asked the Secretary of State for War why a copy of the court-martial proceedings on 15004854 Craftsman D. T. Atkins, at Singapore, has not been supplied to him, in spite of his requests.

I was not aware that this soldier has failed to obtain a copy of the court-martial proceedings, but I am having inquiries made.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will now release an area of some eight acres of land at North Quay, Grimsby, which is at present requisitioned by his Department and is urgently required by members of the fishing industry.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for War when it is proposed to derequisition the premises at Northwood Park and Albany Camp, Isle of Wight, formerly used as Army billets; and whether he will authorise the local authorities to take these premises over for housing purposes.

Northwood Camp and Albany Barracks are both built on land owned by my Department. There is therefore no question of derequisitioning. Albany Barracks is in use and must be retained for military purposes. Northwood Camp is at present vacant and if the local authority will submit a proposal through the Ministry of Health it will be considered with other Government requirements should it be decided that this camp is not for the time being required for military use.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Service men who had deferred to general demobilisation, were allowed, after the conclusion of hos- tilities with Japan, to amend their deferment.

No officers or other ranks serving in the Army who had deferred their release until general demobilisation were allowed to amend their deferment solely on account of the ending of hostilities with Japan.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what action he proposes to take to reopen the London squares.

The majority of London squares are in private ownership and were never officially open to the public. Clause III (3) of the Town and Country Planning Bill now before Parliament would empower Metropolitan Boroughs, with the consent of the Minister of Health, to acquire any land in the borough for use as public open space and it will be possible to acquire some of the London squares under this provision.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what, at the latest available date, is the number of the staff of his organisation expressed in convenient salary and wage categories, and how many more are required to bring the staff up to required establishment.

The number of full-time staff in my Department at 30th June, 1947 was 14,017. There were also 643 ix part-time staff. The general composition of the staff by grades and salaries is shown in the Civil Estimates for the year ending 31st March, 1948, Class V, Section 6, a copy of which is available in the Library. It is estimated that the additional staff needed for the inauguration of the National Insurance schemes next year will be of the order of 17,000. The majority of these will it is expected be transferred from approved societies where they are now doing similar work.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider asking for powers to enable him to impound or confiscate the bank balances of people found guilty of currency offences.

I do not contemplate any change at present in tire penalties for such offences under the Exchange Control Act of this year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will amend the War Damage Act, 1941 (Part I), so as to relieve contributors from paying retrospectively war damage contribution during the period when their dwelling was uninhabitable owing to war damage.

I am afraid that the hon. Member's proposal would operate unfairly as between those who suffered damage and those who did not.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury when the regulations providing for the payment of interest on advance payments made after 21st October under the War Damage Act, Part II, are to be laid before Parliament.

No such regulations are necessary.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total of Egyptian sterling assets at the latest convenient date and at 31st December, 1946; and what was the highest figure and the date at which these assets have stood.

£385 million on 31st March, 1947, £395 million on 31st December, 1946, and £405 million on 31st March, 1946. These totals are for Egypt and the Sudan combined.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to state the action taken by His Majesty's Government to ensure that moneys transferred from Egyptian to Egyptian transferable accounts are not made convertible to effect payments outside the sterling area.

Payment from Egyptian transferable accounts will be limited to payments for current transactions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any estimate of the value of exports under confirmed credits to Egypt which would be saleable for cash elsewhere if the confirmed credits were withdrawn.

No, Sir.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that a ruling of the Inland Revenue on the applications of the new stamp duties to registered securities bought before 22nd July and delivered after 1st August contravenes the previous Government decision of 12th June; that brokers who have acted in good faith on that decision will suffer financial loss if the Inland Revenue ruling is confirmed; and whether he will either reverse the ruling or indemnify brokers against consequential loss.

