asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware of the hardship caused to persons by reason of the immunity of most Government departments from action being taken against them in tort or for breach of contract, that to remedy this defect a Crown Proceedings Bill, Cmd. 2842, was introduced in this House in 1927 and has been mentioned several times since, the last time being in 1935; and if it is the intention of the Government at any time in the near future to re-introduce the Crown Proceedings Bill to remedy this gap in the law.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the proposals for nationalisation, involving increased power and responsibility for Government departments, he will introduce a Bill which will place the Crown in the same position as the subject in matters of litigation.

I do not think the hardship to which the hon. and gallant Member refers is very serious in practice, but the question of preparing a Crown Proceedings Bill is receiving preliminary consideration. This consideration has shown that alterations in the Bill to which the hon. and gallant Member refers would be necessary. Owing to the heavy legislative programme it is not possible to undertake this task and to introduce this Bill this Session. My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor is anxious that the work should be proceeded with as soon as more urgent business permits, and the hon. and gallant Member may rest assured that the matter will not be lost sight of.

While thanking the Solicitor-General for his answer—[HON. MEMBERS: "Why?"]—Out of courtesy—I would like to ask him whether he is aware that there are many cases at the present moment which this Bill would help considerably, and that there are cases which show that the Bill is an urgent measure and not one that can be left indefinitely until other legislative business has gone through this House.

I quite accept that, and, indeed, I said so in my answer, but there are other Bills which are even more urgent and it is a question of priority.

Does not the Solicitor-General realise that the liberty of the subject, for which so many have fought and died through the ages, is in jeopardy, and that under the policy of this Government we are in danger of repeating the fate of Germany?

I realise nothing of the sort and I do not accept for a moment that that is so.

Is the Solicitor-General aware that I have a case this week of a constituent of mine, a young lady, who lost an eye in the service of the Air Ministry and has been awarded a compensation of 3s. 3d. a week for the loss of that eye, and that as the situation is at present she would appear to have no redress in the courts?

No, Sir, I am not aware of the case, but if my hon. and gallant Friend will send me particulars I will be very happy to consider it and to see if there is anything I can do about it.

Will the Solicitor-General also consider the operation of the Public Authorities Protection Acts and Civilian Injuries Scheme, which also operate to deprive the subject of his rights against the Crown and result in cases of real hardship? Pending the introduction of this legislation, will he instruct the Treasury Solicitors or the persons advising His Majesty's Government in litigation not to plead these defences in case of hardship?

Would the Solicitor-General ask his Noble Friend to consider this very carefully and, whilst making suitable Amendments, to be extremely suspicious of the anxiety of the Tory Party in the matter?

Oh.

asked the Attorney-General what fees are being paid for his services at the Nuremberg trials.

The amount of the Attorney-General's fee has not yet been decided. As hon. Members will be aware, the Attorney-General has not been present throughout the trial and this is naturally a circumstance that would be taken into account in determining the amount of his fee. The final decision as to the amount of his fee cannot be arrived at, however, until the proceedings at Nuremberg are terminated.

Is it in conformity with modern ideas and with the Government's political philosophy that he should receive a large fee at all in view of the fact that he also gets a salary?

Will the Solicitor-General explain why it is that the Law Officers alone apparently get extra emoluments and no other Minister?

That question does not arise.

asked the Attorney-General whether, having regard to the ruling of the Bar Council as to members of the Bar appearing at the Nuremberg trial, it is the intention that barristers serving in the Army should be ordered to defend war criminals at military courts; and whether, in view of the fact that many such officers have conscientious scruples against so acting, he will consult with the War Office with a view to relieving officers from such duty if they so desire.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the answer given yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Viscountess Davidson).

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is satisfied that the training of aircrews in Transport Command is of the same high standard as that in B.O.A.C; and in what respect the training standards differ.

The standards of training are similar, both for basic training and for conversion to transport work. There are some minor differences in the conversion training. B.O.A.C. have, in fact, selected many crews who have been trained by Transport Command. They are then given further experience by B.O.A.C. and for that reason and because of demobilisation it is probably true that B.O.A.C. now have the more experienced crews.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will state the monthly number of accidents in Transport Command from November to date; giving the number of casualties, fatal or otherwise, in each case.

