asked the Minister of Health (1) whether he will state the number of tenders for the build- ing of permanent houses submitted to his Department by the local authorities for approval since 31st July, 1945; the number of these approved by his Department; and the number of permanent houses on which work, in accordance with these tenders, has actually been begun;

(2) whether his Department now has any information as to the number of houses completed in England and Wales during the six months ended 31st December, 1945.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of houses in Cornwall in the course of construction on 1st January, 1946.

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of permanent and temporary houses which have been completed in the municipal borough of Pudsey since VJ-Day; how many are in the process of building; and how many licences to build have been issued,up to 31st December, 1945.

I would refer the hon. and gallant Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hertford (Mr. Walker-Smith) on 24th January. The progress report will be available in two or three weeks time and as the extraction of information relating to individual areas holds up work on the preparation of the report, I would ask hon. Members to await publication of the report itself.

May I ask the Minister to answer Question 15, which is as to whether he has that information?

I have not the information at the moment. It is intended that when the report is issued it shall contain the information up to the end of January. As there are in England and Wales alone 1,469 authorities involved, and information has to be collated and analysed, obviously some little time will elapse. I think that whatever complaint hon. Members may have, it will not be on account of lack of information.

Could I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether this will be made in the form of a statement issued by his Department or a White Paper?

A White paper.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the housing problem in many Middlesex municipal boroughs and their inability through shortage of suitable land to develop adequate housing schemes within their own boundaries, whether he will take steps to give powers to the Middlesex County Council to acquire land within the county boundary to promote housing schemes jointly with the municipal boroughs concerned; and in view of the growing shortage of land suitable for housing development, if he will take steps to prevent the L.C.C. from appropriating any more land in Middlesex.

No, Sir. Local housing authorities have power to acquire land outside their own boundaries and where this is necessary they should seek agreement with other local authorities in the county for this purpose. I will, of course, bear in mind the needs of Middlesex local authorities when considering proposals for the acquisition of land by the London County Council.

asked. the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that the houses now being planned, or in course of erection, by local authorities, are of such design as to include central heating as well as fire-places, refrigeration, etc.; and whether he is prepared to grant licences only where these have been included.

Advice on these matters has been given to local authorities in the Housing Manual 1944, and any proposals received from local authorities are considered with these recommendations in mind.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the standard of design of houses being erected or planned by local authorities is up-to-date, and is he satisfied that the architects are in every case of sufficiently good standing?

It often happens that some of the complaints of delay by the Ministry of Health in approving proposals are due to the fact that it is necessary to bring housing designs up to the standard of the Housing Manual.

asked the Minister of Health if he is able to say what the response is in various parts of the country to the request for sharing accommodation in houses with returning Servicemen and their families; and does he contemplate making further public appeals or any inducements, in order to increase the response.

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given to my hon. and gallant Friend, the Member for Wycombe (Flight-Lieutenant Haire), on 7th February, of which I am sending him a copy.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that people in receipt of old age pensions are sometimes discouraged from letting accommodation in their homes because of the means test, and is there any step he could take to alter the regulations to enable them to let?

I understand that the Assistance Board interprets the Regulations in these case.; very generously, but it is extremely difficult to make a distinction between an old age pensioner who has taken people in after the appeal, and old age pensioners who took in people before the appeal. The administrative complexities involved are almost insuperable.

asked the Minister of Health what action he intends to take against the landlord of 24, Lamont Road, Chelsea who failed to carry out the repairs to floorboards and roof at these premises, as ordered by several sanitary notices issued by the Chelsea Corporation, in view of the injuries caused by rat-bites to seven-weeks-old Bernard Cheeseman.

The council have requisitioned this property and the families have been rehoused elsewhere. I may add that the statutory notice served in this case was under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, and I have no power to take proceedings. The full report of the case is being presented by the town clerk to the Chelsea Metropolitan Borough Council.

Is the Minister aware that many. progressive Labour-controlled councils, such as West Ham, do prosecute in such instances as this?

As I say, I myself have no direct powers.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider giving 50 per cent. of the present subsidies allocated to the local authorities towards houses built by them to private builders, as an experiment to test public control as against private enterprise.

