asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has ben called to the reasons given by the C.I.G.S. for continued conscription; and whether the C.I.G.S. was authorised to make this statement on behalf of the Government.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 12th December by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my hon. Friends the Members for King's Norton (Mr. Blackburn) and Aston (Mr. Wyatt).

asked the Secretary of State for War when the hon. Member for Penryn and Falmouth may expect to receive a reply to his complaint, first addressed to his Department on 17th October and renewed on 15th November, with regard to the seizure of the furniture of Dr. R. Seiter by the British military authorities in Siegen, Germany, since further delay in reaching a decision entails continuing hardship for this man.

I have just had a full report from Germany which shows that the matter is one for the Control Commission. I have therefore sent the correspondence to my hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will have inquiries made into the cooking arrangements at Maidstone barracks to prevent the waste of good food which is at present occurring.

The catering arrangements were inspected at the end of October and were then satisfactory. I arranged for a further investigation and it is clear that there is no excessive waste of food.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will consider the suspension of the sentence of two years' imprisonment, which is now being served by 14030901 Sapper J. Malter, in No. 1 Military Prison and Detention Barracks, Headley, in view both of the extreme youth of this soldier and the circumstances leading up to this charge.

A review of this soldier's case will be held as soon as certain documents are received from India. All the factors will be taken into account including those referred to in the Question.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will arrange for the immediate repatriation, on compassionate grounds, of 2933797 Corporal S. N. Henderson, R.A.M.C, H.Q., B.M.A., Tripolitania, particulars of whose case have been sent to him by the hon. and gallant Member for Dumfries.

The news of the death of Corporal Henderson's father was sent to Middle East on 9th December. As soon as the further details were received from the hon. and gallant Member and inquiries had been made about Mrs. Henderson's illness a cable was sent to Middle East recommending Corporal Henderson's return in the highest category. The decision rests with headquarters Middle East and it is possible that they may have sent him home as a result of his own earlier application.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that no dependant's allowance has been paid to the wife of 19095643 Private B. J. Muir, who joined the forces on 31st October; and if he will take steps to expedite this payment.

It has not been possible to trace a soldier of the name quoted but I presume that the inquiry refers to 19095643 Private B. J. Mein who joined for service on 7th November, 1946. This soldier is under 21 years of age and is not, therefore, entitled to marriage allowance. He was, however, advised that he may apply to the Ministry of Pensions for a War Service grant if he is prepared to make an allotment of 14s. a week from his pay and he has now agreed to do this. A new paybook for the increased allotment has therefore been issued to Mrs. Mein and the question of War Service Grant is being taken up with the Ministry of Pensions.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many people are engaged in guarding the Beltane School Camp, Wimbledon; and whether, in view of the fact that the guests lodged therein are allowed out all over London every day, the service of these guards can be better employed elsewhere.

The staff of this camp is at present 44, but of them only five or six are employed on guard or escort duties. The rest are employed on administrative duties in connection with the use of the camp as a reception station. The staff is likely to be reduced by nearly a half early in the New Year when certain changes in the administration are made.

asked the Secretary of State for War why it has been decided that Dusseldorf is to take the place of Brussels as leave centre for the B.A.O.R.; and whether in view of the conditions in Dusseldorf, he will have this instruction cancelled.

My hon. Friend is misinformed. Brussels is not ceasing to be a leave centre for B.A.O.R.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Polish children are aft present in the Military School in Palestine; what payments are being made by the British Government to support this school, what proportion of the children are orphans or have parents in Poland; what is the purpose of instructing these Polish children in military education; and if he intends to give these children an opportunity of returning to Poland or to bring them to the United Kingdom.

I am obtaining the information for the hon. Member and will write to him.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of timber, estimated in standards, he expects to make available from all sources for the 1947 building programme.

Timber will be allocated for the 1947 building programme in the light of supplies available and other essential requirements. I hope that our total softwood imports in 1947 will exceed those of 1946, but I would repeat that prospects here, as in so many other respects, largely depend on the quantity of goods we are able to export to the main supplying countries, and I am not yet in a position to give any reliable estimate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of the 25,000 standards of Soviet timber contracted for in September has been shipped.

The actual contract was for 23,000 standards, of which nearly 14,000 were shipped before the ports were closed by ice. Six thousand standards more will be shipped next year. In addition, some 5,000 standards of mining timber have been obtained.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much of the £18,022,868 worth of rubber is still in Government hands; and what is the profit or loss on sales and on remaining stocks valued at the latest available market price.

Sales from United Kingdom stocks since September show a profit of about ⅛d. per lb. There is no market price for spot rubber in the United Kingdom at present.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the clothing coupon loss to the retailers and the financial loss to the manufacturers of knitting yarns resulting from his Department's regulation of 28th November, 1946, making all knitting yarns weighing one ounce per 100 yards coupon-free; and what steps he proposes to take to enable the retailers to restock.

The general licence which came into operation on 28th November is intended to enable wholesalers and retailers to clear their stocks of inferior yarns accumulated some time ago, and it was issued in response to strong representations from the retail trade. It should not have any detrimental effect on the long-term demand from manufacturers of heavy yarns of good quality.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that men's braces and suspenders contain little or no elastic; and if he will take steps to make additional supplies of elastic available to manufacturers of these articles.

Yes, Sir. Steps have already been taken to increase supplies of elastic for braces, and, as soon as supplies permit, a similar arrangement will be made for suspenders.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when it is intended to resume publication of the Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom.

Publication was resumed in May of this year and the volumes covering 1944 have already appeared.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the ex-Serviceman, whose name and address he has been given, has been refused a replacement of his 26 supplementary coupons when he could prove that he had accidentally lost the cover of his ex-Service clothing book.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the ex-Serviceman, whose name and address have been given to him, has been refused a replacement of 26 supplementary coupons when he could prove that these were accidentally destroyed by his small child.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which was given last Thursday to similar questions on this matter, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, to prevent unfair distribution of nylon stockings, he will agree to ration these to one pair per woman's clothing book.

My hon. Friend's suggestion would not be practicable since there is nothing to distinguish a woman's from a man's clothing book; nor, during the present rationing year, will there be one pair of nylon stockings for each woman.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the average monthly value of knitted outerwear produced in Great Britain; and the percentages allocated for home consumption and for export.

Value figures exist only for hosiery production as a whole, and not for separate types of knitwear. There are no export allocations for knitted outerwear; instead, there is a limit beyond which export licences are not granted. This varies with the kind of knitwear, but averages rather less than 10 per cent., by quantity, of production.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the conclusions on most favoured nation treatment arrived at by the recent Committee of the International Conference on Trade and Employment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the conclusions on Imperial Preference arrived at by the recent Committee of the International Conference on Trade and Employment.

The recommendations of the recent Preparatory Committee are embodied in a report to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, copies of which will shortly be available. In general, the Committee's conclusions on the subject of tariffs and preferences were that countries' members of the proposed International Trade Organisation would accord to each other most favoured nation treatment in all forms of duties and regulations affecting trade, exceptions being made from this general rule in respect of certain preferences remaining after the proposed detailed negotiations on these matters which are to take place in the early part of next year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the recent trade negotiations with the U.S.S.R.

These negotiations are still proceeding. The present position is that we are awaiting replies from the Soviet Trade Delegation to certain questions, which, I understand, have been referred to Moscow.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what export licences and for how many British aircraft and for what types, were granted to aircraft manufacturers, for sale to France since the recent Paris exhibition.

Three licences have been issued, each for a single aircraft of civil type.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the reason for the reduction this year in imports of manufactured tobacco from the British Empire as compared with 1938 and the increase of such imports from the U.S.A.

The figures of imports of manufactured tobacco show the opposite position to what is suggested in the hon. Member's Question. Manufactured tobacco, however, forms an insignificant part of our tobacco imports and the hon. Member may have had in mind the much more important matter of unmanufactured tobacco Total imports of unmanufactured tobacco from Empire sources have been lower this year than in 1938 owing principally to reductions, due to increased domestic demand and to diversion of acreage to food production, in the quantities available for export from Canada and India

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of Fordson tractors that are now completed and waiting for export; and the average period between the delivery of these machines and the actual date of their export.

I am informed that the answer to the first part of the Question is, approximately 150 tractors, and to the second part, two to three weeks.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the issue of special permits for wool required for occupational therapy has been dis- continued; and if he will consider restoring it in cases where it is required by blind persons.

The issue of special licences for wool yarn required for occupational therapy has been discontinued in order to save staff and as a step towards removing inessential controls. The previous system required individual scrutiny of a large number of requests, and in place of this the manufacturers are now given a separate bulk allocation sufficient to cover all these requirements. The manufacturers have been asked to maintain supplies out of this bulk allocation to all their customers for whom special allocations had previously been granted. This simplified arrangement should be equally effective in ensuring that blind persons obtain their requirements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of the wood quota for Scotland for 1946; and if there will be any increase in the wood quota for 1947.

No special timber quota is given to Scotland—or for that matter to England or Wales. Allocations for particular purposes are made to the Scottish Departments, but other Scottish timber requirements are met from general Departmental allocations. Future timber supply prospects are too uncertain to state whether it is possible to make any increase in the allocations for 1947.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the volume and value of exports of home-produced agricultural machinery to the British zone of Germany in the 10 months ended 31st October.

Exports to the British zone in Germany are not separately recorded. Total exports of home produced agricultural machinery to Germany during the first 10 months of this year consisted of tractors weighing 838 tons and valued at £106,483.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what amounts of newsprint were allocated to British publi- cations on 1st January, 1940, 10th November, 1945 and 30th September, 1946.

I regret that figures are not available for a particular day. For 1940 and 1945 they are available on a weekly basis and for the last part of 1946 on a four-weekly basis. In the week including 1st January, 1940, the consumption of newsprint by newspapers and periodicals was 10,859 tons; in the week including 10th November, 1945, it was 6,165 tons, and during the four weeks beginning 22nd September, 1946, the weekly average was 8,381 tons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has considered the representations of home glass manufacturers and their workpeople against the importation of continental plate and sheet glass, silvered or otherwise worked; and if he will make a statement thereon.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 12th December, to the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Baldwin), to which I have nothing at present to add.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning in view of his announcement that only 7½ per cent. of persons to be rehoused will be accomodated in the new towns, what is the estimated percentage proposed for London and the Greater London area.

Sir Patrick Abercrombie recommended that 400,000 persons should be accommodated in new towns in the Greater London area. I should prefer not to estimate the percentage of Londoners to be rehoused which this figure represents, since it is impossible to say at present what number of houses will need to be cleared and reconstructed in Greater London in addition to the houses required to relieve over-crowding. In any event, I think it is misleading to consider the persons to be rehoused in new towns as a separate category from those to be rehoused in expanded towns, who account for a further 600,000 under the Greater London Plan.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he accepts the recommendation in the Second Interim Report of the New Towns Committee that not more than 1,000 to 1,250 houses per annum should be added to any new town; and how long, on that basis, will it take to rehouse the percentage of persons proposed to be accommodated from the London and Greater London areas.

My instructions to the corporations set up to develop new towns will be that they should build them as quickly as the labour stiuation permits and as is consistent with maintaining at every stage the balance of housing, industry, services and amenities. I am not prepared to say at the present time what the rate will prove to be.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning, in view of his general inability to accept the proposals of the Advisory Committee for London Regional Planning and the constituent planning authorities that an additional 160,000 persons be accommodated in the green belt, if he will say where these persons are now to be accommodated and indicate alternative sites to the authorities concerned.

In general the sites for the re-location of population from the congested areas of central London will be in the outer country ring and beyond, as proposed in the Greater London Plan. As I explained in my statement of 19th November, I shall shortly issue a memorandum setting out in detail my views on the report of the Advisory Committee for London Regional Planning.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he is aware that the diversion of footpaths on housing sites acquired by the local authorities before the passing of the Acquisition of Land Act, 1946, can only be done under the procedure laid down by the Highways Act, 1835; and, as this is expensive, if he will introduce legislation to meet this difficulty.

I am considering this matter in connection with the legislation on town and country planning which I hope to introduce shortly.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning (1) what tentative proposals have so far been received for the establishing of industrial undertakings in Hemel Hempstead, Harlow, Three Bridges and Crawley in the event of orders designating these places as the areas of new towns;

(2) what firms' proposals have so far been received for the establishing of industrial undertakings in the new town of Stevenage.

As stated by my right hon. and learned Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 12th December, some 200 firms have shown an interest in the possibility of sites in new towns or quasi-satellites. Of these, 127 have stated a preference for Stevenage, 21 for Crawley—Three Bridges, 22 for Harlow, 13 for Hemel Hempstead, and the rest have indicated no particular preference.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what steps he is taking to attract industry to the new towns so as to ensure balanced social and industrial communities.

In view of the number of firms who have shown a keen interest in factory sites in the new towns, no difficulty is expected in securing sufficient industry in each of the new towns to ensure that they are properly balanced socially and economically. The Board of Trade, in consultation with the other Departments concerned, including my Ministry, are responsible for considering whether the proposals put forward by industrialists can be approved for the new towns within the terms of the Government's distribution of industry policy. From among the firms so approved, each of the development corporations will, in collaboration with the Board of Trade, select those enterprises which, by reason of the type of employment afforded, will contribute towards making the new towns balanced social and industrial communities.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning when he expects to receive the report of the consultant appointed to examine the possibilities of a scheme for protecting the water supply of the River Lea against possible pollution arising from the construction of new towns; and if he will publish the report.

The joint report of the consultants whom I appointed to advise—in the light of the needs of the Upper Lea Valley generally—on the sewerage schemes necessary for the proposed new towns at Stevenage and Harlow is expected to be received about the end of March. The question of publication will be considered when the report is received.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what representations he has received from the local authorities in the area against the proposal of the Service Land Requirements Committee to requisition 7,320 acres of land on Spaunton Moor; and what action he is taking thereon.

Representations on the proposal of the Air Ministry have been received from the Kirbymoorside and Helmsley Rural District Councils, the Kirbymoorside Parish Council, and from parish meetings at Appleton-le-Moors, Hutton-le-Hole, Lastingham and Spaunton. They will shortly be considered by the Inter-Departmental Committee on Services Land Requirements.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he will ensure that new buildings shall harmonise with and not spoil their surroundings; and what steps he is taking to encourage the construction of houses of stone and other local materials and the employment of stonemasons, and to discourage, especially in the more beautiful parts of the country, the erection of permanent houses of a kind which will not so harmonise.

The subject, particularly as regards "harmony" is a difficult one to deal with by way of Question and answer, though the hon. Member can take it that I am broadly in sympathy with what I believe to be the objects he has in view. On the specific points raised, I and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health are taking all practicable steps to encourage the use of stone and other local materials where suitable, and it is our aim by the gradual process of guidance of local authorities to ensure that care is taken to secure that particularly in beautiful parts of the countryside permanent houses are in keeping with surroundings.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether he will make a statement about the outcome of the inquiry held on 29th October regarding the threat to Midhurst Common involved in the proposal of the Midhurst Brickworks Company, to extend their activities through the purchase of new sand workings on this common.

The report of the inquiry is under consideration and I hope to give a decision shortly.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning the qualifications of the eight members appointed to the Stevenage Development Corporation.

As the reply is necessarily rather long, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The following are the names and qualifications of the members of the Stevenage New Town Development Corporation:

Mr. CLOUGH WILLIAMS-ELLIS (Chairman). Architect; Chairman of the Council for Preservation of Rural Wales; member of the Town Planning Institute; fellow of the Institute of Landscape Architects; owns and is designing and building Port-meirion in North Wales.

Dr. MONICA FELTON (Vice-Chairman). Member of the Hertfordshire County Council (by which her name was put forward to the Minister). Served as a member of the New Towns Committee. Formerly member of the L.C.C. for S.W. St. Pancras, 1937–46; Chairman of L.C.C. Supplies Committee, 1939–41; member of the Housing and Town Planning Committee; served in the Ministry of Supply, 1941–42; Clerk, House of Commons, 1942–43; lecturer to H.M. Forces and for London University Tutorial Classes Committee; governor of the London School of Economics.