We are now publishing accident figures for scheduled services, special flights and trooping movements carried out by Transport Command and all other Commands of the Royal Air Force. The figures for November have been placed in the Library of the House, and the return for December will soon be ready.

Will the Minister give an assurance that prisoners of war brought home from the Far East will not fly across Europe during the winter months?

I shall be making a statement on the whole question of accidents and the trooping programme at the end of Questions. Perhaps the hon. Member will wait till then.

The Minister says the figures have been placed in the Library of the House. Why are they not published in HANSARD?

That was the arrangement we came to in reply to several other representations earlier on, but of course they can be published in the Press.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that R.A.F. overcoats surrendered by airmen on demobilisation at Cardington, are thrown into lorries and driven away; what becomes of them; and why airmen cannot retain them when they are demobilised during the winter months.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether demobilised men who proceed from the demobilisation centre in uniform are allowed to take with them their service greatcoat.

We have to keep these greatcoats because of the need to economise with all Service clothing. They are usually cleaned and repaired for issue to recruits or for other airmen's working kit. The Ministry of Supply deal with any which cannot be repaired. A member of the Air Force can wear a civilian raincoat with uniform during his release leave. But if there is no suitable raincoat ready for him at the clothing centre, he can borrow his Service greatcoat while he is waiting for the raincoat.

Is my hon. Friend aware that men who have been accustomed to wearing this thick Service overcoat until the last day before demobilisation and are then given a thin raincoat instead are having their health imperilled, and that there are many cases in which this has been done?

The raincoat is usually a lined one—a very decent garment. I have one myself.

Would the hon. Gentleman not consider the possibility of allowing the men to retain the greatcoat at least until the end of the 56 days' leave?

We could consider that, but the coats are very urgently needed for the remaining members of the R.A.F. so that we do not divert clothing production in order to go on producing uniforms.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what proportion of the Poles in each R.A.F. Command have chosen to return to Poland.

Just over ·5 per cent. of the Polish Air Force serving with the R.A.F. in this country have so far chosen to return to Poland. The proportion is just under ·5 per cent. in R.A.F. Commands overseas.

Will the Minister confirm that what he means by "point 5" is one-half of 1 per cent.?

Yes, Sir.

Will the Minister give these men every encouragement in this matter?

Is there, in fact, any encouragement given for these men to return?

May I ask whether the Minister will translate for the information of the House his "point 5 per cent." into an intelligible figure? What number does he mean?

"Point five" means one-half.

We are all aware of this game of percentages. Will the Minister translate his percentage into the actual numbers involved? How many are there?

It is one in 20.

No, one in 200.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air when the R.A.F. intend to remove the bombing targets in St. Austell Bay, Cornwall; and when these targets were last used.

This range will probably be required again for experiments directed to improve the safe employment of some of our explosives. Trials there were planned in December, but had to be cancelled owing to bad weather; the range was last used in July, 1945. It cannot yet be given up.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that repairs are being carried out at Marston Moor Aerodrome, Yorkshire; and whether he is satisfied that the use of materials for this purpose is justified in the light of the housing shortage.

Nothing more than maintenance work is now being carried out at Marston Moor. The amount of materials used there is very small.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what percentage of the R.A.F. personnel stationed in the Azores at the end of November, 1945, have now returned to the United Kingdom.

Eight per cent. have already returned, and a further 21 per cent. will leave as and when transport can be arranged.

Are men being kept on this station beyond the normal term of their tour of duty? Will the Minister make inquiries into the facilities for recreation on the station?

Yes, Sir, I have made inquiries. The men are kept beyond their tour of duty or release date only when transport does not arrive on the due day. That is the only delay.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he is aware of the complaints of conditions at the R.A.F. station and transit camp, Mauripur, near Karachi, both from airmen stationed there and from passengers in transit; what steps have been taken to deal with the overcrowding at this station; to what extent the faults have been due to understaffing; and what improvements have been effected since October, 1945.