I am aware that there has been some misunderstanding about the increase of stamp duty on overseas transactions. We have already put an amendment to the Finance Bill, under which the existing rate of duty will continue to apply to transfers on sale of stocks or marketable securities which give effect only to sales made before 1st August where the transfer or the relative document of title had to be sent to Great Britain from overseas.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Customs and Excise authorities have ruled that the Newport, Isle of Wight, Amateur Musical and Dramatic Society, is not a society which is partly educational and that it cannot accordingly qualify for freedom from Entertainment Duty under Section 8 of the Finance Act, 1946; whether this ruling is being applied to all amateur dramatic and operatic societies throughout the country; and on what grounds it has been decided that the work of such societies is not educational

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes," and to the second and third parts that societies which only produce revivals of musical comedies cannot he regarded as partly educational.

asked the Financial secretary to the Treasury whether, in determining whom to dismiss when cuts are made in staff due to redundancy, the date of entry into the Civil Service of ex-Service men of the recent war is taken as their date of enlistment or their actual date of joining the Civil Service.

The period of service in the war just concluded is regarded as temporary Government service for this purpose

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if it is intended to grant an additional holiday to men employed in Government Departments who join the T.A.

Yes. His Majesty's Government hope to make very shortly a general statement on this question of the holidays of those who volunteer for service with the Auxiliary Forces. This statement will cover the particular point referred to by the hon. Member

asked the President of the Board of Trade it the allocation of paper to football pool promoters has been cut by the same percentage as that supplied to newspapers; and if he is satisfied that his previous request to football pool promoters not to use more than an agreed percentage of their pre-war paper is still being honoured.

By more. As regards the second part of the question, I have no reason to believe that the principal promoters are not complying with their undertaking.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the precise quantities of paper to be allocated by his Department to the principal football pool promoters during the forthcoming football season; whether such allocations now include all envelopes, posters, publicity material, and other paper intended to he used by such firms; and what are the corresponding figures of paper consumption by such pool promoters for the football seasons 1938–39 and 1945–46.

On the first part of the Question no allocation has been fixed beyond the period July/October. On the second and third parts of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 9th July. The present allocation is however 1.69 per cent. of prewar consumption as against 2½ per cent. at the beginning of the 1945–46 season and 2¼ per cent. at the end of the season.

asked the President of the Board of Trade under what circumstances publicity firms acting for the principal football pool promoters receive paper allocations or acquire paper from merchants or other suppliers; and whether such allocations, or the paper otherwise acquired for football-pool publicity purposes, have hitherto been regarded by his Department as a relevant consideration in determining the paper allocation made direct to the principal pool promoters.

Paper acquired for publicity purposes in connection with football pools would be regarded as a part of the allocation made to the firms concerned, but if my hon. Friend will let me have details of what he has in mind I will look into this further.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will withdraw the existing regulation which stipulates that South African buyers of British knitting wools who wish to bay botany wool must take a stated proportion of their requirements in crossbred yarn, since this stipulation is likely to result in the loss of the South African market to British exporters.

There is no such regulation. For supply reasons the allocations to United Kingdom exporters have to include both types of yarn, but the exporters are free to sell them as they choose.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that adequate supplies of substitute parchment are available to lawyers for title deeds, agreements, etc.

The recent difficulties in regard to coal have affected the production of this type of paper in common with others, but the position should improve with the increase which has taken place in the coal supplies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many automatic looms have been imported from Japan; at what cost; from what agency; in what currency they were paid for; and what further importations of this nature are contemplated.

None; but arrangements are in hand for importing 192 new automatic looms from Japan at a cost of £105 f.o.b. per loom. The looms will be procured through the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and payment will be made in accordance with the terms of financial arrangements for trade with Japan at present under negotiation in Washington.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that much-needed dollars and paper have been expended in the publication in this country of 250,000 copies of the American book "Forever Amber"; whether he will take steps to see that such useless dollar expenditure is made impossible in future; and whether he will withhold paper allocations for such purposes and divert it instead to such necessary publications as school text-books.

Publishers are required to employ at least a quarter of their paper quota for educational books or books for export, but I do not think it desirable that the Government should use the paper control to censor their use of the remainder.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many films have so far been submitted to the Selection Board, set up by him in October, 1946; and what has been the result of such submissions.

No films have so far been submitted.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the hon. Member for Moss Side may expect a reply to his letter of 29th May last concerning the case of Mr. G. N. Walker.