No, Sir; the great majority of the houses built for local authorities are in fact being built by private builders under contract with the local authority; the letting of these houses to tenants by a public authority makes them available to families in the most urgent need, a result which would not be secured by the proposal of the hon. Member.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether his refusal to consider this suggestion is due to the fact that he is afraid to accept. the challenge implicit in the Question?

When the hon. Gentleman reads the report which I am preparing, he will find that the figures there presented are a complete refutation of his insinuation.

asked the Minister. of Health whether he proposes to amend the Housing Act, 1936, so as to make the provisions of the Rent Restrictions Acts, as regards rent, apply to the dwelling houses provided by public authorities under the Act of 1936.

My hon. Friend's suggestion accords with a minority recommendation from the Ridley Committee, and will fall to be considered by this House when legislation is introduced to give effect to the Committee's report. It is not practicable to consider particular issues apart from, or in advance of, the report as a whole.

Is not my right hon. Friend aware that the local authority-is itself the body which prosecutes landlords for charging increased rents, and will he, therefore, take the earliest opportunity to introduce legislation which would prevent the local authorities from doing the same thing themselves?

Every Department is always anxious to introduce legislation, but as hon. and right hon. Members with experience of administration know, unfortunately they cannot persuade their colleagues of the urgency of their legislation.

asked the Minister of Health whether his Department has any machinery for supervising the housing revenue accounts required to be kept by local authorities under the Housing Act, 1936; and whether, in cases where these accounts show a steady yearly surplus. he requires the local authority with such a surplus to review and revise its rents accordingly, where it has failed to do so within a reasonable time.

A local authority's housing revenue account is audited, and each year a copy is submitted to my Department. Disposal of surpluses is governed by statutory provisions and I could not give a direction which would conflict with these provisions or with the provisions relating to the determination of rents by the local authority.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the 606 unoccupied houses and flats in St. Marylebone, 2,007 in Paddington, 3,069 in Kensington, 350 in Chelsea and 677 in Westminster, have been requisitioned for housing purposes by the London boroughs concerned.

:Very few of these houses have been requisitioned. The total number of premises held on requisition by the Councils of these boroughs is 672 in St. Marylebone, 186 in Paddington, 629 in Kensington, 445 in Chelsea, 507 in Westminster; and requisitioning will be extended to other houses as and when the councils are in a position to deal with them.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that since the date of my first Question on this matter, in one particular area a number of requisitioning notices have appeared on some of these vacant premises, and may I ask him if he can follow this matter up in order to see that the maximum number of these unoccupied dwellings are requisitioned by the local authorities where possible?

The first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question directs attention to the value of this House. With regard to the second part, there is often some difficulty on the part of the local authority in requisitioning because it always has to prepare plans for adaptation, and therefore these gaps—which are sometimes headlined in the less responsible sections of the Press—are unavoidable.

asked the Minister of Health if he is. aware that Mayfair estate agents have more than 2,000 empty houses on their books, most of which could be converted into flats and that the Westminster City Council, in whose area the empty houses are situated, have a list of 1,500 applicants for housing accommodation; and what steps he is taking to see that this empty accommodation is made available to the families needing it.

I understand that the 2,000 empty houses are not all situated in Westminster. The Westminster City Council is itself carrying out works of adaptation and repair to houses in their area to the extent of the labour available for this purpose and my officers will discuss with them what more can be done.

asked the Minister of Health why the house at 145, Stubly Lane, Wednesfield, Staffordshire, has been allowed to stand vacant for five months.

I understand that the local authority considered requisitioning this house early in October when it first came to their notice, but decided not to do so as it was in a very bad state of repair. They are, however, to review the question at an early date.

Does the Minister realise that the owner of the house is holding the public to ransom by asking an excessive price over and above what it is worth?

I will make inquiries about that.

asked the Minister of Health what is his estimate of the total amount of funds in the hands of the building societies of Great Britain immediately available to finance the building of new houses; and what steps he is taking to encourage the utilisation of these funds to further the erection of houses.

