 1945, respectively.

The following table shows the charges per word made by the Post Office and by Cable and Wireless, Limited, respectively, for ordinary telegrams to all the countries to which both provided service at the dates named:rates reduced proportionately as provided for in the International Telegraph Regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that in the Third Survey Regiment, R.A., C.M.F., the L.I.A.P. leave rules are not being observed in that there are many men in the regiment with more than two years and nine months overseas, who have not been granted home leave; and whether he will take action to see that the L.I.A.P. rules are observed.

I have no information that normal rules are not being observed in this unit, but I have called for a report and will write to the hon. and gallant Member.