I informed my hon. Friend on 11th June that inquiries were being made in this case, and sent him a full reply on 11th July.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether His Majesty's Government will now request the Government of the U.S.A. to agree to such modification of Article 9 of the Loan Agreement as will enable us to expand production in the British Commonwealth and Empire and to negotiate reciprocal trade agreements, in terms of goods, with our own Dominions, and with countries within the sterling area.

As my right hon. Friends the Lord President and Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in Debate on 8th July, His Majesty's Government will take all appropriate measures within their power in connection with the general dollar balance of payments crisis with which the world is threatened. The first essential is to expand production of food and other necessities throughout the world, and, in consultation with other Commonwealth Governments, we will continue to give the closest attention to the development of production in the British Commonwealth. As regards the particular points raised by the hon. Member, it is undesirable to deal piecemeal with individual features of the general dollar problem.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that in Leicester ex-Service men who are personally engaged in the manufacture of hosiery are only allotted a quota per four months of 840 lbs. of wool each, which does not enable them to earn a livelihood from the sale of their products; whether the same hardships prevail in other districts; and what steps he proposes to take to deal with the position.

The amount of yarn allocated to ex-Service men who are working proprietors in the hosiery industry is in all cases that which is calculated to enable them to earn a reasonable livelihood. The amount is normally less than the figure mentioned by my hon. Friend and I regret that allocations cannot be made on a bigger scale until improvement in yarn supplies makes this possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now alter the name "utility" as applied to standardised furniture.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will extend the range of covering materials available for upholstered furniture in the utility range.

There is already a considerable range of covering materials for utility upholstered furniture, but if my hon. Friend has any suggestions to make I shall be glad to consider them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the increasing glut of utility furniture in the shops; and what proposals he has for its disposal.

The supply of and demand for utility furniture are kept constantly under review. We are at present considering the possibility of validating further issues of deferred units.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what representations the British Tourist and Holidays Boa rd have made regarding the issue of petrol over and above the basic ration to overseas tourists who bring their own motor cars with them; and with what result.

I am pleased to announce that in order to encourage the tourist trade and thus help our foreign exchange position the Board of Trade in co-operation with the Ministry of Fuel and Power, have arranged that overseas tourists shall receive sufficient petrol to cover the return journey by direct route from their point of landing in the United Kingdom to their furthest destination, in addition to the basic ration. Details of this concession will be announced shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of Soviet-produced cotton goods has been purchased by His Majesty's Government; and what quantity thereof will be released for the British home market.

None.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a full statement about the present position with regard to the supply of tyres for commercial vehicles in this country; and whether he anticipates that the position is likely to improve in the near future.

It is estimated that replacement tyres have been provided for commercial vehicles during the past 18 months at about twice the prewar rate, but in some sizes this has not been sufficient to overtake the large postwar demand. Shortages of fuel, carbon black and special tyre fabric have adversely affected tyre production in recent months. These difficulties have been overcome and production in the next six months should show a steady increase with consequent benefit to commercial vehicles using the difficult sizes of tyres.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present allocation of paper pulp to the wallpaper industry.

The present allocation of paper for wallpaper and lining paper is 9,265 tons in a four months' period. The amount of wood pulp used in its production is about 7,400 tons.

asked the Minister of Labour if arrangements will be made for the release of students of age and Service Group 63 and above to enable them to resume their studies in January or April, 1948; when details will be announced, and what groups will be included.

It is not proposed to make arrangements for out-of-turn release of students in Groups 63 and above to enable them to resume their studies in January or April, 1948.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will provide an up-to-date resumé of the general state of demobilisation in the Forces of the Crown.

At 18th June, 1945, there were 4,689,400 men and 447,000 women in the Armed Forces and Auxiliary Services, or a total of 5,136,400. Up to the end of May, 1947, 4,122,610 men and 423,800 women had been released or discharged—a total of 4,546,410.

asked the Minister of Labour to which particular trades the 28,868 building-industry workers in the United Kingdom, who were unemployed on 12th May, 1947, belong; how many of these men are unskilled workers; how many are men who were out of work for a few days whilst changing jobs; how many have been unemployed for four weeks or longer; and how many are fit for light work only.