At the end of 1944 the total investments and other assets, apart from advances or. mortgages to registered building societies, was£234,000,000, but it is for the individual societies to say how far these funds are to be regarded as immediately available to finance the building of new houses. As regards the utilisation of these funds, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Aberden and Kincardine (Major Spence) on 7th February about the number of new dwelling houses which have been licensed for erection by private builders without subsidy.

Can the Minister say that he has no prejudice against building societies as such?

On the contrary, I think it will be found when the figures are published that so far from having a prejudice against private building—

Building societies.

building societies merely build private buildings—the number of licences issued for private building in my view is now in excess of the labour and materials available, and building societies can take advantage of these licences when they need. The limiting factor on building today is not money but labour and materials.

asked the Minister of Health whether the War Office has yet agreed to release the Bullsmoor Lane A.A. site, Enfield, to enable it to be used as a permanent housing site, for which purpose it was originally acquired by the Enfield Urban District Council.

The War Office have agreed to release the greater part of the area under requisition.

Whilst thanking my right hon. Friend for the action he has taken in this case, may I ask whether he can urge on the Secretary of State for War that action should be taken to release the A.A. sites which are still in his possession where they are required for the erection of permanent houses without waiting until representations are made by hon. Members, as had to be done in this case?

If the hon. Member will direct my attention to any particular instance, I will certainly expedite derequisitioning.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has given consideration to the Report of the subcommittee of the Central Housing Advisory Committee on the conversion of existing houses; and whether he is proposing to give effect to the recommendations contained in the Report.

This Report is still under consideration. It will be appreciated that several of the recommendations would require legislation.

While I appreciate the difficulties to which my right hon. Friend refers, will he have in mind the tremendous scope and possibilities of this kind of work and impress upon his colleagues the desirability of just a little Bill being squeezed in?

I am afraid these little Bills lead to very large Debates and this particular Bill would be extremely complicated. This sort of work uses up skilled building labour, which is in short supply. I am very anxious that the building workers should have an opportunity for straightforward work. They have been involved in war damage repairs so much that a good straight job would be very good for the morale of the building industry.

Has my right hon. Friend read pages 26 and 27 of the report, where it is clearly set out that this form of work is economical of materials and labour?

I have read the whole of the report and I would point out that there are very considerable limits to the extent to which we can economically use the material and labour available.

asked the Minister of Health the number of prefabricated houses delivered to Northern Ireland up to the present, in response to the request already made for these houses.

No temporary houses have yet been delivered to Northern Ireland, but by arrangement with the Government of Northern Ireland, deliveries will, I hope, begin very shortly.

Can the Minister give us some date for the delivery of these houses? The foundations and sites are ready and people are waiting for the houses to be built.

I resent the last part of the hon. Gentleman's question. On the contrary, Northern Ireland delayed its own provision of temporary houses by refusing an allocation of temporary houses in the first place, and I added to our temporary housing programme in order to allow them to have temporary houses. There are a number of building sites available in England and Wales and houses are not available for them yet.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give instructions to county and local authorities that when allotments are required for the erection of houses of any description. arrangements should be made by the authorities concerned, in the interests of food production, for alternative land to be acquired or made available for allotment purposes.

:The interests of food production are safeguarded not only by statutory limitation on the acquisition of allotment land for housing but also by the arrangement under which the concurrence of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries has to be obtained in the acquisition of housing sites on agricultural land. Further, local authorities have been asked to give most careful consideration to the interests of cultivators of temporary allotments on housing sites.

asked the Minister of Health what action he proposes to take to speed up the proposed enlargement of the Chippenham Town Council's sewage disposal works at West-mead; and by what date he considers the work will be put in hand.

The town council were advised in October, 1944, to prepare details of the scheme for the full reconstruction of their sewage disposal works at Westmead and submitted their plans on the 31st May, 1045. Certain amendments of design were called for in the following month and the amended plans were received on 28th January, 1946. Minor engineering points remain to be settled. The council will then be invited to call for tenders and the Government priority organisation will be asked to fix a starting date for the approved tender.

Is the Minister aware that the River Avon stinks horribly and is at times a real danger to public health?

