asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will specify the occupations for the pursuit of which it is necessary to have a licence from his Department.

Licensing arrangements vary in detail from industry to industry and are subject in many cases to qualifications and exemptions. Subject to this, licences are generally necessary, so far as the Board of Trade are concerned, for the production of the following goods:Braces, china clay, corsets, some classes of cutlery, domestic glassware, fertilisers, fishnets, floor coverings, footwear, fountain pens, furniture, furs, gem diamonds, gloves, hollow-ware and kitchen hardware, hosiery, lace, mechanical lighters, musical instruments, pencils (non-utility types), perambulators, pottery, sports goods, toys and indoor games, toilet preparations, umbrellas, miscellaneous goods covered by the Miscellaneous Goods (Prohibition of Manufacture and Supply) (No. 7) Order, 1945, S.R. & O. 1945, No. 1176, miscellaneous textiles covered by the Miscellaneous Textiles (Manufacture and Supply) Directions 1942, S.R. & O. 1942 No. 1151 and S.R. & O. 1944 No. 160.Licences are also necessary to engage in textile spinning weaving and finishing, to acquire or supply cinematograph film and to deal in waste paper-making materials and curled hair. In addition anyone wishing to acquire controlled materials for the pursuit of an occupation may need a licence to acquire or use those materials. Licensing arrangements may in some cases affect the way in which an occupation can be pursued, e.g. a wholesaler may not in general without a licence act as a " second wholesaler " of price controlled goods, nor may an auctioneer sell by auction without a licence any goods to which the Sales by Auction and Tender (Control) Order, 1944, as amended applies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many sites are now being prepared for the erection of factories in the South Wales development area; and what steps he is taking to speed up this work in view of the serious unemployment problem in the area.

The collection of the latest information on this subject will take some time but I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, send it to him as soon as it is available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new factories, and in which industries, have been established in the North-West region, with particular reference to Lancashire, since June, 1945, to the present date; what volume of employment he estimates these factories will provide; how many further new factories schemes, and in which industries, have received his sanction and approval; and what is his estimate of the volume of employment which will be provided under these schemes.

As the collection and collation of this information will take some little time, I will, with the hon. and gallant Member's permission, send it to him as soon as available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give an assurance that those people who have paid their war damage insurance regularly and now ask as legitimate claimants for payment on account for the loss of chattels by bomb damage, will not be compelled to undergo a severe means test, but will be treated as they would be by any insurance company where a legitimate claim was being lodged.

The underlying principle of the War Damage Act under which private chattels policies were issued is that payment should be deferred until a date to be determined by Treasury regulations, unless the Board of Trade are satisfied either that the repair or replacement of the goods is expedient in the public interest or that such payment is necessary to avoid undue hardship to the claimant. An insurance company is under no such statutory obligation. Everyone who has a valid claim under the Chattels Scheme can obtain advance payment provided he can satisfy the Board of Trade, in accordance with the provisions of the War Damage Act, that the payment is necessary to avoid undue hardship. The officers administering the power have instructions to treat claimants with the utmost consideration consistent with the carrying out of their statutory duty.

asked the Minister of Supply what his Department is paying for copper wire bars and the conversion margin into hot rolled copper wire rods from Canada: and whether bought f.o.b. or c.i.f.

The price paid for Canadian copper wire bars and the margin for Canadian copper rods is part of the contractual arrangements between the Ministry of Supply and the Canadian companies concerned and it would be contrary to established practice to give details of the prices paid in such cases.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he has reached a decision on the claim for compensation made by the Full Fashioned Hosiery Company, Limited, of Baldock, Hertfordshire, details of which were sent to him by the hon. Member for Hitchin, on 10th April, 1946.

I am not able at present to add anything to the letter which my right hon. Friend sent to my hon. Friend on 4th June.

asked the Minister of Supply what is the value of British investments in the Middle East Command arising out of naval, military and air requirements during, the war both as fixed assets and surplus stores; and what sum has been so far realised by local sales.

I regret that no complete estimate of the value of Service surpluses and fixed assets in the Middle East Command is yet available. The gross sum realised by the local sale of Service surpluses from April, 1945, to the end of February, 1946, is approximately £4,500,000.

asked the Minister of Supply the value of the surplus stores taken over from the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force; what proportion of such stores will be offered to local authorities for public use; and whether they will be offered to local authorities at the same price as was paid for them by the British Government.

