asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the shortage of labour in the building industry, he is prepared to modify the regulations at present governing the Government's Vocational Training Scheme so as to enable ex-Servicemen who are anxious to train for this industry to take advantage of the scheme even though they are unable to prove that they are in need of training to enable them to obtain employment.

The rules do not exclude an ex-Serviceman merely because he could get employment without training. They admit him if he is in need of training to get work suitable to his general capacity. Accordingly, any demobilised man who is not qualified for a skilled occupation but is adjudged capable of acquiring the necessary qualifications is eligible.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is now in a position to report to the House on the progress made in the training of building operatives.

On 12th January, 4,023 men were in training in building trades and 985 men have already been trained and placed in employment in the building industry. There are now 30 Centres open for training in this trade.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the case of an ex-serviceman in Northampton who has been refused training as a bricklayer upon the grounds that he was a cook in the Army; and whether he will take steps to see that Army cooks are not debarred from obtaining training in a trade.

I am not aware of this case, but on the facts presented in the Question the applicant should not have been debarred from training. If my hon. Friend will send me details I will have inquiries made.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the Services have assessed the value of the expense saved to a soldier and his household by his Service maintenance at £1 per week; and whether the total of that figure and Service pay is being regarded as a basis to which civilian wage rates are to be adjusted.

Whatever the value to the soldier of his Service pay and maintenance the answer to the second part of the Question is "No, Sir."

asked the Minister of Labour the number of stoppages and the number of days lost on account of industrial disputes for the years 1927 to 1939, respectively.

The following are the figures:

asked the Minister of Labour how many men in Class B were released in December and January under the block release method, on application by civilian departments, and as individual specialists, respectively.

During December 21,924 men were released under Class B block release arrangements, 2,385 under the system of nominated bulk releases and 1,211 as individual specialists. The figures for January are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is prepared to recommend any exemption from military service for youths of military age who have recently returned to this country after three years' internment by the Japanese in the Far East.

It is not at present proposed to call up for military service men identified at the time of their registration under the National Service Acts as repatriated civilian ex-prisoners of war.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is yet in a position to state the number of men and women from the four main-line railways and the L.P.T.B. who are still in the Forces; and the percentages which these numbers represent of the prewar total staff.

I hope to write to the hon. Member within the next few days.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will investigate the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of a teacher, a science graduate of London University, who, after a total of four years' National Service has been released to complete a one year's teachers' training course in accordance with a Ministry of Labour regulation of October, 1945, but now finds his deferment suddenly terminated; and if he will enable this man to return at once to preparation for the teaching profession.

I have investigated the case to which the hon. Member refers and am writing to him explaining the position.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will provide details of the prefabricated house being erected under British direction in the British-occupied area of Germany, which can be built in seven days by one foreman and five unskilled labourers; at what cost they are built; and whether it is proposed to build such houses in this country.

The house erected at Munster by the Aulei Quick-Building Method under the auspices of the British authorities is not, I understand, a prefabricated house. Its only novel feature is the construction of the exterior walls with an interlocking "H" shaped block, the interstices being filled with concrete. The questions of cost, man-hours and suitability for use in the United Kingdom are being investigated by the Ministry of Works, but on the evidence so far available it would not appear that the system is likely to assist house production in this country.

asked the Minister of Health whether, with a view to accelerating the present housing programme, he will give an undertaking that his Department will adhere to standards already prescribed, so that there will be no need for local authorities to alter their plans and give these local authorities a somewhat freer hand than they have at present in using their initiative and satisfying themselves that standards will be adhered to.

I am not aware that my Department is departing from the housing standards which have been laid down, or that the initiative of local authorities is being cramped. If the hon. and gallant Member has any special difficulty in mind, I should be glad to investigate if he will let me have particulars.

asked the Minister of Health under what statute or regulation local authorities are precluded from allocating temporary houses to aged couples willing to vacate a larger house.

Local authorities are not precluded from allocating temporary houses to aged couples willing to vacate a larger house. Allocation is within their discretion; but it may well be that in a particular case the authority thinks it right to give preference to some other class of tenant.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is making any provision for the large number of aged parents who, before the war, relied for care and housing facilities upon their children, who now are unable to provide it.