:I appreciate the stink from the River Avon. It has been stinking for a good many years.

asked the Minister of Health how many mental hospitals during the war were diverted to other uses; how many of these are again being used for their original purpose; and how many patients from the others still remain in the overcrowded hospitals to which they were transferred.

Eight of the 101 county and county borough mental hospitals were wholly or mainly diverted to other uses during the war and so were parts of many others. Of the eight, one has been completely released and small parts of two others have been released. I regret that I am unable without special inquiry to state the precise present numbers of patients who remain transferred from the diverted hospitals.

In view of the fact that there is terrible overcrowding and distress, will the Minister see that at least the original hospitals are made available?

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for having called attention to the matter and I am asking for an urgent investigation.

asked the Minister of Health whether, now that hostilities have ceased, he will take steps to secure the payment of standard rents for all requisitioned properties.

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of Circular 224/45 which sets out the present policy.

asked the Minister of Education if she is aware of the delay in paying grants to student teachers; that this delay is causing hardship; and will she take steps to expedite the payment of these grants.

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend's Question refers to students in training at emergency training colleges. Payment of grants to such students is treated as an urgent matter in this Department. Payment cannot be made at the beginning of a term until a college has furnished a certificate that the students are in attendance. Subject to this, and to the limitations imposed by shortage of staff, I believe that there is no undue delay in making payment.

asked the Minister of Education how many students are now in training at the Wrexham Emergency Training College; and when she proposes to open a similar college a Llandrindod Wells.

Two hundred and twenty-nine students are in training at Wrexham Training College. I cannot give a date for the opening of a college at Llandrindod Wells, but I hope that this will take place in a few months' time.

asked the Minister of Education if she will state the number of county federations of young farmers' clubs who are receiving, or have been promised, grants from their local education authorities.

I regret that the information asked for is not readily available. A considerable number of local education authorities are giving support and encouragement to the work of young farmers' clubs, and I hope that in the next financial year still more authorities will feel able to provide contributions toward the funds of the county federations.

asked the Minister of Education if she is aware that school meals at the Oak Farm School, Hillingdon, and the Swakeleys Senior School, Ickenham, are to be cut down; and, in so far as this is in order to relieve present overwork of teaching staff, what steps have been taken to secure part-time supervisory staff.

Owing to the increasing demand for meals at the four schools served by the Oak Farm central kitchen, it has become necessary to give priority to the children whose needs for meals is greatest. I am assured that this step is due solely to the great overloading of the kitchen and that the total number of meals supplied will not be cut down The number of meals cannot, however, be increased until the proposals which the authority are now preparing have been carried out. The appointment of part-time supervisory staff would not enable any greater number of children to be supplied with meals

If the facts are proved to my right hon. Friend that school meals are being cut down from 400-odd to 152, will she undertake to look into the question again?

Of course, but as things are I doubt my hon. and gallant Friend's figures. I will look into them.

asked the Minister of Education what is the percentage of pupils in schools under her jurisdiction having school dinners; and what further steps she is taking to increase it in view of the present food position

On the day of the return in October last 39.5 per cent. of pupils present in grant-aided primary and secondary schools had school dinners. Every effort is being made to expedite proposals for new canteens and kitchens.

Can the Minister say to what extent this unsatisfactory percentage is due to the fact that there are not enough facilities for school dinners?

1 can assure the hon. Gentleman that 39.5 per cent. is a very good percentage indeed, considering the appalling difficulties of wartime equipment.

asked the Minister of Education when the Science Museum at South Kensington will be reopened to the public.

About one-third of the museum was reopened this morning. The children's gallery and the locomotive gallery are now open and special exhibitions have been arranged on atomic energy, X-rays and their application; and the quartz crystal clock. The original Wright aeroplane will be on view and the aeronautics gallery will be reopened as soon as plate glass can be obtained to reglaze a number of damaged cases. Part of the museum has been placed at the disposal of the Ministry of Aircraft Production for a display of German aeronautical developments. The exhibits include a VI and V2, a number of types of aircraft and a piloted flying bomb. This exhibition is also opening today.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the delay in mails and telegrams to the services in the East, including one of a delay of 28 days to deliver a telegram from the United Kingdom to Batavia and 14 days for one from Poona, evidence and other details of which have been sent to him; and what further steps he is taking as a result of this evidence.

