asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the quantities of floor and furniture coverings now being exported, he will divert sufficient quantities to cover the unsatisfied demand for these goods from persons holding priority dockets, many of whom, especially in London, are unable to obtain what is necessary for the maintenance of health and comfort in their partly restored homes.

No, Sir. The amount of linoleum and felt base which is available for sale in the home market is greater than the demand against priority dockets. Docket holders in districts where there is a heavy demand may, however, have to wait a little time before getting delivery. As regards furniture coverings, the greater part has been earmarked for utility furniture and, apart from this, the question of priority dockets does not arise in regard to them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to correct an economy that results in the export of large quantities of household necessaries while at the same time a due proportion is still unobtainable by priority consumers at home.

Having regard to the importance of exports to this country's economy and to the standard of living, it is necessary to provide, wherever possible, for some export of all types of goods which will form the basis of our future trade. Accordingly, this year I have arranged for the resumption of production of household textiles for export on a very limited, scale. Exports of furniture are confined to special types which, besides providing a valuable source of foreign currency, do not absorb labour, productive capacity or raw materials suitable for making utility furniture.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the scarcity, high price and poor quality of children's shoes in Malvern, Worcestershire; and what steps he is taking to remedy this position.

No, Sir; I have no evidence that Malvern is suffering particular hardship in this matter; but I am glad to say that the production of children's leather shoes, which has exceeded that of pre-war years for the last three years, is steadily increasing and will be supplemented in 1946 by a greatly increased home production of children's Wellingtons and plimsolls, as well as by imports of these useful types. As to price and quality, the utility ranges of children's shoes are reasonable in price and certainly not inferior in quality to comparable shoes before the war.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the I.C.I. Northwich Alkali Works are receiving but 80 per cent. of their minimum coal requirements, and have, in consequence, reduced production and have been instructed by the Ministry of Supply to cut out exports by 50 per cent.; and what this represents in lost tonnage in British ships to India and other countries.

I regret that it has not been possible, in present winter conditions, to secure the coal requirements of the Northwich Alkali works in full. There has consequently been a reduction in production, which has necessitated a temporary curtailment of about 4,000 tons a week in the rate of export of alkali. It is hoped, however, that this situation will soon improve.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider increasing the number of clothing coupons issued to male actors in view of the fact that, under the standard contract, they are obliged to buy their own wardrobes for all modern plays, which, under present conditions, often involves great hardship.

No, Sir. While clothing supplies remain so short, the number of coupons that can be issued to actors is necessarily limited. There is no evidence that present arrangements are unduly severe, and the matter has not been raised by the Theatrical Industry (Rationing of Clothes) Committee, which is fully representative of the stage, and to which I normally look for advice in such matters.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will extend the benefit of the Rent Restrictions Act to cover premises used for business or professional purposes.

No, Sir. I do not think I have any justification at present for asking for legislation on this matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now answer the letter addressed to him by the hon. Member for Derby, South, on 21st September, 1945, and for which the, hon. Member has only received, up to 5th February, 1946, an acknowledgment.

I apologise for the delay in replying to my hon. Friend's letter. He will by now have received an answer explaining the circumstances in which it was overlooked, an identical inquiry having come from another source and having been dealt with.

asked the Minister of Food if he will authorise doctors to issue certificates for extra milk to old people, even when they are not suffering from specific illnesses.

I have given careful consideration to this matter. I am advised by the Special Diets Advisory Committee of the Medical Research Council that there are no nutritional grounds for allowing extra milk for old people, and as I could only do so by reducing the quantity of milk available for non-priority consumers, I regret that I cannot adopt the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Minister of Food why no decision has yet been arrived at in the case of Mr. L. Humphreys, of Chelsfield, particulars of which have been sent to him, as to the allocation of imported fruits; and in view of the fact that the correspondence, to which no definite reply has yet been received, began in June, 1945, if he will take disciplinary action against those responsible for this delay and the inconvenience and loss caused to Mr. Humphreys and his customers.