The figure of 28,868 represents the total number of insured persons in the building and the civil engineering construction industries registered as unemployed in Great Britain and Northern Ireland at 12th May. The separate figures for the two industries were 18,624 and 10,244, respectively. An analysis according to occupation is available in respect of the building industry only, and the following Table shows the composition of the total of 18,624 for that industry at 12th May:

Carpenters and Joiners	…	1,120
Bricklayers	…	411
Slaters and tilers	…	184
Plasterers	…	201
Painters, etc.	…	1,180
Plumbers, etc.	…	243
Other building trade craftsmen	…	370
Labourers	…	10,989
Other occupations	…	3,926

Statistics analysing the total numbers unemployed according to the duration of their unemployment are not compiled in respect of individual industries, and it is therefore not possible to say how many in the building, etc., industries had been unemployed for only a few days and how many for four weeks or more. Information is not available as to the total number who were fit only for light work, but the figure of 10,989 labourers in the building industry included 5,206 who were classified as "general Labourers for light work."

asked the Minister of Labour how many building trade operatives in Scotland were unemployed at the latest available date.

2,162 at 16th June.

asked the Minister of Labour which building-trade training centres in Scotland it is proposed to close down; and why this is being done.

It is proposed to close the centres at Barrhead and Mossend. These are emergency centres opened to carry on training until permanent centres under construction would become available Two of these permanent centres are now in full operation so that it is no longer necessary to carry on the emergency centres.

asked the Minister of Labour why posters are being put up in textile-manufacturing towns asking for volunteers for the mining industry, in view of the shortage of textile workers.

The publicity for men for mines does not conflict with the drive for women in the textile industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of hospital beds to the population in Scotland as compared with that of England and Wales.

The number of hospital beds in Scotland, including beds in mental hospitals, and in mental deficiency institutions, is approximately 62,600. The corresponding figure for England and Wales is approximately 469,300. These figures do not include beds in convalescent homes about which full information is not at present available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the shortage of timber for housing and the urgent need for houses in Scotland, he will now arrange to cancel permits for the supply of timber to hydro-electric and similar schemes which have a priority higher than that granted for housing purposes.

No. It has been decided that we must for a time give precedence to projects which will increase our resources of fuel and power. The allocation of timber for essential hydroelectric purposes amounts to less than two per cent. of housing needs.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has considered the representations made to him by the Forfar and Dumbarton Town Councils on the subject of the financial burdens falling upon local authorities by reason of the cutting down of the Government's housing programme; and what answer he has made to them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the town council of the Royal Burgh of Forfar in connection with the additional financial burden likely to fall upon that local authority in respect of houses now under construction, which, owing to recent decisions by his Department, must remain uncompleted for an unknown period; and whether he will make a statement.

I have considered the representations submitted by Forfar Town Council and a number of other local authorities; but as I indicated in my reply to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Sir B. Neven-Spence) on 8th July, the object of the 1947 programme is to expedite the completion of houses which will accordingly become rent-producing more quickly than would otherwise be the case, and I cannot agree that additional financial burdens will fall on local authorities because of this policy. As I recently reported to toe House, I have decided to continue toe rates of contributions current at 30th June, 1947, for houses completed during the year after that date.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to ensure that the house-building programme in Scotland will not be limited by any shortage of operatives.

While the housing programme is being held up primarily by shortages of materials, there are shortages of labour, particularly of bricklayers, in certain areas. There has however been a decline in the number of outstanding vacancies for bricklayers and some other trades in the past few weeks. I am in close touch with my right hon. Friends the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Works in order to ensure that the labour force will be adequate to meet demands. I understand that in spite of the numbers of outstanding vacancies over 600 trainees from Ministry of Labour training centres have not yet found employment, and I trust that in view of the urgent need for skilled labour, especially bricklaying labour, both sides of the industry will do their utmost to absorb these men as soon as possible

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made towards the formation of the company merging the existing Scottish slate quarry interests; what steps are being taken to provide financial assistance to that company; and what is the constitution of the board of directors.