Local authorities are receiving an increasing number of applications for institutional accommodation from such persons, and I am giving them all possible help in providing the accommodation, particularly in small homes and hostels.

asked the Minister of Health if he is prepared to make loans available for house purchase through the local authorities at a rate of 2 per cent.

No; the rate at which local authorities can make loans under the Small Dwellings Acquisition Acts is tied by statute to the rate charged by the Public Works Loan Board. It stands today at 3¼ per cent.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in consultation with the other Ministers concerned, he will take all possible steps to provide a much-needed incentive for building workers by encouraging payment by results, over and above a guaranteed minimum wage.

The matter is under consideration by the industry, with which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works is in close touch.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been drawn to the recommendation of the Welsh Board of Health that the Pwllheli Town Council use tiles as a roofing material in connection with their proposed housing scheme; and in view of Pwllheli's close proximity to, and association with, the Welsh slate quarrying industry, will he now ensure that Welsh slate is substituted for tiles in this housing scheme.

asked the Minister of Health why the Welsh Board of Health has directed Pwllheli, Caernarvonshire, local authority to use tiles instead of Welsh slate for roofing purposes in their proposed housing programme.

The shortage of slates is acute in view of the heavy demands of war damage repair, and any local authority which insists on slates to the exclusion of any other roofing material is liable to delay. The action of the Welsh Board in recommending Local Authorities to con- sider the use of alternative materials is therefore in the interests of speed.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make a statement on the progress of the Share your Rooms campaign organised by his department; and whether he contemplates using any further powers of requisitioning of apartments in the near future.

My right hon. Friend is not able to measure the response to this appeal, partly because people who share their homes are not bound to register with the local authority and many have not done so. My right hon. friend particularly welcomes such purely private arrangements; furthermore, he has not thought it right to place on the local authorities the burden of making an additional return giving the number of registrations. Further appeals are best made by the local authorities on their own initiative, and in several cases further appeals are, I know, contemplated. As regards requisitioning, local authorities have power to requisition any unoccupied houses and my right hon. Friend has no immediate proposal for a general delegation to them of powers to requisition occupied houses.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the Astbury Road site for 50 temporary houses at Congleton has been completed and indicate when the 50 houses will be delivered and what type they will be.

Yes; the houses will be of the Tarran type. There have been difficulties in the production of this type which are now being overcome but I cannot give a definite date for delivery.

asked the Minister of Health if he has now arranged for the Bradfield Rural District Council to be consulted in the selection of tenants for houses and flats falling vacant on the Blossom Square estate at Theale.

If the negotiations at present in progress for the purchase of the estate by the rural district council are satisfactorily concluded, the selection of tenants will be entirely within their control. My right hon. Friend is in communication with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply and Aircraft Production with regard to vacancies occurring in the meantime.

asked the Minister of Health how many prefabricated and permanent houses it is proposed to erect in the Wycombe borough area and in the Wycombe rural area in the next six months; and how many have already been erected.

Information in the form desired by my hon. and gallant Friend is not available but particulars as to the progress of the local authorities will be available in the statement to be published

asked the Minister of Health what increase the Government propose to allow in the present controlled price of houses built by private builders to cover the increase in wages and materials as from 1st January last in the building trade.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given today to the hon. Members for Widnes (Mr. Shawcross), Cheltenham (Mr. Lipson), Exeter (Mr. Maude) and Hornsey (Mr. Gammans).

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give an assurance that all temporary houses are now being delivered to local authorities on the dates it was agreed they should be delivered.

Sites for temporary houses are handed over by the local authority to the Ministry of Works so that that Department may construct the foundations. Delivery of the houses to the sites is

in the near future which I would ask my hon. and gallant Friend to await.

asked the Minister of Health the number of prefabricated and permanent houses planned to be erected within the next 18 months by the rural district councils of Sherborne, Shaftesbury, Sturminster and Blandford and the town councils of Shaftesbury and Blandford: and the number of applications for houses already received from potential residents by each authority.