Mr. CAMPBELL ALLEN: 1st Class Honours Mechanical Science Tripos, Cambridge; was director of Building and Financial Operations in the John Lewis Partnership, 1932–46; member of the London Diocesan Reorganisation Committee.

Mr. HINLEY ATKINSON. Until recently was on the staff of the Labour Party, where he was responsible for its organisation in the County of London and the Greater London Area; was a member of the Ministry of Information, London Regional Committee, from its inception.

Councillor FRANK CORBETT. Mayor of Wood Green (which is one of the Authorities intending to "export" population and industry to Stevenage); Alderman of the Middlesex C.C.; Chairman of the Wood Green Divisional Executive of the Middlesex County Education Committee; chief of the Legal Department of the National Union of Railwaymen; member of the Trades Union Congress Committee on Industrial Diseases. His name was put forward by the Wood Green Borough Council.

Alderman W. J. GRIMSHAW. Chartered accountant. Member of the Hornsey Borough Council (which is one of the authorities intending to "export" population and industry to Stevenage) since 1927; represents the council on the Housing, Education and Health Committees of the Association of Municipal Corporations; member of the Middlesex C.C.; chairman of the Non-County Boroughs Association. His name was put forward by the Hornsey Borough Council.

Councillor P. T. IRETON. Member of the Stevenage U.D.C. and chairman of its Town Planning Committee for some years; member of the Herts. C.C.; railway clerk. His name was put forward both by the Stevenage U.D.C. and by the Herts. C.C.

Mrs. ELIZABETH MCALLISTER. Editor of "Town and Country Planning"; formerly public relations officer to the Town and Country Planning Association; joint author (with Gilbert McAllister) of "Town and Country Planning—The Prelude to Post-War Reconstruction," 1941; and joint editor (with Gilbert McAllister) of "Homes, Towns and Countryside," 1945.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he will set up a committee on wild life authority and publish a report on the matter.

Questions about the conservation of wild life are already under consideration by a sub-committee of the National Parks Committee, and I expect to receive their report early in the New Year.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether he has now received the confidential preliminary memorandum from the Hobhouse Committee on National Parks and if he is still satisfied that he will be able to publish their report before the end of the year.

I have received the confidential preliminary memorandum from the Hobhouse Committee, and I expect to receive their final report early in the New Year. I am not yet able to give a definite date for publication of this final report, but my hon. Friend can rest assured that I intend to publish it as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he will review the procedure for publishing the proposals for building new towns so as to ensure that the people affected are fully informed of the advantages that the plans will bring to them.

I have already in public speeches, both in the areas of the proposed new towns and elsewhere, stressed the advantages that in my opinion will accrue from the creation of new towns. I should be ready to consider any further suggestions which the hon. Member may have in mind.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he is aware that numbers of old age pensioners in the Swanscombe and Greenhithe district of Kent have not yet received their increased old age pension; that a number of newly-qualified pensioners are involved and that these people are still awaiting acknowledgements of their applications; and what action he is taking.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies which I gave to him and other hon. Members and to the hon. Member for Derby, Southern (Mr. Champion), on this subject generally on 19th November, of which I am sending him copies. If my hon. Friend will send me the details of any particular cases he may have in mind, I will have inquiries made.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether women who are special voluntary contributors under the 1937 scheme are now entitled to an old age pension on attaining the age of 60 years; and of what amount and by virtue of what regulation.

Under the law as it now stands the pension age for women in this class is 65. This age limit, however, has no immediate effect because none of the persons concerned can complete the qualifying ten years insurance required by the scheme before 1948. With the introduction of the new scheme of National Insurance in 1948, their position in relation to retirement pensions will be assimilated, as far as practicable, to that of other insured women.

asked the Minister of National Insurance (1) if he is aware that residents in Jersey who are in receipt of British old age pensions have not received the increase from 10s. to 26s. although they have paid contributions for many years and why this discrimination against Jersey residents is maintained;

(2) why increased pensions are available to overseas contributors who qualified after 29th September, 1946, but not to those who qualified before that date; and if he will take steps to amend his regulations in this respect.

In the case of persons who were in receipt of contributory pensions on 29th September, 1946, the whole cost of the increase of pension falls ultimately on the British taxpayer, and it was, therefore, not thought reasonable that this cost should be incurred in respect of pensioners who at that date had gone to live abroad unless and until they again become resident in this country.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what appeal can be made under his regulations by an incapacitated miner against the finding of a member of the Medical Board established under the Pneumoconiosis Scheme.

Decisions under the Pneumoconiosis Scheme are never given by a single member of the Medical Board. The scheme requires the concurrence of at least two members and in doubtful cases the records and the X-ray films may be considered by three or more members of the Board before a decision is given. There is no appeal from the Board's decision but, within the time limit of five years, a workman can make a further application to the Board, if, after a reasonable interval, there is medical evidence that since the examination by the Board the disease may have developed.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether the Dental Benefit Service has now been resumed throughout the country following upon his recent agreement with the Joint Advisory Dental Council.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many dentists are still refusing to accept dental letters.

As part of the agreement the Joint Advisory Dental Council advised members of the profession generally to resume the practice of accepting insured persons for treatment in accordance with the Dental Benefit Regulations. It has always been a matter for each individual dentist to decide whether or not he will accept patients on this basis and a certain number of dentists have never participated in the service. I am aware that certain dentists have indicated that they are not following the recent advice of the Advisory Council but I have no reason to believe that this is the attitude of any large proportion of dentists.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he will give an early indication as to what payment for their services is to be given to the approved societies who have been asked by him to commence at once a considerable amount of work in connection with Circular A.S. 360 under the National Insurance Act, 1946; and if he is aware that the secretaries of many such societies are part-time workers who are reluctant to commence this work without definite information regarding remuneration; and that, unless an early decision is reached, it may be impossible to get the work completed within the stipulated time.

The arrangements for meeting the cost of the work in question have been agreed with the Approved Societies' Advisory Committee concerned, and a Circular on the subject will be reaching societies within the next day or two.

asked the Minister of National Insurance how many unemployed persons within the Aberdare Parliamentary Division are in receipt of unemployment assistance; and if the numbers will be given of those adversely affected through their having personal or family resources.

In the four weeks ended 8th November, 1946, the average numbers of payments of unemployment assistance at the Aberdare and Mountain Ash Employment Exchange, which cover broadly the area of the Aberdare Division, were 934 and 481 respectively. These included 55 and 46 payments respectively in supplementation of unemployment benefit. The information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he is now able to state when he is bringing in regulations for the payment of extended unemployment benefit to persons now in receipt of unemployment assistance.

Yes, Sir. I hope to be in a position to make regulations in a few days, under which it will be possible to give an extension to unemployment benefit from the second week in February.

asked the Minister of National Insurance why Mrs. E. G. Foster, 107, Montgomery Street, Hove, who sent in her form for family allowances for three children last July, has not yet received it; whether he is aware that she has, as a result, run herself into considerable debt; and if he will see that the payment of this, and similar cases, will be speeded up before Christmas.

I am making inquiries, and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible. With regard to the last part of the Question, I can assure the hon. Member that every effort is being made to clear outstanding claims as quickly as possible.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he is aware that in a number of cases in Northampton persons entitled to family allowances have not received them; and what steps he proposes to take to make these payments more promptly.

There must always be a number of claims to family allowances outstanding since new claims were, up to a recent date, being received at the rate of nearly 10,000 a week. Special efforts are being made to clear as quickly as possible claims which have been held up for any length of time on account of the necessity for detailed investigation.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men called up for service with His Majesty's Forces during the last quarter of 1945, with separate figures for those over 20 years of age; and similar figures with respect to the number of men he intends to call up during the last quarter of 1946.

The answer to the first part of the Question is 61,000 and 25,000 respectively. The answer to the last part is 59,000 and 19,000 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will arrange that married men under 21 years of age shall not be called up until they become eligible for marriage allowances, as the wives of those already called up find it impossible to manage on the inadequate grants made by the war grants committees.

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour if, in view of the fact that entrants to the teachers' training colleges from the schools have been advised by the Minister of Education to complete their Military Service before starting their teacher's training, he will take powers to permit them to begin their Military Service at 17½ years of age instead of 18 years of age, in order to avoid some months of wasted time.

I regret that I cannot see my way to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion, which would involve legislation.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the difficulties confronting British shipowners owing to the shortage of qualified marine engineers; and whether he will, therefore, consider continuing the wartime practice, whereby sea service is counted the equivalent of service with the Armed Forces, and allow men who have finished their apprenticeship in marine engineering works to count the sea time required for sitting for Board of Trade certificates in lieu of compulsory service with the Armed Forces.

I would refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 4 and 9 of the White Paper, Cmd. 6831. Engineering apprentices born before 1929 and already deferred as such, will not now be called up. Those born in 1929 and later will be eligible for deferment for the period necessary to complete their apprenticeship. They will, therefore, not come within the field for call-up until 1949 or 1950, and the problem to which the hon. and gallant Member draws attention will be given consideration before it arises in two or three years' time.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will defer the call-up of M. A. Poulter, Drayton Manor County School, in order that he may sit for the Higher School Certificate examination with a view to winning a scholarship at Oxford University; and whether he has considered the letter forwarded to him by the hon. Member for Brentford and Chiswick on 10th December.

This young man is entitled to postponement of his call-up to sit for the Higher School Certificate examination. I am writing to my hon. Friend to explain the position in full.

asked the Minister of Labour how many ex-Servicemen who fulfilled the necessary qualifications have had a resettlement grant refused simply on the grounds that in the opinion of the District Resettlement Grants Board the likelihood of such a grant being successfully applied is remote; and, in view of the fact there is no formal appeal against the decision of these boards, if he will now set up a central appeals committee composed of persons in no way connected with his Department.

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour. In reply to the second part of the Question, I have no reason to think that the Resettlement Grants Boards are not carrying out their duties satisfactorily, and I do not consider that the setting up of a central appeals committee of the kind suggested would serve any useful purpose. If the hon. Member has any particular case in mind in which he thinks a board's decision is inequitable and will let me have the details, I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in future issues of the advertisement inserted by his Department in the Press urging girls to take up nursing as a career, he will include a statement to the effect that nurses may be required as a condition of continuance in employment to join a trade union.

No, Sir, and in this connection I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to Questions by the hon. Member for North Dorset (Mr. Byers) and himself by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Health, on 5th December.

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the critical manpower situation, what representations have been made by him to the L.P.T.B. on the question of the termination of the services of conductresses employed by them.

I have made no representations to the L.P.T.B. I should anticipate no difficulty in finding suitable employment for women leaving the L.P.T.B.'s service.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he intends to adopt the report of Sir John Forster concerning port employment.

In accordance with the provisions of the Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1946, draft schemes will be published, and an opportunity afforded of submitting objections which, if not frivolous, must be made the subject of further inquiry. In drafting a scheme or schemes, I propose generally to follow Sir John Forster's report.

asked the Minister of Labour to what extent Polish labour is now to be utilised in industry; and in what trades.

Subject to consultations with employers and workers organisations in any industry employing appreciable numbers, members of the Polish Resettlement Corps will be eligible for submission to any vacancies for which there is no suitable and willing worker on the exchange register and in respect of which wages and conditions of employment are not less favourable than those which would be offered to a British subject in a similar capacity.

asked the Minister of Labour how many Italian workers he intends to introduce under contract into British industry; how they are selected; and how they are allocated.

The only Italians who are being brought to this country for employment in British industry at present are foundry workers, numbering not more than 2,800, under a scheme agreed with the two sides of the industry. The men will be selected in Italy by a panel appointed by the Ministry of Supply, consisting of a technical officer and one representative each of the employers and trade unions concerned. They will be allocated to vacancies in iron foundries where the management and workpeople are willing to receive them and where the necessary accommodation within daily travelling distance can be found

asked the Minister of Labour what trade unions have agreed to the employment of European displaced persons in industry in this country; and what trade unions are opposed to such a practice.

Official recruitment of displaced persons is at present limited to the filling of domestic vacancies in our sanatoria, hospitals and similar institutions.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is intended that iron-founding should be scheduled for deferment on industrial grounds after 1st January, 1947, in accordance with Section 8 of Cmd. 6831.

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour what proportion of those applying for training under the Business Training Scheme have been rejected and whether those who are eligible by reason of service and as defined in paragraph 7 of the prospectus, and who have been rejected, will be accepted for training at a later date when facilities become available.

The proportion of applicants under the Business Training Scheme who have been rejected as ineligible or unsuitable is approximately 52 per cent. As selection for training depends upon suitability as well as eligibility, applicants who have been rejected will not be accepted at a later date. Facilities for training are provided for all those who are accepted.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will take steps to ascertain the numbers of male persons in Great Britain between the ages of 14 and 64 years in each of the following categories: private domestic servants, persons incapable of work, persons who have retired from employment and persons who are not gainfully occupied.

It would not be practicable to obtain this information, except by means of a census of the population. The date of the next census has not yet been decided.

asked the Minister of Labour when he will publish the report of the committee for the purpose of stimulating and co-ordinating action on the staggering of holidays.

No formal report is expected from the two Standing Committees (one for England and Wales and one for Scotland), appointed to stimulate and co-ordinate action on the staggering of holidays, but I will consider whether some account of their activities can be included in the Report of my Department for the years 1939 to 1946, which is at present in preparation.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will so alter the official returns of stoppages of work as to include days lost owing to causes other than terms of employment and conditions of labour.

No, Sir. Stoppages of work due to disputes arising from causes other than terms of employment and conditions of labour are very rare and no useful purpose would be served by attempting to record them.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will include nursery nursing among the occupations for which he provides vocational training.

Nursery nursing is already included among the occupations covered by the Vocational Training Scheme. I will send my hon. Friend a note setting out the detailed arrangements.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is intended to revoke or amend 1940 Statutory Rule and Order 1305, Emergency Powers (Defence), Conditions of Employment and National Arbitration.

No, Sir

asked the Minister of Labour the number of foreign nationals employed in the productive and distributive trades, respectively, at the latest comparable dates in 1938 and 1946.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister or Labour if he will give the numbers of persons who were employed in various industries, trades and services, immediately prior to the outbreak of war in 1939, at the conclusion of the war in 1945 and on the latest date for which figures are available, respectively.

This information is published in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" and the "Monthly Digest of Statistics" for November, 1946.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the shortage of women operatives in the hosiery industry; that during the last four months less than 2,000 have returned to the industry; that the number is still only 59,000 as against 97,000 in June, 1939; and what new steps are proposed to attract female labour back into the industry.

Yes, Sir. The recommendations of the Working Party appointed by my right hon. and learned Friend, the President of the Board of Trade, made certain recommendations which, where practicable, are being carried out.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement about the release under the Class B arrangement of students in groups above 55 for the year 1947.

The arrangements for entry into universities for the year 1947 will be discussed with representatives of the universities next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when it is proposed to set up a Highland Development Board to report on the natural and mineral resources of the Highlands.

I have decided to appoint a Highlands and Islands Advisory Panel with the following terms of referenceTo advise the Secretary of State for Scotland on the carrying out of concerted plans by Government Departments, local authorities and other public bodies for promoting the best economic use of resources and capacity in the Highlands and Islands.

The following have accepted invitations to become members of the Panel: The hon. Member for the Western Isles (Mr. M. Macmillan)—Chairman. The hon. Member for Motherwell (Mr. A. Anderson). Major the Hon. Robert Bruce. Mr. John Cameron, K.C. The hon. and gallant Member for Argyll (Major Duncan McCallum). Mr. J. D. Macdonald. Dr. I. H. McIver. The hon. and gallant Member for Ross and Cromarty (Captain J. MacLeod) Mr. Alexander J. Mackenzie. Mrs. Naomi Mitchison.

In addition there will be eight members nominated by the County Councils of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Orkney, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland, and Zetland, and by the Town Council of Inverness. Names of these nominees will be announced as soon as they are received from the local authorities of the areas concerned. All appointments to the Panel will be for terms of two years.

Provision is being made for the co-option of additional members and for the appointment of sub-committees where necessary on particular questions. Liaison officers will be appointed by all Government Departments concerned, and by public bodies such as the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, the Forestry Commissioners and the Scottish Tourist Board, and arrangements will be made for representatives of these Departments and bodies to take part in the deliberations of the Panel and its committees as occasion arises.

The Secretary of the Panel will be Mr. M. Campbell, of the Department of Agriculture for Scotland, who will be assisted by Mr. R. H. Law, of the Scottish Home Department, and Mr. T. V. Hughson, of the Department of Health for Scotland.

The expenses of the Panel will be borne on the Vote of the Scottish Home Department.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will grant export licences to enable Messrs. R. G. Garvie and Sons, of Aberdeen, to fulfil orders to export threshing machines, winnowers, grain sowers and manure distributors to Eire, Europe and the U.S.A., or state why this cannot be done: and how far they can go in accepting such orders on a firm basis.

If Messrs. R. G. Garvie and Sons, of Aberdeen, will supply the Department of Agriculture for Scotland with details of the orders to export threshing machines, winnowers, grain sowers and manure distributors to Eire, Europe and U.S.A. which they wish to fulfil, I shall see that consideration is given to the proportion of their manufacturing output that could be exported without serious detriment to essential home requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why orders have been given to farmers in Scotland employing prisoner-of-war labour that, unless time sheets, Form No. P.W.5, revised German, are sent in weekly, such labour will be withdrawn; whether he is aware that these forms were previously sent in monthly; and whether he will take immediate steps to withdraw this order which will interfere with food production.

It has always been a condition of the supply of billeted prisoners of war that the employing farmer should submit time sheets weekly to the agricultural executive committee. Breach of this or any other of the conditions on which billetee prisoners of war are supplied involves a withdrawal of the labour. All farmers are made aware of the conditions and of the penalty attaching to a breach of them, and sign an undertaking to comply with them before prisoners are supplied.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that two of the contractors building houses for the Irvine Town Council who applied for wood for house building, other than the construction of floors, were informed that the wood quota for the year had been overdrawn and that the permit had to be refused; how many other contractors or councils have been similarly refused; and what effect this is having on the production of houses.

My Department's allocation of softwood for the current quarter is exhausted and I regret that it has therefore been necessary to suspend temporarily the issue of licences. Licences against the allocation for the next quarterly period which are now effective are, however, being issued to the two contractors referred to and to others in a similar position. The timber supply position is a matter of serious concern, but everything possible is being done to minimise interference with the housing programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when he intends introducing legislation to amend the Rent Restrictions Act; and if he is aware of the hardship at present being experienced by some dispossessed owner-occupiers;

(2) if he will consider setting up tribunals to which homeless house-owners could submit their cases on grounds of hardship without the expense of employing a lawyer.

The right of owners to recover possession of their houses will be considered when the Rent Restrictions Acts are reviewed, but in present circumstances I can hold out no hope of the introduction of early amending legislation. Under existing law any question of hardship between a tenant and an owner who wishes to recover possession of his house can be decided by the courts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, having regard to the urgent need for Government action to encourage the reconditioning of rural housing and to the delay in the publication of the Report on Reconditioning of the Scottish Housing Advisory Committee which was completed last July, he has yet taken any steps to implement the recommendations made in his Report.

I hope to made a statement on the Committee's recommendations when their Report is published. As the hon. Member has already been informed, the report will be published as soon as possible, probably about the middle of January.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether Glasgow Corporation have yet taken over the two single apartment houses in Rutherglen Road, Glasgow, that became vacant and were requisitioned; what was the price at which Messrs. Spiers and Knox were trying to sell these houses; and if he will make a statement on the proposed sale of these and other houses by this firm.

The two single-apartment houses at 792 Rutherglen Road, Glasgow, were requisitioned on 20th November but actual occupation has not yet taken place. Representations to let these houses now to prospective tenants on Messrs. Speirs and Knox's waiting list have been made to Glasgow Corporation on behalf of the owners. The town council are, I understand, at present considering the matter. I have no information as to the prices at which the houses were offered for sale. As regards the last part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Coatbridge (Mrs. Mann) on 3rd December.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will make a statement on the seven years limit beyond which a disabled ex-Serviceman or a widow has not the full right to claim compensation.

I discussed this matter with my Central Advisory Committee last week and I shall be having a further discussion with the Committee early in the New Year.

asked the Minister of Pensions why a man who is in receipt of retired pay or a pension under Article 10 of the Royal Warrant and who is certified by his doctor as being unfit to perform any kind of work for a year, is ineligible for a special unemployable allowance under Article 15; and why, and on what authority, his Department is interpreting the term unemployable in Article 15 as meaning permanently unemployable.

The special unemployable allowance was introduced for the man whose pensionable disablement makes it unlikely that he will ever be fit again for normal employment. The White Paper, and the statements made in this House on 20th July, 1943, show that it was not intended for the man who, after treatment and rehabilitation and, if necessary, training, could be expected once more to enter the employment field, and it would be psychologically unwise to label such a man as unemployable. There is another provision in the Royal Warrant for certain cases where prolonged abstention from work is necessary following in-patient treatment.

asked the Minister of Pensions when surgical shoes will be supplied to Mrs. W. M. Hopkins, 5, Princes Street, Huntingdon, as requested in letters sent to his Department by the hon. Member for Huntingdon on 11th November and 2nd December.