The U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force surpluses were handed over in partial consideration of the payment of the net amount of $532,000,000 by His Majesty's Government in final settlement of wartime claims between this country and the U.S. Government. Local authorities will have the same priority for their requirements as they have for stores of British origin. Under the general agreement between His Majesty's Government and the U.S. Government the matter was dealt with on the basis of an overall deal. No exact prices were fixed for individual items, and the varied nature of the stores requires that they should be disposed of in the manner best suited to each type.

asked the Minister of Supply why no Edinburgh auctioneer has been selected to conduct the auction sales in Edinburgh in connection with the disposal of 2,000 motor cars and commercial vehicles.

Recommendations were sought from the two professional bodies in Scotland who had been invited to nominate auctioneers. Nominations were made by the Glasgow and South-West Scotland Association of Auctioneers on 26th March and by the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland on 1st April. I have re-examined the circumstances surrounding this appointment and find that the reply of the latter body, which nominated Edinburgh auctioneers, had, unfortunately, been temporarily mislaid, with the result that only the Glasgow auctioneers appeared as being recommended by the Auctioneers' Associations, and the choice had already been made before the mistake was discovered. I should like to express regret for the incident which implies no reflection on Edinburgh auctioneers.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of men in the Pioneer Corps demobilised in North Africa since VE-Day; whether these men received gratuities, clothing or clothing allowance; and if not, whether he will take steps to make such allowances payable.

I am taking steps to obtain the answer to the first part of the Question. As regards the second and third parts, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Mr. Jeger) on 28th May.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that soldiers in India, who are due for demobilisation, are being held up for want of shipping; and what steps are being taken to get these men home in accordance with their release dates.

So far as I am aware soldiers in India who are due for demobilisation, are not being held up for want of shipping. For some months past sufficient shipping has been and is still being made available to the Commander in Chief, in India, in plenty of time to enable him to meet all his requirements for the repatriation of service personnel. In fact, in recent months, men from India have been arriving in many cases well before their release dates.

asked the Secretary of State for War if, in view of the fact that the National Trust have purchased the Clumber Estate, Nottinghamshire, for the benefit of the nation, he will liberate this estate from his Department's use, at an early date, so that it can be made available to the people.

Clumber Park is at present used for the storage of considerable quantities of ammunition. The physical work of disposing of this ammunition will necessarily take a long time, and I regret that the park must, therefore, remain closed to the public for some time to come.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that demobilised officers and men are experiencing delays of seven weeks and over in receiving their gratuities and demobilisation leave pay, and are experiencing great hardship; and whether he will arrange for a more rapid discharge of these obligations.

I am not aware of any general delay in the payment of war gratuities or release leave pay, but I would point out that war gratuity is not paid until the 57th day after the beginning of release leave, as men released under Class A receive pay up to that date. If the hon. Member will send me particulars of any case where delay appears to have occurred I will gladly investigate it.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the huts at Letchworth Gate have yet been handed over to the Ministry of Works for disposal.

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for War when Mr. Robert Banks, 7, Hawthorn Road, Northampton, who was demobilised on 9th February, may expect to receive his demobilisation suit from ordnance depot at Branston; and why Mr. Banks' letters have not been acknowledged.

I am inquiring into this case, and as soon as my inquiries are completed I will write to my hon. Friend. I am aware that there has been some delay in dealing with correspondence at Branston, but this has been due to the concentration of all available staff on the despatch of clothing.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that many of the tents supplied for the use of Dominion and Colonial troops in the Victory camp in Kensington Gardens have been inadequate protection against the recent rain and leak badly; and whether, in view of the desirability of extending better hospitality to troops who have come such long distances to provide a satisfactory Victory Parade for the British public, he will make immediate arrangements to ensure that henceforward everything possible will be done to improve the standard of accommodation and hospitality for them.

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Henley (Sir G. Fox) yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) how many acres of land previously producing arable crops are still requisitioned for military training purposes in the United Kingdom;(2) how many acres of land are now held under various Defence Regulations for military training purposes, which have never been previously in arable production.