The figures, showing the position as recorded at 31st December, 1945, are as follow:

thereafter a matter for arrangement within that Ministry; and I understand that it is not the usual practice to agree dates for delivery far in advance.

asked the Minister of Health how many permanent housing schemes have been planned by the boroughs, urban district councils and rural district councils, respectively, in the county of Denbigh, stating those areas which have been acquired, the land and the number of houses it is intended to build and those with completed construction; and whether any local authority in the county has not so far furnished him with its plans.

This information is now being prepared, both as regards the county of Denbigh and all other local authority areas, for the report on housing progress which I intend to submit to the House later this month. To extract these particular figures now would entail considerable extra work and I would ask the hon. Member to wait until the report is available.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications have been made and how many licences have been granted for the building of dwelling-houses in England by individuals or organisations to which no subsidy is payable, for the period 1st August to 31st December, 1945.

During the period 1st August to 31st December, 1945, 6,004 licences were issued for the erection of 25,255 new dwellings by private builders without subsidy. I have no information to hand as to the precise number of applications for building licences that were made to local authorities during this period.

asked the Minister of Health how many houses were built in Wales, Monmouthshire and Newport, respectively, during each of the years 191[ILL] 1920 and 1921 by private enterprise and by local authorities, respectively.

I regret that the figures are not available in this form.

asked the Minister of Health, whether in view of the number of complaints from tenants of houses in uninhabitable condition, he will cause to be published in the national Press a full statement outlining statutory requirements on landlords in respect of their obligations.

The statutory provisions are necessarily in very general terms and I do not think that it would be of assistance to advertise these. It is generally appreciated that where serious sanitary defects exist, the local authority can and does, intervene if the defects are brought to their attention.

asked the Minister of Health, if he will state, approximately, what percentage of county councils compensate their members for loss of earnings incurred by them owing to absence from work in order to attend council meetings.

As the law stands, no county council or other local authority has power to take this action, and therefore no county council has compensated its members for loss of earnings. This position can only be altered by Parliament and there is no possibility of legislation in the present Session.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has now concluded his consultations with all representative bodies in connection with the proposed National Health Bill.

Not yet, Sir; but they are well advanced.

asked the Minister of Health his estimate of the number of probationary nurses in British hospitals who have served in the Forces for two years and thus qualified for the addition to their salary of £25 per annum; and what is the number of probationary nurses who do not qualify.

I regret that I cannot yet give an estimate of the number of persons taking advantage of this scheme.

asked the Minister of Health whether a decision has yet been reached on the application of the Flaxton Rural District Council for approval of schemes of water supply to the parishes of Harton, Burnsall, Claxton, Sand Hutton, Buttercrambe, Gate Helmsley, Upper Helmsley, Holtby and Warhill that were submitted through the North Riding County Council on 7th September, 1944, or what is the reason for the delay.

This scheme is under consideration by the authorities concerned. The North Riding County Council called a conference on 14th January, 1946, to consider a larger regional scheme for water supply to cover six rural districts including Flaxton, and my right hon. Friend is awaiting the decision of the Flaxton Rural District Council as to whether they wish to participate in this larger scheme or to proceed with their own scheme.

asked the Minister of Health whether progress has been made with the necessary preliminaries to giving approval to the Halstead Rural District Council for starting work on a water supply scheme for the area.

Yes; the question of the siting of the projected source of supply has been further considered by the council's consulting engineers, and they are discussing it with officers of my Department next week.

asked the Minister of Health why domestic water supply to farm cottages is not eligible for grant-aided schemes.

My right hon. Friend has asked rural authorities in the preparation of their schemes under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Act, 1944, to take full account of the needs of the agricultural community, and the owners of farm cottages will be fully entitled to connect their properties to mains laid under these schemes.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that two children were drowned in a pond at Merrington Lane, near Spennymoor, in January of this year; that this pond is 40 to 50 feet deep in places, entirely unprotected and only a few yards from the main thoroughfare to Spennymoor; will he inquire whether this pond can be filled in and this danger removed in view of the alarm caused to parents who live near; and will he take steps to establish a recreation ground for the children in its place.

