asked the Minister of Health whether he will now expedite the decision of the public local inquiry, concerning the acquisition of land for housing at Kings Road, Blandford, since this has been outstanding for over six weeks.

My decision confirming the compulsory purchase order made by the council, subject to a modification, was communicated to the local authority on 22nd March.

asked the Minister of Health what are the micro-organisms whose presence can be detected in milk by the methylene blue test.

I am advised that the methylene blue test does not detect the presence of any particular type of microorganism in milk. The test is a measure of all the organisms present in milk and indicates its probable keeping quality.

asked the Secretary of State for War what, in the case of bricklayers, is the highest group reached in offering release under the Class B block scheme.

There are many different sub-classifications under the general heading "bricklayers" and different groups have been reached in different cases and again in different arms of the Service. It has not so far been necessary in order !o meet the Ministry of Labour's demands to go beyond Group 40 in any of these occupations in any arm, but in many of the occupations and in some arms that group has not been reached

asked the Secretary of State for War why the British Military Administration in Malaya have objected to cooperation of British and Chinese personnel in medical units and the employment of fully qualified and trained Chinese personnel in the health services under their administration; and whether he will take steps to ensure that there is no racial discrimination in the British Military Administration in Malaya.

A report on this matter has been called for but has not yet been received. As soon as I have received it I will write to the hon. Member

asked the Secretary of State for War when the scheme which permitted a soldier who had undertaken a 21 years' engagement to apply for a modified pension on the completion of 18 years' service will be reintroduced.

Under the new pension code announced in the recent White Paper (Cmd. 6715) the period of service necessary to qualify for a service pension in future will be 22 years for all three Services, and the Army system of modified "pensions on voluntary discharge after 18 years' service is discontinued. A soldier who had already re-engaged for pension on 19th December, 1945, when the new code came into operation, can, however, elect to be dealt with under the former regulations, and can thus secure a "modified" pension at the former rates if he is permitted to take his discharge after 18 years' service.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will issue, for the benefit of inshore fishermen, a statement indicating what surplus diesel engines are now available for purchase by them from the Admiralty; where and when they may be seen; the conditions of sale, whether by public auction or private agreement; and whether they will he sold under any guarantee as to their working condition

The principal method at disposal of these engines is through the manufacturers under a negotiated scheme for reconditioning and resale to the public. Those engines which the trade does not wish to purchase are sold by tender amongst potential purchasers, including fishermen, from whom inquiries have been received. The numbers at present available are very small. My advice to fishermen would be to apply to the manufacturers. Engines sold through the trade scheme will be covered by the manufacturers' guarantee, but no guarantee will apply to those sold by open tender.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how far the Ordnance Survey have proceeded with the resurveying of Great Britain; whether it is intended to hold up the issue of the result of such survey until the whole country has been resurveyed; whether the reprinting of existing maps of the 1 inch, 6 inch and 25 inch scales, with the revised information, will be authorised: and which counties have now been dealt with in this manner

Experiments in connection with the resurvey and preparatory work over a large area have been proceed- ing, and prototype plans of the new survey have been circulated to Departments and various interested authorities for inspection and comment. The design has now been standardised. Training courses for field staff are now operating and the resurvey at a scale of 1 / 1250 of certain large towns is now in hand in various stages. As an interim measure, mosaics from air photographs are being issued at the same scale.

The results of resurvey in any area will be published as soon as possible after the work is completed, and it is expected that the first of the new plans will he on sale in the near future.

The printing of revised 1-in., 6-in. and 25-in. sc ale maps is proceeding, incorporating all information available as a result of surveys, both military and civil, carried out immediately before and during the war. Where such surveys do not constitute a complete revision, the sheets are being issued as "provisional" editions. It has not been possible to prepare complete sets by counties, hut the present position is as follows: (a) 1-in. maps covering a large part of southern and eastern England and the southern half of Scotland have already been published. (b) The new provisional 6-in edition of built-up areas incorporating a hasty revision carried out for civil defence purposes in 1938, is being prepared. and over 900 of the sheets covering these areas have been published. (c) The 25-in. revision of urban areas required for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1932, was completed before the war. A small proportion of the revised material was lost through enemy action. At the end of the war about 3,000 plans were still unpublished; of these 1,000 have now been issued to the public and the remainder are being completed at the rate of about 125 a month.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he has considered the representations from the Hayes, Middlesex, Urban District Council, urging an early revision of the existing arrangements relating to the telephone charges within the Metropolitan area outside the 10-mile radius from Oxford Circus; and what answer has been sent in reply.

The representations referred to in the Question were made in a letter dated the 4th April and a considered reply will be sent in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the figures, at the latest available date, of unemployment in the building trade in the city of Aberdeen, giving the totals under the different categories of tradesmen affected.

I have been asked to reply. At 11th March, 1946, the numbers of unemployed insured persons classified as belonging to the building industry on the registers of the Aberdeen Employment Exchange were as follows: Carpenters, bricklayers, painters, plumbers and glaziers, nil; masons, 15; slaters and tilers, 1; plasterers, 4; labourers to above and builders' labourers, 4; general labourers, 11 all other occupations, 24; total, 59.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many local authorities in the country have made, or are making, arrangements to set up district heating; and what steps he is taking to encourage more local authorities to adopt district heating at the earliest possible opportunity in order to save fuel.

I have set up, in conjunction with my right hon. Friends the Ministers of Health and Works, a committee on domestic heating problems, with a sub-committee of technical representatives of the interested Ministries, to consider district heating generally and, in particular, specific schemes proposed by local authorities. One local authority scheme has been submitted so far, and given provisional approval. A number of other local authorities are known to be considering district heating. I am anxious to give every help possible and I shall be glad to know of any schemes, which are under consideration, and which may not have come to my notice, and to arrange for my technical officers to advise on them.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, whether Government Departments pay for communications to the public made through the medium of the cinema as they do when made through the Press.

Communications to the public through the medium of the cinema are normally made either through short newsreel interviews by arrangement with the newsreel companies or through short trailer films or flashes. In general no payment is made to the cinemas for these facilities. No payments are of course made for communications to the public through the Press, other than communications made through the medium of advertisements.

asked the Attorney-General the meaning of Statutory Rule and Order, No. 414/L.6, of 1946.

The object of the Rule to which the hon. Member refers is to make provision for the registration as a local land charge under Section 8 of the Building Materials and Housing Act, 1945, of conditions imposed by that Act on the price or rent chargeable on transfer of a house for which a building licence has been granted.