Mr. Humphreys applied to the local distribution committee for an allocation of tomatoes and imported fruit on 1st July, and his application was rejected on the ground that he had no entitlement. He appealed to the Ministry of Food on 19th September, and after inquiries had been made the Ministry decided that they must support the decision of the local committee. This was conveyed to Mr. Humphreys orally on 12th October. I regret that no written confirmation of this decision was sent to Mr. Humphreys, but instructions have been issued to ensure that no similar omission occurs in future.

asked the Minister of Food for what reasons is it proposed to discontinue the allocation of dried eggs; whether such reasons include economy in the use of foreign exchange; and why the allocation of dried eggs is to be discontinued without any reduction in the supply of tobacco from the U.S.A.

asked the Minister of Food why dried eggs have been withdrawn from the market and if he will consider allocating available supplies to the housewife, rather than to catering establishments and hotels.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he has taken to secure such dried egg as may be available in the U.S.A. and the British Dominions; and if he will give an assurance that any supplies he may be able to obtain will be restricted to domestic use and not allocated to hotels and restaurants.

I would refer my hon. Friends to the statement about the supplies of dried egg which I made in the House on 6th February.

asked the Minister of Agriculture in relation to appeals from the recommendation of W.A.E.C.s in possession and termination of tenancy cases, what is the constitution of the appeal panels for Wales; and how many of their members have a knowledge of the Welsh language.

Ad hoc panels will be appointed to hear each appeal or small group of appeals. Each panel will consist of a chairman with legal qualifications and two other members, of whom one will be selected from a list of nominations submitted by the National Farmers' Union and one from a joint list of nominations submitted by the Central Landowners' Association, the Land Agents' Society and the Chartered Surveyors' Institution. So far as Wales is concerned I believe that three of the five persons who have accepted my invitation to act as chairman when called upon, are Welsh speaking and also a large proportion of the persons included in the lists put forward by the various organisations. The hon. Member may rest assured that where necessary the chairman and one other member acting in a particular case will be Welsh-speaking.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many applications have been made to the Essex W.A.E.C. from farmers in the Lexden and Winstree Rural District Council area for release of agricultural workers under Class B; how many applications have been approved by this committee; how many of these applications have been passed to the Service Departments; and how many men have actually been released.

Twenty-six applications for release of former agriculturalists, under the Class B individual specialists scheme, have been received by the Essex War Agricultural Executive Committee from farmers in the Lexden and Winstree Rural District Council area. Two of these were supported by the Committee and one was recommended by my Department to the appropriate authorities who have approved release.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements have been made between Great Britain and the other countries concerned to meet the situation created by the issue of Allied military currency.

Before the end of the war it was arranged between the Allies that Allied Military Currency should be issued to meet the requirements of the Allied Forces occupying Germany, Austria and Italy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he anticipates it will be possible to negotiate a reciprocal tax agreement with Egypt; and whether, in the meantime, he will take steps to remove the hardship imposed upon retired pilots of the Suez Canal Company.

I regret that I cannot give any date in reply to the first part of the Question. I am afraid it is not possible to provide relief outside the framework of a Double Taxation Agreement.

asked the Minister of War Transport what was the nature and quantity of the cargo carried by the s.s. "Sydney Star" on her voyage in October last from Liverpool to Montreal; how long the ship remained in Montreal; what was the route and date of her return journey and the nature and quantity of cargo carried.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to a voyage by the "Sydney Star" commencing in November last. On that occasion she left Liverpool for Montreal in ballast, no cargo being available for her, mainly because of the dock strike. She was scheduled to load refrigerated produce for the United Kingdom, but owing to an unexpected reduction of available supplies in Canada only 1,487 tons of refrigerated produce could be made available for her in 12 days; but during this time she also loaded 2,889 tons of general cargo. She was then ordered to New York to complete, where she loaded 1,121 tons of urgently needed refrigerated cargo for Belgium, 2,843 tons of similar supplies for the U.S. Army in Europe, and a further 128 tons for the United Kingdom. She left New York on 10th December for Antwerp and Liverpool.

asked the Minister of War Transport if, when he has motor taxation under review again, he will consider making arrangements for motorists to take out a half-year licence from the beginning of January; whether he is aware that at present it is possible to obtain quarterly motor licences for the first two quarters of the year, and subsequently for the half-year but it is not possible to take out a half-year licence from the beginning of January.

