asked the Attorney-General if he is aware that Anti-Semitic leaflets of an anti-racial type were distributed in Edgware and North West London during the Easter week, bearing the imprint of the Unity Publishing Company, 189, Westbourne Grove, W.11; and what action he proposes to take to stop these criminal libels.

Yes, Sir. Police inquiries to discover the persons responsible for the publication and distribution of this seditious leaflet are still proceeding. I think it right to say that the evidence available supports the view that the imprint on the leaflet is a forgery, and that the Unity Publishing Company were not responsible for this publication.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he is aware that Mrs. R. E. Game, 2, Gray House, King and Queen Street, Southwark, pension No. 02394302, has been deprived of her increased pension since 27th November, 1946; and if he will take steps to secure an early settlement of her claim.

Inquiries into this case are in hand and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of National Insurance, (1) if he will have the contributory old pension paid to Miss Katherine Mary Salter, a patient in the Royal Home for Incurables, Putney, who reached the age of 60 years on 7th October, 1946, and made application for the pension on the appropriate form in July, 1946;(2) if he will have the contributory old age pension paid to Miss Marion A. Laughton, a patient in the Royal Home for Incurables, Putney, who reached the age of 60 years in February, 1947, and made application for the pension on the appropriate form in August, 1946.

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

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will continue to act as Manager of Crown foreshore now that his functions in relation to the protection of the coast against erosion have been transferred to other Departments.

My duties as Manager of part of the Crown foreshore and river and seabed are now being undertaken on an agency basis by the Commissioners of Crown Lands, who already act in that capacity in respect of other Crown foreshore. My consent in the interests of navigation should, however, continue to be sought to the construction of any work which will extend below high water mark of ordinary spring tides.

asked the Minister of Defence what is the number of Army, R.N. and R.A.F. huts in the rural district areas of Sherborne, Sturminster Newton, Shaftesbury and Blandford; and how many are not now in use in each of these areas.

One thousand, one hundred and thirty huts of various types are held by the Service Departments in these areas. Numbers not in use at present are: Sherborne, 47; Sturminster Newton, 84; Shaftesbury, Nil; Blandford, 328; Eighty-three of those in the Sturminster area are to be handed over to the local authority by the end of this month, and a further number of the remainder are in process of being released. The rest are earmarked for future Service use, either on site, or after dismantling and re-erection elsewhere.

asked the Minister of Education if he will inquire into the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of a first-class science graduate of London University who has accepted a post as economic adviser to B.E.A.C. from 1st August, 1946, and who has been asked to repay £51 19s. 6d. from the Further Education Training Scheme award of 04 and who has produced evidence for objecting to this demand.

The award which was made by my Department to this student supplemented a Leverhulme Studentship which he held, and had been paid to cover the period up to late in October, 1946. The course and the grant would normally have gone on until the end of the summer term, 1947, but the student left his course at the end of the summer term, 1946. Taking the studentship and the award from the Ministry together, an excess payment of £51 19s. 6d. had been made to the student, and as the Ministry's grant was supplemental to the studentship and had been paid up to October, 1946, it was necessary to recover the amount that had been overpaid.

asked the Minister of Transport what representations have been made to him, and what action he has taken, or will take, with regard to the reopening of the ferry over the River Thames at Brentford, the closing of which has caused local concern in the borough of Brentford and Chiswick.

Representations with regard to the re-opening of this ferry were recently made to me by the hon. Member for East Ealing (Sir F. Sanderson). I informed the hon. Member that neither the Port of London Authority nor their predecessors exercised any control over this private ferry. The matter is not one in which I have any power to intervene.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to re-establish in civilian life men of the British Honduras Battalion which is shortly to be disbanded.

No difficulty is anticipated in resettling all demobilised men of the British Honduras Battalion. On discharge, men who have no civil employment waiting for them and require advice or assistance in obtaining employment, have been informed that they should apply to the Labour Officer in Belize either direct or through their Local District Commissioner. The Labour Officer keeps a register of ex-Servicemen requiring employment, and, so far as Government employment is concerned, preference is given to them in filling vacancies in Government Departments if they meet the standard required. If doubts exist as to the suitability of ex-Servicemen for Government employment, instructions have been given that they should be given trials before a final decision is reached. If it should become necessary to reduce the size of working gangs, ex-Servicemen are to be retained to the last if their work is satisfactory.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give particulars for the major employing Departments, showing the effect of the introduction of the new gradings and salary scales set out in Cmd. 6679 upon permanent Civil Service scientists, with particular reference to the grading, substantive and acting, prior to 1st January, 1946; the present grading, including any improved grading resulting from appeals against the original grading; and the average immediate increase in salary resulting from assimilation to the new gradings.

I regret that this information could only be compiled at an unjustifiable cost in time and labour.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the Government's decision to make financial grants to those whose property has been washed away or damaged by the recent floods, he will consider making a corresponding assistance from public funds available to those whose property is washed away or damaged by the sea.

I am afraid that I cannot go beyond the statement of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 27th January in reply to the Member's earlier Question.

asked the Minister of Transport which trunk roads were closed, and traffic diverted, through flooding in 1947.

The following trunk roads were closed and traffic diverted through flooding in 1947:DIVISION: