asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the totals, for the latest available week, of postal packages received by post offices from football pool firms in the Dudley, Worcestershire, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Manchester areas, respectively; and how such figures compare with the figures for the corresponding week of last year.

The estimated comparative weekly totals posted by firms in the towns mentioned are as follow:

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what is the estimated weekly total of postal packages received by his Department from football pool firms and football pool forecasting organisations; the estimated weekly total of packages posted by the public addressed to such pool firms or forecasting agencies; and how such totals compare with the corresponding figures last year.

The figures for football pool firms are as follow:Present weekly postings by pool firms: 7,750,000; Weekly postings by pool firms in 1945–46 season: 2,250,000; Present weekly postings by clients: 6,000,000; Weekly postings by clients in 1945–46 season: 1,800,000.I regret that no information is available or obtainable concerning postal packages posted by, or addressed to, football pool forecasting organisations.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will issue a detailed statement describing his Department's organisation for handling football pool traffic; and indicating to what extent such traffic affects normal postal services and the nature of any special postal facilities afforded to all or any football pool firms.

The promoters have, by arrangement with the Post Office, presorted, in postal address order, the addressograph plates which they use for addressing envelopes to their clients. When the envelopes are addressed from these plates they are kept in the same order to avoid a sorting process. In the case of the largest firms, the covers into which the coupons are to be placed are pre-franked (date stamped) by the Post Office in advance of addressing. This enables the work to be done at times convenient to the Post Office. In certain cases, Post Office stamping machines are installed on the firms' premises.The completed items are tied up in bundles and labelled by the firms. Postal staff place the bundles in appropriate bags and despatch them to the offices of delivery. In transit the traffic is segregated from normal postal traffic and does not affect its delivery. Delivery of the pool correspondence is spread over the Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday following receipt.Correspondence addressed to football pool firms is posted all over the country in pillar boxes along with the other postal traffic, and is dealt with in normal course, except on the heaviest posting days—Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays—when it is segregated from other traffic at the facing or first sorting stage, to ensure that other traffic is in no way adversely affected.No special facilities are provided for football pool firms which are not available to other equally large users of the post.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what is the total number of employees in the Post Office services.

The total number of persons, including part-time and industrial staff, employed in the Post Office on 1st January, 1947, was 350,901.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many appeals, received up to 30th September, 1946, under the Police (Appeals) Acts, 1927 and 1943, was legal aid allowed to appellants and in how many refused; how many appeals were dismissed after inquiry; and in how many cases were appeals allowed in respect of punishments of dismissal, enforced resignation, reduction in rank and reduction in rate of pay, respectively.

The answer to the first part of the Question is 39 and, so far as can be ascertained, two; to the second part 32; to the third part five, four, none and three respectively. In 13 cases the punishment was varied.

asked the Minister of National Insurance, when the pension of Mrs. Mary Ann Chart, No. 08535366, 232a East Street, Walworth, S.E., which was stopped on 7th November, 1946, without any reason being given, is to be restored to her; and if the payment will be made retrospective.

asked the Minister of National Insurance when Mrs. S. Wallett, 41, Richard Street, West Hartlepool, pension book No. 16478111, is likely to receive the increased contributory old age pension to which she is entitled and about which she wrote to his Department in September, 1946, and the area officer of the Assistance Board wrote to his Department on 9th January, 1947.

Inquiries are being made into these cases and I will write to my hon. Friends as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will give a list of all appointments from the local authority panels, made under the Road Traffic Act, 1930, Section 63, subsection 3, stating also the nominating local authority and the date of appointment; and the number of nominations from local authorities available on the respective panels when these appointments were made.

As the statement is rather long I will send a copy to my hon. Friend and will arrange for a copy to be available in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for War at what rate German and Austrian prisoners of war in the Middle East are now being repatriated; and how many remain to be repatriated.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given yesterday to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Newport (Mr. Peter Freeman), of which I am sending him a copy. There are no Austrian prisoners of war in the Middle East.

asked the Minister of Works how many manhours of labour are now taken to build a council house as compared with 1938, and to build the Smith, Airey and B.I.S.F. houses.

Prewar houses varied considerably in size and specification from those at present being built, and the information available is not sufficient to enable a reliable comparison with 1938 to be made. The number of prefabricated houses erected on development schemes is not sufficient to enable final estimates to be made in respect of normal contract conditions, but a limited amount of information available on. the construction of the super-structure only (excluding as far as possible the time required on operations such as foundations and finishings which vary considerably for traditional and non-traditional houses) suggests the following comparison: (a) for the Airey and B.S.C. (Smith) houses an average of 850 manhours; (b) for traditional brick and tile house of similar size and carried out under comparable conditions, 1,350 manhours. No figures are available in respect of the B.I.S.F. house.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that a number of families residing in the Wintergarden area of Canvey Island, Essex, have now been without any gas for nearly three weeks; and, as they are entirely dependent upon gas for cooking purposes if he will take immediate steps to remedy the position.

Since 1938 there has been a 75 per cent. increase in the demand for gas for Canvey Island, largely because many week-end cottages are now permanently occupied, sometimes by more than one family. The Wintergarden area is at the far end of the distribution system on the Island. The existing mains to Canvey Island are too small to cope with the increased quantities of gas now required. A scheme has been approved by my Department which should remedy the position by next winter.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that the village of Capel, Surrey, has, in the last month, experienced more numerous cuts in electricity supply than any other place in the same area; and if he will make a statement.

I am informed that during January supplies of electricity to Capel were interrupted nine times lasting in all for approximately To hours, whereas in the Dorking and Leatherhead area as a whole there were 38 interruptions lasting for approximately 154 hours in the aggregate. There seems, therefore, no reason for the suggestion that the electricity undertakers concerned have discriminated unfairly against Capel.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procedure is adopted by his Department in assessing for taxation purposes that proportion of profits made by football pool proprietors which are devoted to the provision of capital for productive and retail business subsidiaries of such football pool organisations.

These profits are assessed to tax in full in the ordinary way.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation the total number of persons employed in this country in connection with civil aviation.

The Question as drafted would include persons directly and indirectly employed. I regret that this information is not available.