My right hon. Friend's attention has not previously been drawn to this matter. He is having inquiries made and will communicate further with my hon. Friend when these inquiries are completed.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that girls taking a course of midwifery are unable to obtain the textbooks they need; and, having regard to the shortage of trained nurses in every field of medicine, what steps he is taking to ensure that the necessary textbooks are made available.

I am aware that there is difficulty in obtaining midwifery as well as other textbooks owing to the shortage of paper and printing labour. I have discussed the matter with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, who has arranged for considerably increased supplies of paper to be made available to publishers, and for 750 printing operatives to be released from the Forces under Class B in order to ease the labour shortage.

asked the Minister of Health why it is necessary to retain the Coldeast Colony at Sarisbury Green, Hampshire, until 30th June, in view of the fact that this will necessitate the renting and fitting-up of a new nurses' home for the latter three months.

The difficulty arises out of the necessity for finding alternative and conveniently situated accommodation for certain tuberculous patients at present under treatment at the colony. Every effort is being made to find such accommodation and thus to avoid the expenditure of labour, materials and money involved, although this would not in any case be substantial.

asked the Minister of Health the date when he intends to set up the Central Advisory Water Committee.

I have made an Order providing for the constitution of the committee, and I have invited organisations representing particular water interests to submit names of persons suitable for appointment. As soon as these nominations are complete I will proceed to the appointment of the committee.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the present cost to the Treasury of Allied Forces still in the United Kingdom.

About £1,800,000 a month.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why 100 per cent. Purchase Tax is still being imposed upon still film-strip projectors which are used as visual aids to education, when a reduction of 33⅓ per cent. has been made on certain carnival goods such as false ears and noses and joke bombs; and if he will inform the House as to the amount the Exchequer has benefited through the imposition of this tax on film-strip projectors, which is a deterrent to the use of this aid to education in schools.

We cannot distinguish, for tax purposes, between different types of projectors. Carnival novelties are now taxed as "toys" at 33⅓ per cent. of the wholesale value, and not as "fancy articles" at 100 per cent.; but I regret that the information asked for in the last part of the Question is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the uncertainty at present threatening retailers, he will now give an assurance that when the Purchase Tax is remitted he will refund tax paid on existing stocks to drapers, tailors and others tradespeople

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave the hon. Member for Hornsey (Mr. Gammans) on 24th January.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider amending Income Tax law so that a man whose wife is totally incapacitated may claim relief in respect of a housekeeper.

This relief can be claimed now if the wife is totally incapacitated and the housekeeper takes care of young children.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is now prepared to agree to the repayment of postwar credits by cancellation to deceased estates.

I must ask my hon. Friend to await my Budget statement.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the result of his inquiries into the case where an old age pensioner in the Glasgow area found £1,000 in notes and handed it in at a police station on the South side of the river, the money being the property of a Government Department and the citizen being rewarded with £1; if there is any rule governing rewards for the return of money lost by Government Departments; and whether he will take any action to suitably reward this citizen.

Inquiry has now shown that this money was in charge of a junior R.A.F. accountant officer. The incident was not reported by him to the Air Ministry and he paid the £1 reward himself. There is no rule governing rewards in such circumstances, but on the matter coming to their notice the Air Ministry have arranged to pay a reward of £25 to the finder in this case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in spite of the prohibition of Excess Profits Tax relief after the end of this year in the recent Finance Act, Section 40, it will be still possible to claim discharge of amounts held over for repairs, which owing to shortage of labour or material it proves impossible to carry out during the current year, in accordance with the pledge given by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer on 5th June, 1940 (OFFICIAL REPORT, Volume 361, Col. 953).

Yes, Sir. This was made clear by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury during the Debate on the Second Reading of the Finance Bill on 19th November, 1945.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now release the beds, cooking utensils and other household equipment stored in the Pearson Hall, Sonning, and derequisition the building, so that the people, of Sonning may have the use of their village hall again.