On 31st May, 1940, 288,177 acres were held by the War Department under Defence Regulation 51 for training purposes and training rights were exercised over a further 1,939,905 acres under Defence Regulation 52. These figures include all types of land, and I regret that information is not readily available as to the proportion of the land which was previously used for producing arable crops and the proportion which has never been in arable production. Of the acreages I have mentioned, 53,145 acres held under Defence Regulation 51, and 444,130 acres used under Defence Regulation 52, are at present in process of release.

asked the Secretary of State for War what were the average costs of bread-baking, in shillings per sack of 280 lbs. weight of flour, in a representative large Army bakehouse in the month of July, 1939, and in May, 1946, respectively, under the following heads: flour, delivered price, yeast and other materials, wages, fuel, rent and depreciation

The information asked for would take some time to obtain, and would involve a considerable amount of work. I do not feel that in present circumstances it would be justifiable to take staff off other more urgent word in order to prepare the figures.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of cases of encephalitis lethargica discovered in the Armed Forces in Palestine in 1938; what percentage this represented of the total establishment; and how many disability pensions were granted in respect of this disease during that period.

I am taking steps to obtain the information asked for, and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will make available to Members of this House a nominal list of the ships of the Royal Navy in categories, completed and afloat on 31st August, 1945, including those on loan to foreign and Dominion navies.

Yes, Sir. I have arranged for two copies of such a list to be placed in the Library today.

asked the Minister of Health if he will now arrange for copies of the detailed monthly population figures to be placed in the Library of the House of Commons, for the information of Members.

Population estimates for the separate Administrative areas are prepared quarterly and copies will be placed in the Library.

asked the Minister of Health what principles of valuation are to be applied in order to arrive at the market value of dwellinghouses for the purpose of making advances under the Small Dwellings Acquisition Acts.

The market value of the ownership of the house is to be ascertained by the local authority by means of a valuation duly made on their behalf in accordance with the ordinary principles. In order to provide for the increase in the market value of houses which has taken place since 1935 the limit fixed by the Housing Act of that year was raised by Section 6 of the Building Materials and Housing Act. 1945, from £800 to £,500.

asked the Minister of Health how many plans from local authorities for new council housing were approved by his Department during the first three months of 1946; and how many of these contained any proportion of one-bedroom dwellings.

The number of permanent houses and flats in respect of which plans have been approved during the first three months of this year is 103,566; of this number 421 were for one-bedroom type houses and 963 were for one-bedroom type flats.

asked the Minister of Health in respect of how many local authorities orders have been made under Section 3 of the Public Health Acts (Amendment) Act, applying the provisions of Section 19 (4) of that Act.

Orders have been made putting Section 19 of the Act of 1907 in force in 668 boroughs or urban districts. It is in force in all rural districts by virtue of Section 30 of the Local Government Act, 1929.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements he is making, by means of registration or otherwise, for bringing to the attention of intending purchasers of land, the making of an order under Section 14 of the Water Act, 1945.

In accordance with the requirements of the Act, full publicity is given to the making of an Order, including advertisements in the " London Gazette " and in local newspapers, and the deposit of the draft Order and a plan, for inspection, at convenient centres in the area concerned. Notice has also to be given in the " London Gazette " of my intention to lay the Order before Parliament. There are no provisions for registration of the Order.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the serious condition which has arisen in the Bracebridge Heath Hospital, Lincoln, owing to the shortage of female staff; and what steps he is taking to enable this hospital to keep going at full strength.

Yes, Sir. Commissioners of the Board of Control have recently visited Bracebridge Hospital and conferred with the Committee; and the Ministry of Labour have been asked to give such special assistance as may be practicable to meet the situation.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Burma what steps are being taken to stop the illicit felling of teak in Burmese forests.

I have no knowledge of this matter, but if the hon. and gallant Member would let me have the information on which his Question is based, I will have inquiries made of the Government of Burma.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will arrange for those in search of missing relatives, especially those required for desertion or maintenance of family, to have the active assistance of his Department in tracing such relatives, without their having recourse, through the plea of destitution, to the local social welfare authorities.

I could only give effect to my hon. Friend's suggestion by requesting the assistance of the police. The question whether such inquiries are a function which the police can properly be asked to perform will depend upon the circumstances of the particular case.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the exact nature of the experiments referred to in connection with the fourth irregularity reported under the Cruelty to Animals Act during the year 1945; and whether the experiments were stopped because of the pain produced.

The experiments were injections and inoculations carried out by a pathologist, who had secured the signatures of a president and a professor, as required in connection with every application for a licence, and erroneously believed that these signatures provided all the authority needed. The experiments were stopped solely in order to mark the importance of strict compliance with the full requirements of the law.

asked the Minister of Works how many brickworks are till completely idle in Wales; and what steps he is taking to get these into production.

Thirty-seven brickworks in Wales are still inactive. Of these 17 will be in production in the course of the next two or three months, and storage is being cleared from nine further works. Efforts are being made to overcome the various difficulties in the remaining cases.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will allow, the window boxes erected in Whitehall for Victory Day to remain permanently with a view to the flowers relieving the grim exteriors of many Government buildings.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his suggestion, and I will consider it.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware that a substantial quantity of bricks is available in Belgium; and whether he proposes to take any action.

Yes, Sir. A purchasing mission, acting on behalf of His Majesty's Government, has visited Belgium and contracts have already been placed for the supply of a quantity of bricks. These bricks will be purchased and distributed by the Government, who have appointed an agent to carry out the whole transaction. They will be used for housing and other priority works and sold at the controlled ex-works prices of bricks manufactured in the areas of the ports of entry, plus such haulage and other charges as are permitted in the Bricks (Range of Prices) Orders. The cost in the first place will be met from the Building Materials and Housing Fund and the receipts from the sales will be credited to that Fund. A Supplementary Estimate will be laid before the House in due course to reimburse the Fund in respect of the difference between the total cost and the receipts.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware of the shortage of bricks in Scotland; and what action he proposes to take.

Yes, Sir. I have already made arrangements for bulk deliveries over a period of some 15-20 million bricks from the Fletton area to Scotland. They will be delivered by special train loads to certain points in Scotland and will there be sold at the average ex-works price of Scottish produced bricks. The additional costs will be met in the first instance from the Building Materials and Housing Fund, but a Supplementary Estimate to reimburse the Fund will be laid before the House in due course.

asked the Minister of Works if he can make any further statement with regard to the Committee on the salt glazed pipe industry.

Yes, Sir. I am glad to be able to announce that Sir Frederick W. Leggett, C.B., has accepted the chairmanship of a Committee which has been set up with the following terms of reference:

"To consider and report upon the organisation of the Salt Glazed Pipe Industry, upon measures to increase its efficiency, particularly in the saving of labour and fuel, and upon the attractiveness of the industry to labour, excluding wages and conditions of employment within the scope of the negotiating machinery of the industry."

The Committee includes four representatives from the Employers' and Workers' Organisations respectively, Sir Wilfrid Garrett, formerly His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Factories, Mr. A. T. Green, the Director of Research of the British Refractories Research Association, and and Mr. A. Haselden, a Production Engineer of the Ministry of Supply.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the large number of thefts of poultry and the view of the National Poultry Council that the sentences able to be imposed by the courts in such cases are ineffective as a deterrent to further thefts; and if he will consider introducing legislation to increase the punishment meted out in all such cases.

The Scottish National Poultry Council has represented that the penalties imposed by magistrates for thefts of poultry are ineffective as a deterrent, but I am not satisfied that the penalties which may be imposed under the existing law are inadequate. The penalty imposed in any particular case is a matter for the court to determine, after considering all the circumstances, including the prevalence of the offence in any area, and I have no authority to interfere with the court's discretion.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of immunisations performed during the second half of the year 1945, of children under five and aged five to 15 years.

The numbers of immunisations performed in Scotland during the second half of 1945 among children in the age groups 0–4 and 5–14 were approximately 27,500 and 8,100 respectively.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he has a statement to make about the employment of Polish soldiers in British mines; and it he has decided to which coalfields they are to be allocated.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Parliamentary Secretary to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Wallasey (Mr. Marples) on 4th June. The answer to the second part of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what plans he has for the working of outcrop coal in the anthracite area of South Wales coalfield.