The Royal Air Force Station, Mauripur, is still in process of major reconstruction, which inevitably gives rise to inconvenience both for passengers and ground staff. I think this has been the main difficulty rather than understaffing. Since last October the transit camp for trooping has been completed, and all the other new accommodation should be ready by the beginning of April. The real point is not so much conditions at Mauripur as that the men are very naturally longing to get home.

Has my hon. Friend any information about the strike of some thousands of airmen which was reported yesterday to have taken place at this station?

My noble Friend has had a signal on that subject and he is considering the matter this afternoon very carefully indeed.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if the R.A.F. station at Vizagapatam has now been closed.

Three-quarters of this station has now been closed down, but it has been found necessary to maintain a staging post there for the time being. Further reductions will be made before the hot weather. For those airmen who have to remain there, there is now a cinema, a gymnasium, a concert hall, tennis court, games room and canteen.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air (1) what was the cost to the Government of the Jurby, Isle of Man, R.A.F. station; and what future use is to be made of this station; (2) what was the cost to the Government of the Andreas, Isle of Man, R.A.F. station; and what future use is to be made of the station.

The Royal Air Force stations at Jurby and Andreas in the Isle of Man cost £583,000 and £745,000 respectively. The land belongs to the Air Ministry, and flying training will probably continue at both airfields, with Jurby also available for civil use.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he is in a position to make a statement with regard to the Government's proposals for the future of the A.T.C.

The main decision which is needed by the A.T.C. is that of the size of the permanent postwar R.A.F. and other Flying Services, because, as already announced, the A.T.C. will be the main source of recruits; and this decision in turn involves a decision on the size of the postwar Forces as a whole. It is obviously too early to make these basic decisions. But, in the meanwhile, plans for the continuance of the A.T.C. have been announced, financial assistance for flying, gliding, etc., has been provided, and there is no reason why the A.T.C. shall not go ahead in confidence that it will have its full part in building up the country's postwar Flying Services.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is considerable doubt in the matter among A.T.C. officers and personnel, and that it is having a very bad effect? Will he not see whether something cannot be done which will be helpful in the matter?

I have heard these expressions of doubt, but there certainly should not be any doubt that the A.T.C. is the main source of recruits for the R.A.F. and for other flying services. The only matter in doubt is the exact size of the Force, and that, as I say, depends upon decisions which cannot be taken yet.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that as a result of a dispute between the A.T.C. Committee in Croydon and Flight-Lieutenant Muir, of No. 1924 Squadron, Flight-Lieutenant Muir resigned from his command of the squadron, and that the majority of the members of the squadron are now contemplating resignation in sympathy with him; and whether, in view of the urgency of the matter and the unsatisfactory state in which it now rests, he will convene a court of inquiry to investigate and make a report on the circumstances in this case.

My Noble Friend has written to my hon. and gallant Friend about this matter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many acres of land are occupied by his Department in the county of Merioneth; what aerodromes are comprised in such land; whether these aerodromes are considered suitable for modern aircraft; and what is the intention of his Department with regard to these aerodromes.

We hold 750 acres of land in Merioneth. The airfields on this land, at Llanbedr and Towyn, are both suitable for important types of modern aircraft. We expect to keep Llanbedr, sharing it with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. We shall shortly dispose of the land at Towyn, except for about 25 acres for an Army Training Centre.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air when he is likely to get an answer to his letter dated 20th November regarding 1501212 L.A.C. Bateson, R., about whom three formal letters of acknowledgment have been received from his Department.

The hon. Member will by now have received my letter of 17th January. I regret the misunderstanding which arose in making arrangements for this airman. He will now be moved to a hospital in Lincolnshire which is nearer his home.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air why 1072602 L.A.C. Tosh, whose release group is No. 24, most of which was demobilised early in December, is still retained in the Service many weeks thereafter; and when he is likely to be discharged.

I regret the delay in demobilising this airman, which was due to his documents not being received from overseas. He has been on leave since before Christmas, and was released yesterday.