Under present arrangements it is possible by surrendering an annual licence at the end of June to obtain, in effect, a licence for the period January to June. I will, however, bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will state the number of Army personnel now serving in Greece, Indonesia and Palestine, respectively.

It is not the practice to make public figures of the strength of our Forces in particular overseas theatres.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has now considered and will make a statement on the conditions under which other ranks of the Territorial Army, embodied for service in 1939 and subsequently granted emergency commissions, will be entitled to either the Territorial Efficiency medal or the Territorial Decoration.

I regret that I am not yet in a position to make a statement on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether since 12th November, 1945, he has taken any, and, if so, what steps, to release from requisition the five dwelling houses occupied by his Department for business purposes in the city of Exeter, namely, Hunsden Lodge, 7, Queens Crescent, Weir House, St. Luke's College and 4, Colleton Crescent; and when any or all of these premises will be derequisitioned.

St. Luke's College has already been derequisitioned and Weir House is about to be derequisitioned. The other three properties are still in use, and as no alternative accommodation has yet been found I regret that I cannot say at present when they are likely to be released.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in which European countries General Elections have been held since VE-Day; what have been the results of these elections; and in which cases the resultant Governments are recognised by His Majesty's Government.

Elections have taken place in the following European countries since V.E. Day:

1. France .—The French elections for the Constituent Assembly took place on 21st October, 1945, with the following results:

second by M. Gouin, established by the Assembly as a result of these elections.

2. Norway .—A general election was held in Norway in October, 1945, and resulted in a victory for the Labour Party which obtained an absolute majority over all other parties. His Majesty's Government recognise the Norwegian Government.

3. Denmark .—A general election was held at the end of October with the following results:

The Venstre Party formed a minority Government, which is recognised by His Majesty's Government.

4. Portugal .—A general election was held in Portugal in November, 1945. The Opposition decided not to present a list of candidates with the result that the Government candidates were returned unopposed. There was no change in the Government and His Majesty's Government continue to recognise it.

5. Hungary .—A general election was held on 4th November, 1945, and resulted in the Smallholders' Party obtaining a clear majority over all other parties. The results were:

6. Bulgaria .—A general election was held on November 18th and resulted in the existing Government being returned to power. The Government is a coalition comprising the Zveno (Moderates), Communists, Agrarians and Social Democrats. In view of the conditions under which these elections were held, His Majesty's Government did not consider that they represented the freely expressed will of the people and have not recognised the Government.

7. Austria. .—A general election for the Nationalrat was held in Austria on 25th November last. The result was:

The People's Party, though obtaining an absolute majority, carried out their pre-election understanding with the Socialist Party by forming another coalition Government (in succession to that originally formed under Dr. Renner), with a slight preponderence in their own favour and with the Communist participation reduced to a single minor portfolio. The new Chancellor is Dr. Figl, leader of the People's Party.

The Chamber (Nationalrat) and the Federal Assembly (Länderrat) met together on the 20th December and elected Dr. Renner as President of Austria. The recognition of the Austrian Government by His Majesty's Government was announced on 7th January, 1946.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Military Mission in Greece is instructed to support the desirability of a purge of former Quislings from the Greek Army.

His Majesty's Government have frequently emphasised to the Greek Government the need for purging the Greek Army and the other Greek security forces. The Greek Government have in fact established legal machinery for dealing with charges of collaboration, and the British Military Mission has no powers to take action outside this machinery.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air, whether he is aware of complaints made by R.A.F. personnel being brought on leave through Southern France, from C.M.F., concerning the bad travelling conditions; including unheated railway coaches, lack of lighting on the trains and poor transit facilities on a 34-hour journey; and whether he will take steps to improve these facilities.