I am glad to say that Mrs. Hopkins received her new surgical shoes on the 12th December. As the hon. Member will see from the letter which was sent to him yesterday there has, unfortunately, been abnormal delay in this case due to a series of most unusual happenings largely outside my control, for which I can only express regret.

asked the Minister of Pensions why an order placed in June, 1946, for surgical shoes by Mr. Jack Hiles, 156, College Street, Dumfries, a disabled ex-Serviceman, has not yet been delivered; whether he is aware that for lack of footwear Mr. Hiles has been unable to go to work since 18th October, 1946, and in consequence has fallen into debt; and what financial arrangements he will make to compensate Mr. Hiles for loss of wages from 18th October to the date of delivery of the surgical shoes.

I am glad to inform the hon. Member that the new surgical shoes ordered on the 27th June, 1946, were despatched by the makers to Glasgow for delivery to Mr. Hiles on 13th December. In connection with the remainder of the Question, I am looking into the case and will write to the hon and gallant Member.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware of the delay in obtaining surgical appliances for disabled ex-Servicemen, which have been recommended by his Department in connection with the pensioned disability, and what system there is of priorities for these appliances which, in many cases, are urgently needed.

The surgical boot and appliances industry, in common with many other industries, has been faced with the position of trying to meet an increasing demand whilst suffering from a shortage of skilled labour. I can assure the hon. Member that I regret the delay that must of necessity occur in many cases in supplying these essential needs of the war disabled and that no effort has been spared by me or my officers to endeavour to bring about an improvement in the position and these efforts will not be relaxed. So far as priorities are concerned, it may be said that the needs of all the disabled have an equal claim and, therefore, the endeavour is made to supply in rotation as orders are placed, but there may be special features, such as the need for getting a man out of hospital, which make it desirable to take a case out of it turn and this would be done where appropriate.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will make a statement on the wearing of civilian clothes by ex-Service patients in his Department's hospitals.

I am pleased to be able to say that arrangements are being made whereby disabled ex-Servicemen in my Department's hospitals may in future, if they so desire, wear their civilian suits when on pass or leave from the hospitals. The arrangements are already working in two hospitals, and it is expected that the scheme will be in full operation by the beginning of the New Year.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware that the printed form, MPP 203D, which is sent by his Department accompanying an intimation that an original application for a disability pension has been rejected, states that there is no time limit to the right to appeal and does not indicate that delay in lodging an appeal will result in financial prejudice to the applicant; that the fixing of a time limit of six months in regard to the entitlement of the applicant to arrears without any previous intimation that such a limit exists is unjust to ex-Service personnel; and if he will take steps to have the time limit removed.

In order to comply with Section 9 of the Pensions Appeal Tribunals Act, 1943, form MPB.203D states that there is at present no time limit for appeal. It does, however, tell the claimant that, if he intends to appeal, it would be in his own interests to do so without much delay. In my opinion, a man who has been told of his right of appeal against my decision to an independent statutory tribunal can reasonably be expected to exercise that right within six months if he feels that my decision is wrong and that he should be receiving a pension. If the hon. Member has in mind any particular case in which the present practice in regard to arrears has caused hardship, I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the cost of providing accommodation and services in Cypus of illegal Jewish immigrants; and whether the Colonial Office Vote will be increased, or in what manner and how soon will the revised estimate be prepared to cover present and future expenditure.

The total estimated expenditure on the Cyprus camps for illegal Jewish immigrants from the date of their opening in August until the end of the current financial year is some £1,900,000. Of this figure, £1,160,000 is the estimated capital expenditure on the preparation and erection of the camps; and the balance is the cost of maintenance and other services; This expenditure will be met by the Government of Palestine.

asked the Minister of Food what steps he has taken since July last to improve the distribution of supplies of fish from Aberdeen quickly, in a fresh condition, to the centres of population that need it; and what is his present plan for co-ordinating these supplies with the demands of consumers.

I hope that better arrangements will be made for transporting fish from Aberdeen, as a result of recent discussions held, in association with the Ministry of Transport, with the interests concerned. The greater use of road transport to some towns is being considered. A proportion of the fish landed is allocated to all parts of the country; the distribution of the remainder is left to the initiative of traders

asked the Minister of Transport whether, until more normal conditions obtain, arrangements for priority passages will be made for individuals other than officials within the Commonwealth and Empire, if they can show that their journeys are of national importance.

On those routes where passenger shipping is still only sufficient to meet most urgent requirements, passages are allotted to those whose journeys are of national importance, according to the urgency of their journeys. On other routes the allotment of passenger accommodation has been restored to the shipping lines concerned subject to reservation of a proportion of berths for Government passengers, and the shipping lines have undertaken to ensure that persons whose journeys are of national importance secure early passages. If the hon. Member has any evidence that this system is not working satisfactorily, I should be glad to examine it.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the excessive charges which are being made by removal firms for removing household furniture, he will take steps to ensure by means of regulation and control that such charges are fair and reasonable.

Where the removal is wholly by road, in a motor goods vehicle, the charges for carriage and for various other specified services may be the subject of an application to the appropriate Regional Transport Commissioner under the Road Haulage and Hire (Charges) Order, 1942, as amended by the Road Haulage and Hire (Charges) (Amendment) Order, 1946. I am sending the hon. Member copies of these Orders. Where the removal is partly by rail, the charges for rail carriage and for collection and delivery in railway companies' vehicles are regulated under statutory provisions while the charges for collection and delivery in other motor goods vehicles are subject to the Orders.

asked the Minister of Transport how many railway employees, including shopmen, have resigned their employment with the four main line railway companies since the withdrawal of the Essential Work Order.