While expressing my appreciation of the promptness of the steps taken by my hon. Friend when notice was given to him of this matter, I would ask whether there are many cases in which men have been kept in the Service for weeks merely because their documents had not been sent on with them when they came home from overseas?

I do not think there are many of these cases. The airman in this case was given leave. He did not suffer very badly.

He was given leave after many weeks of delay.

That is not my information.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what is the average interval of time between the repatriation of an officer from India and the receipt in England of his accounts.

The average time is still about three months, but officers do not have to wait for their accounts to arrive here before they receive their pay in this country.

Is it not a fact that men are sometimes debited with amounts which they have no means of checking?

We have great difficulty in getting these accounts back from India promptly, but when they arrive, of course, the whole position is put straight.

The accidents which have occurred to Royal Air Force aircraft engaged in the Air Trooping Programme have caused my Noble Friend the deepest concern. He accordingly directed the Air Staff to inquire, as a matter of urgency, into what measures could be taken to reduce these accidents. The report of the Air Staff has now been received. Its main recommendations were these:

The effect of this decision will be to cut down the Air Trooping Programme between this country and India from 10,000 to 5,000 a month in each direction together with the suspension of the U.K.-Italy programme. It is the inevitable price of these comprehensive safety measures. This will not result in a slowing up of the process of demobilisation and repatriation, since the necessary increase in shipping has just become available. The 5,000 men a month who would have come home by air will now come home by sea—but there may be some temporary dislocation while the men are being re-routed.

On the other hand, I must warn the House that the adoption of these measures does not ease the burden which we are placing on Transport Command. Fewer passengers can now be carried, but the actual amount of flying to be carried out by the Command will be as great as ever, since safety measures are extremely expensive in terms of effort. Therefore we cannot hope for any increase in demobilisation from Transport Command as a result.

Finally, and in justice to Transport Command, I would like to remind the House that it was in the trooping programme, and in the trooping programme alone, that the accident rate became high. On Transport Command's scheduled service its safety record is good.

The Air Trooping Programme was conceived as an operation of war, and planned on wartime standards. Now that increased shipping is becoming available, we must introduce peacetime standards of safety. We must not expect, of course, that the adoption of these standards will abolish accidents altogether. No air line in the world has ever been able to operate entirely without accidents. Nor, for that matter, can surface transport operate without accidents. But I believe that these safety measures will help Transport Command to reduce accidents on its trooping programme to the low level which it has achieved on its other services.

Would not Transport Command have a much better chance of keeping its air crew teams if the Government would make up their mind about offering regular employment to people in the Royal Air Force?

Permanent commissions are being offered to officers in the Royal Air Force, and other ranks are now being offered permanent employment. Since two days before Christmas that has been done.

May I take that further? Cannot we have a comprehensive statement showing what opportunities there are for employment in the Royal Air Force? We must know about the postwar organisation.

Is the Minister aware that in the Royal Air Force as a whole there is considerable dissatisfaction on meteorological services at the high level of the Air Ministry? The men have done magnificent work in maintaining the Met. aircraft and flying them, but the highups ought to be reconsidered.

Obviously I cannot endorse that statement, but I will certainly make very careful inquiries into the Met. situation.

Why did the hon. Gentleman give us only a vague reference to the important aspect of meteorological officers on routing, when we recognise that most of the accidents that have been caused appear to have been due to circumstances such as weather or other climatic conditions, due possibly to bad advice and the bad briefing from the meteorological officers? Could the hon. Gentleman give us some more information?

I do not think the House ought to be led to that conclusion by any means. It would be very unfair to Met. officers to do so. Obviously, Met. is one of the most important factors in the situation, and we are taking active steps to increase the Met. services along the routes.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman, in view of his very disturbing statement that it is difficult to keep crews together for more than a week, whether he could not make some further statement about the long-term service in the Air Force to obviate this very unhappy state of affairs?

We should welcome every opportunity to put our offers of longer term engagements under the new pay and conditions and allowances which have been announced for all the Armed Forces. We have, of course, put that to the Services in a new series of signals called "Pay" forms. That is a standing offer to other ranks. Permanent commissions are being given to officers although their pay and conditions will not be announced for a few weeks more. They should be announced within a month. Certainly we welcome every opportunity to get long-term engagements because that is the solution, and the only solution, to the question.