As regards letters, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer on this subject given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War to the hon Members for Hornsey (Mr. Gammans) and Uxbridge (Flight-Lieutenant Beswick) on 22nd January. As regards telegrams, my reply to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Renton) on 6th February about the recent delay to greetings telegrams to the Services in Ceylon applies equally to other places in the East. Apart from this, I am not aware of any general delays in the telegraph service, but if further particulars can be provided I shall "be glad to ask Cable and Wireless Ltd. to make detailed inquiry. I am sending my hon. Friend copies of the answers to which I have referred.

Is my hon. Friend aware that I have given him two instances of considerable delay? Could not inquiries be made into them?

No, Sir. My hon. Friend has sent me a letter which contains nothing more of the details of these cases than the Question. It does not contain the name of the addressee or the date or place of origin. It simply says "A telegram from the United Kingdom."

If I give my hon. Friend information will he look into those cases?

Yes, Sir, certainly.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will be able in the near future to reduce the cost of letter and postcard post in this country; and when does he expect to be able to reduce the cost of parcel post.

I regret that I am still not in a position to make a statement on this subject.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that it costs more to send a copy of HANSARD to any address in this country than to the United States of America, and that this increased postage charge was imposed to stop, not to encourage, the sending of letters? When can we expect the hon. Gentleman to be able to give an answer?

I am afraid I must not anticipate.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what arrangements are being made to ensure that the payment of family allowances does not add to the congestion and queueing now prevalent in many post offices.

By the time that family allowances become payable 'as from 6th August next, the work arising from allowances payable to the dependants of men in the Forces will have been reduced through demobilisation by an amount exceeding that arising from the new family allowances. Taking this into account and the improvement in the staffing position due to the return of skilled counter clerks after service in the Forces, I do not think that the payment of family allowances will add to congestion at post office counters.

asked the Prime Minister if he is aware that in cases taken up with Departments by Members of this House on behalf of their constituents, the decisions arrived at are frequently communicated to the constituents in advance of notification to the hon. Members concerned; and if he will give instructions that the information shall be available to hon. Members either in advance of, or simultaneously with, the notification to the constituents.

I have been asked to reply. I think that this is a matter which hon. Members might take up with the Minister concerned in any case in which they are dissatisfied with what has been done. Speedy settlement of individual cases will often justify direct communication between Departments and constituents, but hon. Members will be kept informed of what has been done.

asked the Prime Minister if it is the intention of the Government to introduce legislation giving authority to the State to claim 50 per cent. of all earnings of former Ministers of the Crown derived from the publication of books or newspaper articles based on official document'; collected during their term of office.

No, Sir. Such earnings are already subject to Income Tax and, in appropriate cases, to Surtax also.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that it is grossly offensive to a great section of the community that documents which are documents of State should be converted into biographies and used in newspaper articles for personal gain by former Ministers? Is it not a fact, in view of what has taken place recently, that it is quite obvious they are being sold to the highest bidder, whether they are publishers in this country or not?

There is an imputation there against an hon. Member, which I think the hon. Member should withdraw.

Withdraw.

I want to give hon. Members an opportunity to recover. If there is anything I have said that conveys the impression which apparently it has conveyed, I unreservedly withdraw it but I should like to ask my right hon. Friend whether it is not the height of vulgarity that these things should be bandied about in the Press for gain?

Of course, I am not quite sure what is being referred to though I could have a good and intelligent guess, but if it is the publication of certain speeches of the right hon. Member for Woodford (Mr. Churchill), they were not State documents.

On a point of Order. I think I have tried to make the point clear. I was not referring to any particular person. I submit through "you, Mr. Speaker, that I am raising a question of vital principle affecting State documents in this country.

The hon. Gentleman will see that is the difficulty we get into. If there is a particular document or a particular person concerned, and if my hon. Friend will put a Question down, I will do my best to answer it but, unless there is, we are arguing in the dark as to whether a document is a State document or not.

asked the Prime Minister what steps are being taken by the India Office, Burma Office, Colonial Office and other Departments concerned, to prevent famine among the many millions of citizens of the British Commonwealth and Empire in the East whose staple diet is rice, whose food supplies have already been diminished seriously and whose welfare is the concern of this House; and what substitute foods are to be provided for them instead of their normal diet.