Prospecting has revealed that considerable quantities of workable coal exist in the locality of the recently developed opencast workings in the anthracite district of South Wales and it is my intention to continue its extraction long as there is need for doing so.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware of the difficulties in obtaining machinery and other technical equipment for collieries in South Wales; and if he will provide factories in South Wales to produce mining equipment.

Difficulties are from time to time encountered in supplying particular terns required by the South Wales collieries. These in the main are not due to a shortage of capacity in the mining equipment industry, which is being steadily expanded in South Wales as elsewhere; they are due to the very high demand from all sources for components and general engineering supplies, of which mining and mining equipment production are not the sole consumers. The Departments concerned will be prepared to consider proposals from industrialists for the provision of factories in South Wales to produce such supplies.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will publish the total

—			1938.
			L.M.S.	L.N.E.R.	G.W.R.	S.R.
Railways, excluding, ancillary businesses	…	…	220,550	165,290	97,000	64,149
Ancillary business excluding docks	…	…	9,927	8,207	2,422	2,419
Total, excluding docks	…	…	230,477	173,497	99,422	66,568
Docks	…	…	2,577	3,739	2,930	2,191
Total employees	…	…	233,054	177,236	102,352	68,759
			1944
			L.M.S.	L.N.E.R.	G.W.R.	S.R.
Railways, excluding ancillary businesses	…	…	223,210	170,835	103,877	62,361
Ancillary business excluding docks	…	…	8,159	6,341	2,273	2,152
Total, excluding docks	…	…	231,369	177,176	106,150	64,513
Docks	…	…	2,390	3,272	5,908	1,031
Total employees	…	…	233,759	180,448	112,058	65,544
			1945.
			L.M.S	L.N.E.R.	G.W.R.	S.R.
Railways, excluding ancillary businesses	…	…	222,937	174,145	105,501	63,070
Ancillary business excluding docks	…	…	8,270	6,358	2,203	2,406
Total, excluding docks	…	…	231,207	180,503	107,704	65,476
Docks	…	…	2,648	3,412	4,398	2,094
Total employees	…	…	233,855	183,915	112,102	67,570

I shall publish shortly a statement giving particulars of the number of railway employees in Great Britain. The statement will not be in the same detail as desired by my hon. Friend but will give the total number in each grade during a specimen week in March for each of the years 1939 to 1945 inclusive. The numbers in all grades employed by each of the main line railways, excluding docks, during a specimen week in March, 1938, 1944 and 1945 were:

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much plant and material, the property of nationals of a neutral country during the war, have been removed under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement from the British zone and of what kind; and what is the position of the companies or individuals, the owners of such property, having facilities to view the material concerned and arrange for the payment of compensation.

None so far as I am aware. No facilities exist at present but the question of granting facilities will be considered when a case arises.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to what tribunal it is open to owners of private property in the British zone in Germany that has been or is earmarked for dismantlement, to make claims regarding the disposal of these assets under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement; and if such plant is necessary for the general economic reestablishment of industry in Germany.

The claims of British owners are registered by the Trading with the Enemy Department of the Board of Trade. The British element of the Control Commission maintains records of United Nations' property in the British zone. It is our policy to see that, where the capacity of an industry is to be reduced as a result of the Level of Industry Plan, the reduction falls on German rather than United Nations' property; and that plant belonging to any United Nation subject which has to be removed from Germany is offered in the first place to the United Nation concerned. A quadripartite commission in Berlin is responsible for deciding what plants are necessary for the general economic re-establishment of industry in Germany as defined in the Level of Industry Plan.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will investigate the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of the wife of a medical graduate of London University detained during the past three years in Gibraltar, whose permit to join her husband has been invalidated by the requirements of the Passport Office; and, in view of similar complaints made by this officer's colleagues, if he will rectify the position.

In the case to which the hon. Member refers, an application for a passport was received from the lady in question by the Branch Passport Office at Liverpool on 9th May. The application was accompanied by the lady's birth and marriage certificates and the child's birth certificate. As the applicant had not previously held a British passport, she was asked, on 22nd May, to produce her husband's birth certificate in order to establish the British nationality of the applicant and her child. She was, at the same time, asked to produce evidence of the consent of her husband to the inclusion of the child's name in the passport. It is a normal precaution of the Passport authorities in the case of women proceeding abroad with minor children to ensure the assent of the father to the removal of the child from the country.