I do not want to press this matter unduly, but the hon. Gentleman will understand very clearly that until the conditions are made known to the officers they cannot be expected to re-engage.

Curiously enough, we have had many applications for permanent commissions: it is less difficult there than in the case of other ranks.

Can my hon. Friend give an assurance that the re-routing and consequent dislocation that he has spoken of will not delay the date of demobilisation in this country of men who were about to be brought home by air?

It may be that men who would have been brought by air will have to be taken by sea.

Yes, but will it delay their demobilisation?

No, Sir.

Can the Under Secretary tell the House whether the questions remitted to the Air Staff for advice included the difficulties and handicaps of the diplomatic mail service?

Not in this connection, because this was entirely on the trooping programme.

Transport Command?

No, this was trooping.

Do not these air accidents in Transport Command compare most favourably with accidents on the roads? Do we not want to preserve a sense of proportion?

I said in my statement that it would be most unfair to the Air to say that this was the only service which had accidents. Forms of surface transport also have their accidents, of which we have been unfortunately reminded quite recently.

Could the Minister indicate what is the proportion of accidents in Bomber Command to those in Transport Command, and is it because accidents are high in Bomber Command that it is not being used for the trooping programme?

No, Sir. The Bomber Command service to Italy was distinct from the main trooping route to India, and it was a difficult route to fly through the winter. It has been possible to make other arrangements for the men, and we thought it better to suspend this service for these months.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation how many orders he has placed for U.S. aeroplanes for operation on British civil airlines; how many machines these orders represent; what types have been ordered; and when are deliveries expected.

I ask the hon. and gallant Member to await a statement which I hope to make in Debate tomorrow.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation if he will state the approximate cost of the recent flight to South America by the air liner "Star Light."

This information is not available. The hon. and gallant Member will, I am sure, appreciate the difficulty of preparing a satisfactory estimate of the cost of a proving flight of this nature.

Is the Minister aware that I am not asking for an estimate but for figures of the actual cost incurred, and whether it is borne by the State or by private enterprise?

The difficulty is the statistical one of calculating whether certain persons, carried for purposes of training, ought to be debited with the cost of this flight or not. This flight was undertaken on behalf of His Majesty's Government.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what the position is with regard to the full resumption of air services between the Isle of North Uist and the mainland.

Air services between the Isle of North Uist and the mainland will be resumed as soon as the Sollas aerodrome is restored to serviceable condition. The engineering report to which I referred in my reply of 14th November last, has been received and is under examination by my Department. I hope the aerodrome will be available for air services in the Summer.

asked the Parliament ary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation whether he intends to extend the Heathrow aerodrome over any part of the village of Harmondsworth.

I regret I am not yet in a position to add to the reply which I gave to my hon. friend the Member for Southall (Mr. Ayles) on 31st October last, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. and gallant Member.

Could the hon. Gentleman say whether the information, which has appeared in the Press since I put down this Question, and which purported to be from the hon. Gentleman's Department, is authentic?

I have no responsibility for what appears in the Press. A full statement will be made later in the Session.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the birth rate figures for each Colony or other territory supervised by his Department and for the latest birth rate figure for Great Britain by way of comparison.

As the answer is necessarily long, I will circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the statement:

The latest figures for Great Britain are:

These figures are quoted provisionally and may be subject to slight adjustment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent the Fascist papers: "Kathemerini," "Ellinikou Aema" and "Phos," are still distributed to the Cypriot forces; and whether the anti-Fascist papers: "Vema" and "Kypriaka Nes," are now distributed to these troops.

I have no information on the extent to which the newspapers mentioned, all of which are published outside Cyprus, circulate amongst Cypriot troops; none is distributed by the military authorities, nor is any one of them banned.

Is the Minister aware that the troops have these papers forced upon them whilst still in service in the Middle East? Such is my information.