The county council already possess authority to sell locally the equip- ment stored at Pearson Hall, Sonning, and I am informed that tenders for purchase have been invited. Clearance of the goods will be effected as soon as satisfactory arrangements for sale can be made. The Berkshire County Council will arrange for the hall to be used by the villagers, as hitherto, pending final clearance of the equipment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the value of the films and dried egg, respectively, imported from the U.S.A. during the latest period of 12 months for which figures are available.

£16,800,000 for films in 1945, and £35,000,000 approximately for dried egg, in the year ending March, 1945.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that the official publications entitled "Election of Parish Councillors and Election of Rural District Councillors," S.R. & O., 1934/546, 1318, are out of print and unobtainable from H.M.S.O.; and if, in view of the imminence of local elections, he will cause them to be reprinted forthwith.

No, Sir; my information is that neither of the two Orders has been out of print.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will state, separately, the number of established civil servants, whole-time unestablished non-industrial civil servants and whole-time industrial civil servants employed in all Government Departments on 31st July, 1945, and 31st December, 1945, respectively.

The number of civil servants in the respective categories as at 1st July, 1945, and 1st October, 1945, the quarterly dates nearest to those specified by the hon. Member, was as follows:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in cases where a temporary civil servant's application for release has been refused by the Appeals Board, on the ground of his, or her, indispensability and efficiency, he will give him, or her, the option of a permanent appointment in the Civil Service, with seniority from the day on which his, or her, temporary appointment commenced.

No, Sir.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if arrangements can now be made to ensure that the OFFICIAL REPORTS shall record the previous day's proceedings up to the hour of midnight.

No, Sir. It is, I regret to say, not at present physically possible.

asked the Minister of Education whether any steps are being taken to see that children have opportunities of being ambidextrous.

I cannot see any reason why a child should not write with any hand it pleases. In practice, left-handed children are generally given opportunities of becoming ambidextrous.

asked the Minister of Education what plans are being provided for a scheme of adult education; and whether local authorities are being consulted on this matter.

Provision for adult education will fall within the scope of the schemes of further education which local education authorities will be required to prepare and submit for their areas under Section 42 of the Education Act, 1944. I shall in due course be issuing some guidance to authorities on the preparation of their schemes.

asked the Minister of Education how many applications from ex-Service personnel for an award under the further education training scheme are at present outstanding; what is the maximum and minimum delay experienced by applicants; and what is being done to expedite grants.

On the 1st February there were 3,980 applications in various stages of consideration in my Department. From the time that they are received from the Ministry of Labour and National Service it is at present taking on an average eight to nine weeks to decide whether the applicant should receive an award, to notify him of the decision, and to assess the value and make the first payment. I am most anxious to expedite the grants and I am endeavouring to obtain more clerical staff for that purpose, but a great amount of labour is necessarily involved in the individual examination of all the numerous applications received.

asked the Minister of Education if she intends to encourage special lessons in all schools on U.N.O.; and if she will consider recommending that Empire Day in the schools should now be converted into United Nations Day.

I am confident that the United Nations Organisation will be given a prominent place in lessons on current affairs and similar topics in schools of all types. As regards the second part of the Question, I think that a child who understands the value of the British Commonwealth will understand all the better the idea of co-operation between the United Nations.

asked the Minister of Education if she is aware of the dissatisfaction among members of the teaching profession that uncertificated teachers with 20 years of service are placed at the same salary point as emergency-trained teachers; also that every successive three years of teaching service by uncertificated teachers counts only for one increment, whereas emergency-trained teachers receive one increment for each year up to 10 years; and when this unfair treatment of uncertificated teachers is to be regularised.

I am aware that some dissatisfaction exists among uncertificated teachers who become qualified teachers under the terms of the Burnham Report on scales of salaries for teachers in primary and secondary schools. My hon. Friend would appear to be under some misapprehension about their incremental position. These teachers enter at the minimum of the scale for qualified teachers, with an additional increment for each three years over 20 years of previous service as uncertificated teacher, and thereafter proceed by annual increments on that scale. These arrangements form part of the agreed recommendations of the Burnham Committee on which both teachers and local education authorities are represented and are embodied in the report to which I have already given my approval.

asked the Minister of Education if she is now in a position to make a comprehensive statement on the future of the youth service.