Along with other responsible authorities in the East, His Majesty's Government are taking all possible steps to overcome the difficulties arising from the world shortage of rice. So far as practicable within the rice-growing areas, efforts are being made to increase production and improve methods of collection. For example, teams of experts have been sent to Burma, Siam, Egypt and Brazil, and for Burma and Siam special supplies of consumption goods are being organised. But where crops have failed owing to prolonged drought, as in parts of India, little can be done along these lines, and elsewhere immediate results cannot be expected. In the areas where the staple diet is rice, local food production is being stimulated, and rationing and other arrangements extended to ensure effective distribution of available supplies.

As regards Europe, the Combined Food Board has agreed at the instance of His Majesty's Government that, except in special cases, no rice shall be provided during 1946.

Despite these and other measures, the rice available is certain to be far below needs. On behalf of the London Food Council, representations have been made to the Combined Food Board as to the need for additional supplies for the East. Up to the present, allocations have been made only for the first quarter of1946 and further decisions await more precise information as to the quantities of rice available. Since supplies of rice are woefully inadequate, some additional wheat has been secured to help to make up the deficiency and efforts are being made to obtain further supplies of cereals. In view of the present wheat situation, however, the quantities available are bound to be insufficient to meet needs.

Can my right hon. Friend say what active steps are being taking to procure rice for India from Siam, where there is reported to be a surplus, and what the results of those efforts have been?

All possible steps are being taken to get rice from Siam and one of the purposes of this team of experts is to follow that matter up. We are very conscious of the needs of India and I can assure the hon. and gallant Gentle- man we are doing our best to meet the position.

May I ask whether the shipping of soya beans from Vladivostok to India is being considered to take the place of rice?

I could not say. Vladivostok is a place that is not under the control of the British Government, but we will take note of the point.

Do the Government recognise that their responsibility for preventing famine in India is equal to their responsibility for preventing famine in this country?

:The problems are somewhat different. Of course we recognise the direct and particular responsibility to do the very best we can for India. I should not have thought there was any doubt in any quarter of the House about that.

asked the Lord President of the Council when the committee set up by the Medical Research Council two years ago, to investigate questions relating to the deaf, is likely to issue its report.

:The report of the Electro-Acoustics Committee on Hearing Aids is in course of preparation and it is hoped that publication may take place in the near future.

asked the Lord President of the Council if the Government will establish a social research council on similar lines to the Medical Re search Council, in view of the difficulties under which social scientists have laboured in this country in the past.

I understand that the committee under the chairmanship of Sir John Clapham which is, at the request of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and myself, examining the adequacy of the existing provision for research into economic and social questions, has given considerable attention to this point, and 1 would prefer to wait and see any observations on it that may be made in their Report before reaching any conclusion.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) whether he is aware that of some 70 schoolteachers in Duderstadt, who were shown by the Nazi party files to be Nazis and were accordingly recommended for removal, only two have so far been removed; that one of these two was replaced by a Nazi in the automatic arrest category; and whether he will clear up this situation before all the schoolchildren are made into Nazis;

(2) whether he is aware that within a week of the Duderstadt Town Council having been permitted to elect as mayor a social democrat of good standing and record the Military Government dismissed him and put in his place a Nazi factory owner who had made all his workmen join the Nazi party; and whether he will at once remove this Nazi and thus cure the unrest caused by this incident.

Reports on the incidents referred to are being obtained from Germany and as soon as they are received I will communicate with the hon. and learned Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to whom inquiries by refugees as to their properties, factories and machinery in Germany or Austria should be addressed; and what steps may such refugees take to obtain the removal of valuable machinery to this country.

The nature and scope of the restitution and compensation which it may be possible to afford, from German and Austrian resources, to people in Germany and Austria, as well as refugees from those countries, who were dispossessed by the Nazis, is a matter for agreement between the occupying Powers. We shall shortly be putting proposals to our Allies and an announcement will be made if and when quadripartite agreement is reached. Meanwhile no good purpose would be served by addressing inquiries to London departments about individual cases.