To our knowledge they are not forced on the troops by the authorities either military or otherwise. Indeed some of these papers are published in Egypt.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, why the newspapers "Davar" and "Hamashkif" were recently suspended by the Palestinian Government for publishing matter which had been passed for publication by the Palestinian Government's censorship.

These newspapers were suspended by the Palestine Government in consequence of the action of their editors in publishing matter calculated to increase the public tension. Publication was made in defiance of a written warning by the Chief Secretary, issued to all editors three days before the appearance of the matter in question, drawing their attention to the fact, that the existence of censorship in no way absolved them from their personal responsibility not to publish such matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether pay or compensation is to be granted to interned Government employees for the period of their internment by the Japanese; and, if so, whether this includes Asiatics.

Yes, Sir. Payment in respect of periods of internment is being made, without discrimination, to all Hong Kong and Malayan Government officials, including Asiatics, who held pensionable posts and also to a large number of temporary officials who were employed on a semi-permanent basis.

Is it a fact that this Regulation does not cover civil defence workers who only got three months' pay after capture?

There is another Question on the Order Paper which will give an answer on that point.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that a number of members of the Auxiliary Nursing Service who stayed behind to nurse the wounded in Malaya were captured by the enemy; and if he will give an assurance that these Auxiliaries will receive their pay during captivity as if they had been members of the Regular nursing services.

Members of the Civil Defence Services of Malaya, which include the Auxiliary Nursing Service, who were interned, have been granted ex gratia payments equivalent to three months' pay of their posts. The question of making further payments from public funds is receiving urgent consideration, and in this connection the point referred to in the last part of the hon and gallant Member's Question will certainly be borne in mind.

If I put down a Question in three weeks' time will that be time enough?

I rather hope that we should be in a better position then.

Would the hon. Gentleman say why these people are being treated differently from ordinary Government servants, considering that neither of these Services was allowed to go away before Singapore fell?

I have said that this matter is now under very urgent consideration and I hope very shortly we shall be able to say something better.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that one of these nurses received a letter written as far back as 12th November last from the Malayan Government Office, in which they said they would not make any further advance until information was received from the Colonial Office? In view of the fact that these people are more or less dependent on charity will the matter be treated expeditiously?

I think the hon. Gentleman is making too long a supplementary.

Of course, if the particulars are forwarded to me I will have an inquiry made.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that a number of internees from the Far East, who applied to go direct to their new domicile in Australia and South Africa, were told that they must first go to England; that now they are here they are informed that no transport will be available for a year or more; and whether, in view of the pledge given to repatriate internees, they may be put into the same category for priority as returned troops.

I cannot trace any complaints on this subject having been made to my Ministry, apart from one case where a passage to Australia has already been offered. If the hon. and gallant Member will supply me with details of the cases to which he is referring, I shall be prepared to examine them and see what assistance is possible.

Thank you very much.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make arrangements for the payment of compensation to the employees of civilian firms who were interned in the Far East by the Japanese, in cases where such firms are unable to pay compensation.

It has not been considered feasible to pay compensation to returning internees from the Far East solely on the grounds of their internment. I would, however, refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the 31st October, 1945, 7th and 14th November, 1945, regarding the benefits available to British subjects returning to this country after internment in Malaya and Hongkong. These arrangements apply generally to all British subjects returning to this country after internment in the Far East.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, before varying the Treaty relationship between Great Britain and Sarawak, local opinion in Sarawak will first be consulted, and an opportunity afforded to discuss the matter on the floor of this House.

The discussions which, as the Secretary of State for the Colonies has indicated in this House, are being conducted with His Highness the Rajah of Sarawak are still proceeding. I hope to be in a position to make a statement on the subject in the near future and I would ask the hon. Member to await that statement.

Can the Minister state why £1,500,000 of British taxpayers' money has been allocated to an independent State which is financially independent?

That is a completely different question, but I would ask my hon. Friend to await the statement which the Secretary of State will make in a very short time.

Will the hon. Gentleman say, in view of the great importance of the constitutional changes proposed, whether the statement will be made in a form which will be debatable in this House?

I think that is a question that obviously should be addressed to the Leader of the House for facilities for discussion.