I have been asked to reply. I can assure the hon. and gallant Member that energetic steps are constantly being taken to improve travelling conditions for personnel of the Services coming home on leave from the C.M.F. through France but, particularly in view of the general shortage of rolling stock and locomotives, the difficulties to be overcome are considerable. The trains are heated so far as the poor condition of some of the engines and the quality of the coal allow. Lighting is provided by batteries, and is generally satisfactory, but it usually has to be cut off between midnight and 6 a.m. in order to avoid over-use of the batteries. There is a permanent camp at each end of the journey and halts on the route at which hot meals and washing facilities are provided.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that, in view of the high cost of living in Burma, Malaya and the East Indies, the impending cessation of the Indian Pay Code for all personnel other than those serving in India will result in considerable financial hardship; that in the case of officers it will mean pay reductions ranging from 33⅓ per cent. to 50 per cent., even taking into consideration the granting of a Colonial allowance; and whether he will consider taking steps to alleviate this hardship.

There is at present nothing I can add to the statement in the recent White Paper on the Postwar Pay Code that the question of the treatment of British Service Army and R.A.F. personnel on Indian rates of pay is being examined by H.M. Government in the U.K. and the Government of India.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many groups of trades D.M.T. and F.M.T. serving at home have been released to date under Class A.

By the end of this month 28 groups will have been released in the R.A.F. trade of driver mechanical transport and 26 groups in the trade of fitter mechanical transport. Release groups are the same for airmen serving in this country or overseas. We issue information about release to the Service in "Demobforms," of which I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air why R.A.F. police taken prisoner in the Far East have not been credited with their full police pay whilst in captivity.

Duty pay is issued to Royal Air Force police who are carrying out police duties in established posts. It could not, therefore, be issued for any periods of captivity as a prisoner of war.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that the bombing and gunnery trials now being conducted from Thorney Island are causing inconvenience and annoyance to the inhabitants of West Wittering and the neighbouring district; and whether he is considering trying to find an alternative site so placed as not to interfere with the amenities of this area.

We are now using the range near West Wittering less frequently than in the past. I cannot yet say whether it will be possible to replace this range, but the procedure prescribed by Statute for consulting local interests will be followed if we want to use the range permanently.

asked the Minister of Supply and of Aircraft Production if he will state the time and labour involved in the erection of an aluminium house on a fully serviced site.

The aluminium house is designed to be erected on a prepared site in 20 man-hours. The actual time taken varies with circumstances.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaths from chicken pox were registered in each of the years 1939 to 1944; how many deaths from vaccination, vaccinia, post-vaccinal encephalitis or other causes connected with vaccination were recorded in each of those years and what were the ages in these cases; how many London deaths from small-pox were recorded in each of the years 1939 to 1945; what was Leicester's infant vaccination rate per cent. of children born for each of the years 1939 to 1945; and how many small-pox deaths have been registered in Leicester in each of those years.

The information desired by my hon. Friend is as follows:

Vaccination was mentioned on the certificates but the deaths were not assigned to vaccination in the following cases:—

Infant vaccination rate per cent. of children born:—

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether in order to encourage the sharing of houses, he will consider allowing separate fuel registrations where two families share the same house.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply on 5th February to a similar question from my hon. Friend, the Member for Romford (Mr. T. Macpherson) of which I am sending her a copy.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he was aware that paid holidays at Christmas were allowed to civilian Admiralty employees who had been employed by the Navy for a month, but were not granted to civilian ex-Service-men who had not had this length of civilian service owing to their not having been released from the Armed Forces; that this discrimination against ex-Service-men is more marked in Northern Ireland than elsewhere owing to the National Service Act not applying to that area; and whether he will rectify this state of affairs by paying ex-Service employees for the past Christmas holiday.

The Regulations provide that temporary workpeople are not entitled to payment for, public holidays unless they have been, employed continuously for a month. I cannot accept the suggestion that this rule, which has been in force for many years, discriminates unfairly against ex-Servicemen.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what properties in the borough of Luton are still requisitioned by his Department; how many of these are actually in use and for what purposes; and when will those which are not in use be derequisitioned.

A list of the premises in Luton requisitioned for Fire Service and Civil Defence purposes, and not yet released is given below.

All the premises are still in use for the purposes stated.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local authority houses are now under construction in the county of Sutherland.

No local authority houses are under construction in the county but sites have been approved for 278 houses, lay-out plans have been approved for 92, and sites have been serviced for 30 houses. In addition sites and lay-out plans have been approved for 22 houses in the burgh of Dornoch.