I shall shortly be publishing a pamphlet for the guidance of local education authorities in the preparation of their plans for further education and this will set out my views on the Youth Service and its place in the field of further education.

asked the Minister of Education whether she will cause to be published a comprehensive Paper dealing with facilities available for youth training and education.

I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the facilities for the social and physical training of young people which are provided through the Youth Service, partly by local education authorities and partly by voluntary organisations. The Youth Service operates through many thousands of clubs, centres and local youth units up and down the country and the preparation of a comprehensive Paper on this subject would cost much time and labour. I should not feel justified in calling on the overburdened staffs of my Ministry and the local education authorities to produce a survey which would not only divert them from work of greater, urgency but would rapidly become out of date. Many local education authorities publish handbooks giving information about the facilities available to young people in their areas.

I am sending my hon. Friend copies of the two circulars to which the table refers.

asked the Minister of Education how many applications have been received from youth organisations in the county of Lindsey to enable them to purchase redundant Army huts; and whether it has been found possible to satisfy these requests.

No such applications appear to have reached my Department, but I shall be glad to consider any cases of which the hon. Member may care to supply details.

asked the Minister of Education if she is now able to announce any decision to increase the number of teachers to be released from the Forces under Class B.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service announced on 24th January, the number of teachers to be released from the Forces under Class B now stands at 13,200, an increase of 3,200.

asked the Minister of Education at which universities and colleges, courses of training in youth service are offered; and what is the length of the course offered at each centre and the number of students attending each course.

The following table gives the particulars desired of courses of training in youth service:

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will take steps to improve the hours of delivery and collection of mail in Pwllheli and district by the institution of road services to Bangor, rather than continuing the existing rail service which only affords inconveniently late delivery, and early collection of mail in that area.

A road service was established on 31st December, 1945, which allows of an earlier delivery of letters in Pwllheli and district. It is hoped to make a further improvement when the prewar train services in the area have been restored. The evening despatch is made at the prewar hour.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the delay in the delivery of sea-mail between Britain and the Argentine; and what steps he will take to secure improvement.

Owing to the general shipping situation, the conveyance of mails by sea between this country and overseas countries, including the Argentine Republic, is as a rule taking longer than in prewar days. Every available outlet is used, and the mail service will improve as and when more fast ships become available.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that applications for withdrawals of sums of over £10 from Post Office savings accounts are not met within the period as stated in the regulations; that delays extend on occasions to several weeks; and, in view of the hardship involved by such unexpected delays, whether he will take the necessary action in order that the regulations may be complied with.

In general, applications for Savings Bank withdrawals are dealt with well within the statutory period, though occasional cases arise in which by error or because of special difficulties the period is exceeded. If my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of any cases of excessive delay of which he is aware, I will have the circumstances investigated.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will issue a special series of postage stamps to commemorate the holding of the initial meetings of U.N.O. in London.

No, Sir. The initial meetings of United Nations in London were marked by a special United Nations postmark which was in use in London from 1st December, 1945, to 19th January, 1946.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether a special victory stamp will be issued in connection with any victory celebrations which may be held this year, in view of the fact that no victory stamp was issued to commemorate VE or VJ-Day.

The matter is under consideration.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when it is expected that it will be possible to re-introduce an afternoon delivery of mail in business districts.

My Noble Friend hopes to make a full statement on postwar postal services at an early date.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what authority it is required that the word "adopted" should be entered on a birth certificate where the infant is not the natural child of the parents; and for what reasons.

The authority is an express requirement in the Adoption Act of 1926. The requirement that the Register of Births shall be marked with the word "adopted" was recommended by the Tomlin Committee as a concomitant part of their scheme for the Register of Adoptions, which enables adopted persons to produce evidence of age without producing a document which discloses their natural parentage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, since he has given notice to alter the boundaries of certain electoral divisions in Monmouthshire, where those alterations are to take place; and what is the number of persons to be transferred to other divisions.