Will the hon. Gentleman say if when his right hon. Friend is making the statement to the House, he will state who has been the representative of the Rajah in visits to Sarawak and through whom public opinion there has been sounded?

Yes, Sir, that point certainly will be covered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the position with regard to the filling of the vacancies for nominated members of the Executive Council in Malta.

The views of the Governor on this matter have been received and are under consideration by my right hon. Friend. The delay in filling these vacancies in no way affects the legal competence of the Executive Council. In the meantime, the Governor proposes to consult informally the Leader of the Labour Party before important measures are introduced into the Council of Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any statement to make to the House about conditions in Malta; and what new steps he is taking to reconstruct the local economy.

My right hon. Friend is giving much attention to conditions in Malta, but I cannot attempt a general statement upon them in answer to a Question. I would, however, draw attention to the recently announced appointment of Sir Harold MacMichael as a Commissioner to visit Malta and to consider, in consultation with representative opinion, matters bearing on the restoration of responsible government. These inquiries must obviously involve certain aspects of the local economy.

I appreciate the difficulty of the Minister, but could he give any estimate of the amount of time it will be before he receives a reply from Sir Harold MacMichael?

The discussions are a little involved, but there is a desire on our part that these discussions should be expedited.

Will the report of Sir Harold MacMichael be a public or a private report to the hon. Gentleman?

I should imagine one must await the report and then consideration can be given to that question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any further statement to make in regard to the policy of His Majesty's Government on Spain.

The situation in Spain is under constant consideration by His Majesty's Government, who are in consultation with the United States and French Governments on the subject. His Majesty's Government have on all relevant occasions displayed their dislike of the present régime which abetted our enemies, and have forcibly enunciated their anxiety that the present régime should, by the activities of the Spanish people themselves, be superseded by a régime popularly supported. His Majesty's Government have in no way modified these views.

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that at this moment Russia, China, Belgium, Holland, Norway and many other countries have not recognised the Franco régime in Spain, and would he not agree that where others have given us a lead we should not be slow to follow?

It all depends on what lead you want. I am not going to indulge in diversionary tactics of any kind. I announce policy to the House and propose to pursue it to the end.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that Bolislaw Scibiorek, President of the Committee of the Wici, Polish Peasants Organisation, was murdered on 2nd November, 1945, that Jan Rytlewski, a prominent member of the Polish Christian Labour Party, was murdered at Juchda, on 2nd November, 1945, that Jozef Wrona, Peasant leader, was murdered at Zolkiewka on 8th December, 1945; and whether, in view of these repeated murders of political opponents which follow on several others, he has drawn the attention of the Polish Provisional Government to the continued violation of the terms under which it has been recognised.

On a point of Order. In view of the fact that Poland is a State which we, in fact, recognise and with which we exchange diplomatic representatives, is it in Order to describe it on the Order Paper as the "Polish Provisional Government"?

Yes, I believe it is quite in Order and the correct description.

I am seriously concerned at the number of political murders that have been committed in various parts of Poland in recent weeks, in circumstances that in many cases appear to point to the complicity of the Polish Security Police. I regard it as imperative that the Polish Provisional Government should put an immediate stop to these crimes in order that free and unfettered elections may be held as soon as possible in accordance with the Crimea decisions.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this is by no means a complete list, that all these victims are members of the Opposition parties and partisans of Monsieur Mikolajcz3?k, and will he urge that the General Election takes place before all potential leaders of the Opposition have been murdered?

I do not desire to add to what I have already said. The task of re-creating Europe and getting tranquillity is a very difficult one; we have to exercise patience. At the same time, I am looking forward to the end of these police States.

Will my right hon. Friend see to it that these Questions, and his answers to them, are brought to the personal knowledge of General Sir Frederick Morgan?

I do not think that arises on this Question and I do not propose to answer it.

I would point out that Questions with insinuations are really out of Order. We will proceed to the next one.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a programme of help from U.N.R.R.A. has now been arranged for Austria; and whether he will state the amount allocated for such purposes and give" any information he has concerning present conditions in Austria.

