asked the Minister of Labour the numbers employed in the Armed Forces, in munitions, as civil servants, as employees of local authorities and unemployed respectively, for the years 1900, 1913, 1938 and at the latest available dates expressed as percentages of the total insured population.

There was no scheme of unemployment insurance in operation in

asked the Minister of Labour how many ex-Service men and women have not taken up employment at the latest available date.

It is estimated that at the end of January, 1946, approximately 865,000 men and women released from the Forces had not taken up employment, of whom 850,000 were taking paid leave after demobilisation.

asked the Minister of Works if it is proposed to revive the slate industry on the Island of Luing in Argyllshire and thereby provide employment for ex-Servicemen on the island.

I am informed that the position of the slate industry on the Island of Luing has been included in a survey of the Scottish Slate Industry recently conducted for the Scottish Development Great Britain in 1900 and only a limited number of trades were covered in 1913. Furthermore, in 1938 and at the present time, the whole of the Armed Forces and a large part of the employees in National and Local Government are excluded from statistics of the insured population. A limited comparison of the kind referred to for 1911, 1939 and the end of 1945 can, however, be made in terms of percentages of the occupied population. Owing to changes in the basis of industrial classification, comparable figures are not available for 1900. Figures are not available for any date prior to 1939 in regard to the numbers employed in the manufacture of munitions, i.e., equipment and supplies for the Forces. The following table gives such figures as are available:Council, the report of which will shortly be published. In the meantime and pending consideration of the recommendations of the Report, I am not in a position to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Works the cost of repairs and reconstruction licensed by his Department in respect of Warren Place, Newmarket, since the acquisition of this property by the Maharajah of Baroda; how many building workers have been engaged; and to what extent labour and materials have been diverted from other tasks

Licences were issued for work costing £2,812 I am informed that the largest number of building operatives engaged on this work at any one time did not exceed twelve The application for a licence was supported by the local authority, and I am not aware of any diversion from other tasks.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Air whether he is aware that hospitals in certain areas in Iraq are retaining the services of medical specialists in excess of their requirements, as exemplified in a case submitted to him, and refusing their release; and if he will take steps to rectify this position.

There is only one Royal Air Force hospital in Iraq; the numbers of staff there are kept as small as possible. I have made inquiries into the case which the hon. Member apparently has in mind, and I find that we had already issued instructions for the officer concerned to be demobilised this month.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Air if he has considered the representations made by the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Kent and Canterbury Hospital for the immediate derequisitioning of its property at 7, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury; if he is aware that this building is urgently required for the accommodation of nursing staff and that its continued requisitioning is likely to result in the loss of nursing staff; and whether, in the light of these facts, he will arrange for this building to be made available to the hospital not later than the middle of March.

We previously informed the Hospital authorities that we might be able to release these premises by about the end of March, although a firm date could not be given. Some slight delay is now unavoidable, but I am glad to say that the premises will definitely be vacated by the end of April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now in a position to make a further statement about plans for giving some assistance in the re-equipment of hotels, boarding-houses and holiday camps.

Yes, Sir. The Government attach much importance to the pro- vision this year of as much holiday accommodation as possible. Hon. Members will appreciate, however, that the goods most needed by hotels, boarding houses and holiday camps are precisely those in the greatest demand by the domestic consumer. For this reason I emphasised in my reply to the hon. and gallant Members for Flint (Lieut.-Colonel Birch) and Horncastle (Commander Maitland) on nth February and to the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. W. J. Brown) on 25m February that we should only be able to consider the minimum needs of establishments having priority claims. After discussion with the main hotel trade associations, namely, the Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Residential Hotel Association, and also with the National federation of Permanent Holiday Camps, I have decided that the fairest arrangement will be to give first preference to establishments with equipment damaged be enemy action and second preference to establishments lacking equipment as the result of requisitioning, subject in both cases to the proviso that, from a structural point of view, they should be in a position to open by 31st July, 1946; The associations have been asked for estimates of the supplies needed to meet the claims of priority establishments among their own members and when this information is available it will give us a clearer picture of the needs of the industry as a whole. The National Federation of Holiday Camps have already supplied us with figures covering their membership and we are now waiting for similar details from the Hotel and Restaurants Association and the Residential Hotels Association. In the meantime the position on supplies is that there are available outside the rationing scheme certain quantities of metal, plastic and other non-wooden furniture. In addition, the Board of Trade are arranging for the import of some medium grade furniture suitable for hotel use. Textiles present particular difficulties and the most we can hope to divert to these priority hotels during the next four months is 25,000 mattresses, 100,000 sheets and 75,000 blankets. Of this latter figure we expect that 50,000 will be drawn from Government surplus and the remaining 25,000 from new production. As regards the other goods needed by hotels, I am afraid I am unable to make any special arrangements. Many of them, such as carpets, crockery and glassware, although still scarce, are unrationed; and other goods, for instance linoleum and curtain materials, are only partially reserved for the domestic priority classes. Proprietors of hotel and other establishments having claims for consideration under this scheme should, if they have not already done so, apply to whichever of the three associations I have mentioned is appropriate, giving full details of their circumstances.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider taking steps to have application forms for furniture and bedding dockets available at post offices.

After consultation- with my noble Friend the Postmaster-General, I do not feel that a change in the method of distribution would be likely to prove advantageous at the present tim