The Order which I have made on the representation of the county council alters the boundaries of certain electoral divisions for the election of county councillors in the Tredegar Urban District and the Magor and St. Mellons Rural District. I am sending my right hon. Friend a statement showing the number of local government electors in each of the old and new divisions concerned.

asked the Minister of Education whether she will assist the people of Buckthorn Weston, Gillingham, Dorset, to obtain a suitable hut for use as a village hall; and whether she will state the procedure for obtaining a temporary village hall for villages in which such amenities do not exist.

Village hall committees may apply for Government surplus huts under the arrangements set out in paragraph 4 of Administrative Memorandum No. 97. The National Council of Social Service assists the provision of village halls in the smaller rural communities, and it is hoped that a limited number of temporary buildings may be made available through the council to meet immediate and urgent needs. I am sending the hon. Member copies of the memorandum to which I have referred and of a further memorandum indicating the assistance which the National Council may be able to give.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider arranging for the police to have a trade union or the rights of national arbitration, similar to those enjoyed by every worker in this country.

It must be remembered that the police are in a special position because in any trade dispute they must not only be impartial, but must give no occasion for any suspicion of partiality. This is one of the reasons why the Police Act of 1919 prohibits membership of a trades union and provides special machinery for reviewing conditions of service. I understand that the Police Federation wish me to consider some modification of this machinery, and I am at present awaiting their proposals.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications have been received from relatives in this country for admission of distressed persons from Europe, over and above the applications in respect of those aliens already admitted by 31st January, and from which countries the persons affected originated.

No record is kept of the number of such applications since they are not made to the Home Office. I made it clear in my statement of the 13th November last that persons in this country wish- ing to invite a distressed relative on the Continent should write, not to the Home Office, but to the relative a letter showing that maintenance and accommodation is available and should advise the recipient to show the letter to the Passport Control Officer at the British Embassy in the country in which the relative is at present.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds the Great Torrington Commons Conservators are being exempted under S.R. & O., 1945, No. 1635, from the requirement of the Chartered and Other Bodies (Resumption of Elections) Act, 1945, Section 2, Subsection (ii).

The purpose of the Order is merely to regularise the position of the conservators prior to the resumption of their elections in May next.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Italian prisoners of war, who are due for repatriation, may be allowed to stay in this country and on what conditions.

No, the general principle is that prisoners of war who are brought here temporarily for custody should ultimately return to their own countries.

asked the Minister of Works how many houses in Coventry, requisitioned by Government Departments, have been made available for civilian accommodation since August, 1945; how many houses are still requisitioned; and what steps he is taking, in view of the urgent need, to make these houses available for private use

Seven houses have been made available, and 23 are still held on requisition. Of these 23 houses two are in process of release, and it is expected that five more will be derequisitioned within the next three months. The remainder will be surrendered as and when suitable alternative accommodation can be provided.

asked the Minister of Works how many dwelling-houses, lodging-houses, flats and hotels, respectively, are at present requisitioned by the Government or by local authorities for any use other than dwelling accommodation; how many of each are situated in the London C.D. region; and how many in the whole area of Kent.

The answer is as follows:

Lodging houses and boarding houses are included under hotels and large houses, according to their size, but the numbers of each are not separately recorded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places were registered for experiments on living animals in England and Wales, and how many persons, male and female, held a licence to perform such experiments during the year 1944.

The total number of places which were on the register at any time during 1944 was 461, of which 405 were in England and Wales. The total number of licence holders was 2,219, of whom 1,838 were male and 381 female.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when he contemplates being able to increase the supplementary petrol allowance made to commercial travellers.

My right hon. Friend has stated in reply to recent Questions on this subject, that he is not yet in a position to indicate when it will be practicable to increase the supplementary petrol allowances for business and professional purposes.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that single miners are being refused the coal allowance granted to married miners; that they have to rise at the same hour and therefore need extra cooking and heating facilities; and whether he will make the position of these men easier, in view of the difficult circumstances under which they have to live and work.