Yes, Sir. The Allied Council in Austria has formally requested U.N.R.R.A. to assume responsibility for the import of relief and rehabilitation supplies into Austria. I understand that U.N.R.R.A. is prepared to undertake this responsibility as from 1st March, but is also trying to get certain supplies to Austria before then. My hon. Friend will appreciated that a date some time ahead has to be fixed for a change-over of responsibility of this kind if it is to be achieved without dislocation. Discussion as to the amount to be allocated to Austria by U.N.R.R.A. is now going on in Washington. The resources of U.N.R.R.A. are limited and a number of countries are dependent upon them, and allocation involves a difficult task.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that recent reports from Austria state that, out of 70 deaths, 65 are due to starvation, and could he bring pressure to bear on U.N.R.R.A. to expedite their activities to prevent further deaths in that country?

I recognise that conditions in Austria are very bad. There are two things necessary in Austria—the speeding up of U.N.R.R.A. distribution and, in addition, I have been pressing for a considerable time for a withdrawal of the large numbers of troops in that area.

While I appreciate what the Foreign Secretary has been doing for the removal of troops, could he give us an assurance that from now, and during February, emergency measures will be taken to see that food arrives in Vienna and the desperate parts of Austria while U.N.R.R.A. is getting under way?

I will do my very best.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his attention has been called to the announcement of General Mark Clark, issued at his headquarters in Vienna, that permits can now be granted to Austrian refugees in the U.S.A. to return to Austria; and whether he will arrange that similar permits should be available for Austrian anti-Nazi refugees in this country to enable them to return to Austria.

I am aware of the statement to which the hon. Member refers. As stated in the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport (Mr. P. Freeman) on December 17th I have already made arrangements for a certain number of Austrian refugees to return to Austria. A scheme is being prepared to enable larger numbers to be repatriated, particularly those who will assist in the reconstruction of their country on democratic lines. Everything, however, depends on the availability of transport and an announcement will be made as soon as applications can be entertained.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has obtained corroborative evidence from independent experts concerning the authenticity of documents purporting to be Hitler's will and marriage certificate discovered by intelligence officers at Tegernsee, Germany, on 26th December, 1945.

No, Sir. These particular copies are in the hands of the American authorities. The will is, however, identical with a replica found in the British zone, the signature of which has been examined by a handwriting expert and pronounced to be authentic.

In view of certain elementary errors in the German language which are contained in the text, and which, therefore, throw doubt on the authenticity of the documents, would my right hon. Friend make available in the Library a photostatic copy of the documents so that Members may have an opportunity of seeing them?

I really did not think that curiosity had reached such heights.

Such depths.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement reporting progress in the setting up of a central Allied administration for Germany.

The Allied Control Council in Berlin is the central Allied authority for the administration of Germany. It was established in July, 1945, and has been functioning ever since.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster upon what dates he received recommendations from responsible voluntary and representative bodies and from British military authorities in Germany that there should be appointed a Jewish adviser to advise the Control Commission in matters relating to Jewish displaced persons in Germany, Jewish camp leaders or liaison officers in the various camps, and the establishment of separate Jewish camps; which of these recommendations have been adopted in the American zone, and how long ago; and when they will be adopted in the British zone.

Suggestions of the kind referred to in the Question have been made by various people at various times. It is the policy of His Majesty's Government to make no distinctions, on grounds of religion, between categories of displaced persons and, for this reason, we do not accommodate Jewish displaced persons in separate centres. The American authorities, however, take the opposite course. Jewish relief workers are employed in the U.N.R.R.A. teams responsible for the welfare of displaced persons. I understand that a Jewish adviser was appointed in the American zone last August. I have decided to appoint a Jewish adviser to assist the British authorities and I hope that the appointment will be completed and that he will take up his duties shortly.

Is my hon. Friend unaware that the displaced persons, the military authorities in Germany and every organisation voluntarily conducting relief work among them are unanimously in favour of these recommendations? Is he further aware that Major-General Templar promised me months ago that these recommendations would be honoured, and will he not consider whether the recommendations ought not now to be put into operation?