Might I ask if the result will be that some facilities will be granted to enable these refugees to go and inspect them or make some inquiries in the meantime?

At the moment there are no such facilities. The number of people who are anxious to visit Germany, British, United Nations and ex-enemy nationals, for this purpose would tax the very small resources of the Control Commission beyond their present capacity.

asked the Minister of Labour on what grounds were 80 men employed by Ever Ready, Perks Lane, Wolverhampton, suspended from work for one week.

My information is that 27 men, not 80, were suspended by the management for absenting themselves from work for half a day on the occasion of a football match. Only three days' suspension, in each case, were, I understand, without pay.

While thanking the Minister for that reply, and while realising the seriousness of the crime at the present time, may I ask him if he considers whether the punishment really fitted the crime, since the result was that work was held back for an even longer period? Would he not reconsider the whole question?

:So far as the Question on the Order Paper is concerned, I would like to point out that this firm suspended these men for a week without pay, and, on being told that it was a breach of the Essential Work Order, they gave the men three days' pay without their having to work for it.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the shortage of nursing and domestic staff in public assistance institutions and emergency hospitals in Buckinghamshire; and what steps he proposes to take to overcome the deficiency.

I am aware of the need of these hospitals for nursing and domestic staff. My officers are giving them all possible assistance in obtaining staff and have filled a number of vacancies during recent months. The shortage is part of a wider problem affecting many hospitals to which the various measures taken by the Government to encourage further recruitment into the hospital services are being directed.

In doing what he can, will the right hon. Gentleman help by bringing into this country, if possible, foreign domestic assistance, because, in the case of Buckinghamshire, some 514 beds have had to be closed down owing to lack of staff, and something like 150 persons have gone in the last six months without replacement?

Unfortunately, that situation is much too common. The question of bringing in foreign domestic servants for this kind of job and for private domestic service is now under consideration.

Is it not a fact that recruitment is handicapped by the policy of the authorities in their failure to pay reasonable rates of wages?

:That may have been so in the past, but it is now very considerably overcome, because the authorities have established joint industrial councils and have agreed upon conditions which are much more satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is now able to indicate his proposals for dealing with the problem of domestic service.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 7th February to the hon. Member for Barnet (Dr. Taylor) and the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. R. A. Butler) a copy of which I am sending him.

Can my right hon. Friend say when he will be able to announce that some definite scheme will be put into operation?

Not at the moment.

asked the Minister of Labour whether any Scottish men and women who were directed to work in England during the war and whose original work there is now completed, are being redirected to further work in England; and whether, on such second direction, they are classed as English labour for all future purposes.

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. The second part does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Labour how many young men conscripted for the Forces have served one, two, three or more sentences of imprisonment for refusing to work in the mines, respectively.

I regret that this information cannot be obtained without detailed inquiry into the subsequent history of every man who has been sentenced to imprisonment for refusing to work in the mines.

asked the Minister of Labour if it is still the intention of His Majesty's Government to compel young men, conscripted for national service, to work in the mines.

Since the end of hostilities in Europe, young men becoming available for calling up have been sent to work in ':he mines only when they voluntarily choose such work as an alternative to service in the Forces. Young men who, before the end of hostilities in Europe, were sent com pulsorily to the mines after selection by ballot must remain there until they are eligible for release on the basis described in my statement of the 29th November, 1945, in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Derby (Mr. H. White).

Does the Minister realise what a bad thing it is for industry to have unwilling labour forced upon it?

That is a matter of opinion. I am not expressing mine.

asked the Minister of Labour how many adult workers, men and women, respectively, were registered as unemployed at Norwich labour exchange, at the latest convenient date; and how many of them had been continuously registered as unemployed for three weeks or longer.

At 14th January, the numbers of unemployed insured men and women aged 18 years and over, suitable for ordinary employment, on the registers of Norwich Employment Exchange were 463 and 75 respectively. The number of these who had been unemployed for more than three weeks is not known, but 285 men and 57 women had been on the register for more than two weeks.