I am aware that, by agreement or custom in certain districts, colliery' supplies of coal free or at special rates are made only to workers having household responsibilities. Any householder who is in need of additional coal should make application to the local fuel overseer who is empowered, in exceptional circumstances, to permit the acquisition of additional quantities from a retailer.

asked the Attorney-General if he will, now consider raising in proportion to the increased cost of living the figure of £4 a week, which is at present the maximum wage under which an applicant for divorce is eligible for assistance under the Rules of the Supreme Court 1925–1943, Order 16, rules 22–31.

Hon. Members will recollect that the Rushcliffe Report contains recommendations for an increase in the permissible income limits for the purpose of assistance in the conduct of litigation. The Government have provisionally given general approval to the main principles set out in this Report, and, as the House was informed on the 26th October, the Law Society have been asked to prepare a detailed scheme with a view to implementing the proposals in the Report.

The preparation of this scheme is now well advanced, but the Government cannot contemplate introducing legislation to give effect to it until they have had an opportunity of considering in detail the final scheme and its financial implications. In any event, I regret that owing to the heavy legislative programme it is unlikely that it would be possible to introduce such legislation this Session.

asked the Lord President of the Council what researches are taking place into the causes of the common cold; and what financial and other encouragement he is giving to any such undertakings.

There is already a considerable body of knowledge regarding the nature of the causative agent of the common cold, and I am not aware that any further direct attack on this problem is in progress at the present moment A group of investigators at the National Institute for Medical Research, however, is engaged in an intensive general study of upper respiratory tract infections, with immediate emphasis on influenza but with an indirect bearing on the common cold and other conditions. The importance of the problem is fully Tealised, and financial support is available through the Medical Research Council for any promising plan of investigation put forward by research workers competent to deal with so difficult a subject.

asked the Minister of Pensions, whether, since the principle is now accepted that subsequent marriage within a period of 10 years after receiving war disability qualifies a soldier for allowances in respect of wife and children, he will consider the abolition of this 10 year rule so that disabled ex-Servicemen may receive marriage allowances in respect of all marriages subsequent to their disability, without regard to time limit.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Central Cardiff (Mr. G. Thomas) on 31st January.

asked the Minister of National Insurance, if he will consider the question of raising the supplementary benefits of old age pensioners living with relatives to the level of those received by pensioners residing in lodging houses.

This is a matter primarily for the Assistance Board. Supplementary pensions are based on need and the present scales reflect the view which would, I think, be generally recognised as fair, that the needs of a pensioner who is required to pay commercial terms as a lodger are greater than those of a pensioner who is sharing rent and other household expenses with his family.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he is aware of the long delays in the first payments of old age pensions, and if he will take steps to ensure that these delays are kept to the four to six weeks envisaged in the Ministry of Pensions pamphlet.

Claimants to old age pension may submit their claims at any time Within four months before title date, and if they avail themselves of this opportunity for early application, it should only be in rare cases that title is not decided by the time payment is due. I have received particulars of the case which my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind and am making inquiries. I will communicate the result shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for War if anything can be done to remove the complaint of delay, by our men serving in Austria, in receiving their letters and parcels from this country; and if he will expedite delivery.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for Macclesfield (Air-Commodore Harvey) on 24th January.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to increase the rates of retired pay and dependants' pensions of Service personnel who retired before the war, in order to bring them into line with today's cost of living index.

I presume that the hon. and gallant Member is referring to retired pay and widows' pensions in respect of service. Provision has already been made for certain increases in these pensions corresponding to the increase for which provision is made in the Pensions Increase Act.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if his attention has been called to the danger of the extermination of the breed of Exmoor ponies; and, in view of their value as basic breeding stock, will he take steps to encourage Exmoor farmers to preserve this breed of ponies.

I am aware that there has been a reduction in the breeding of ponies, including those of the Exmoor breed, which may be attributed in some measure to wartime conditions. Financial encouragement to pony breeding is normally given by the Racecourse Betting Control Board and although this assistance has been temporarily limited during the war, I understand that additional sums are likely to be available this year.