I am pleased to be able to report, that the necessary negotiations for the formation of this company have now been completed and that the company has been registered under the title of "Scottish Slate Industries, Limited" with a share capital of £75,000. An offer of a loan of £125,000 from the Building Materials and Housing Fund had been made and accepted. The first Directors of the Company are:

Mr. J. C. George (Mining Engineer)—Chairman.

Professor G. Hibberd, Ph.D., A.R.T.C., M.I.M.E., Professor of Mining, Royal Technical College, Glasgow—Deputy Chairman.

Mr. J. McNicol—Chartered Accountant.

Mr. J. V. Russell—Company Director.

Mr. J. S. McCown n—Company Director

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he proposes to constitute the Regional Hospital Boards in Scotland.

I am now in consultation with the various bodies and organisations which have to be consulted before the members of the Regional Hospital Boards can be appointed. These consultations will take a little time, but I hope to be in a position to set up the boards not later than September. In the meantime, the House may like to know that the following have accepted by invitation to serve as chairmen of the boards:Northern Region: Mr. Donald Macpherson.North-Eastern Region: Councillor Mrs. May Baird.Eastern Region: Treasurer William Hughes.South-Eastern Region: Dr. J. R. Greenlees.Western Region: Professor E. P. Cathcart.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Scottish National Housing and Town Planning Council suggested to his Department the necessity for an inquiry into the costs of labour and materials and their distribution in connection with the housing problem; and what was the purport of the reply.

The Council suggested on 7th May that a committee should be appointed to inquire into the manufacture and distribution of building materials for housing, and I replied on 22nd May drawing attention to the committee already appointed by the Minister of Works to inquire into the organisation and method of distribution of building materials and components.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has considered the proposal communicated to him by the Scottish Reconstruction Committee for the development by State aid of Scotland's peat resources; and if he is now satisfied that the project is of practical value.

The whole question of the utilisation of the peat resources of Scotland is under active consideration in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (I) the total cost in dollars, of the 240 rock drifter drills purchased by the Government Purchasing Mission to the U.S.A. in March, 1947, for use in the Scottish hydro-electric schemes;(2) the total costs in dollars, of the rock drifter drills acquired by the Government Purchasing Mission to the U.S.A. in March this year, for use in the Scottish hydro-electric schemes.

The total cost of the 240 rock drifter drills delivered to the port in the U.S.A. is 171,600 dollars.

asked the Minister of Pensions why the removal of the marriage bar announced on 3rd December, 1946, makes no change in the regulations for the grant of allowances in respect of adopted children where the adoption took place after the pensioner sustained his disablement.

The intention of the Royal Warrant in regard to adopted children is to make provision for a commitment which had already been entered into prior to disablement. The modification of the Warrant in respect of post-injury marriage was made to meet the contention that disabled men were dissuaded from marriage because no provision had been made for their wives and children. It is an entirely different matter to make provision for any other obligation which a pensioner might in the light of his known circumstances feel impelled to undertake, whether that obligation be in respect of an adopted child, a relative, or otherwise.

asked the Minister of Pensions what are the grounds upon which the appeals tribunal disallowed the appeal of Arthur Walker, The Butts, Fowlmere, Royston, Herts, reference No. M2/380601.

The decision of the Independent Tribunal which was communicated to the appellant and to my Department was that the pulmonary tuberculosis on account of which Mr. Walker was discharged was neither attributable to nor aggravated by his very short Army service

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what recruiting depots and training centres exist in Scotland; and what plans he has for adding to these in view of Scotland's contribution to the Royal Navy in the war and the desirability of maintaining and increasing it.

There are five Naval recruiting stations and ten training establishments in Scotland. There are also six combined recruiting centres. It is hoped to re-open a Naval recruiting station in Edinburgh when suitable premises are obtained, but otherwise no additions are at present contemplated. Following ate the details:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if, in view of the overcrowding at Chatham, he will consider a training depot in Scotland, in association with the preliminary training now given at Crail.

As boys go straight to sea after finishing their preliminary training at Crail, there is no need for an associated adult establishment as far as they are concerned. I am, however, glad to assure the hon. Member that there is at present no serious overcrowding at Chatham and there will be even less by the end of the year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that some prisoners of war in this country who have to wait for transport to return them to their camps may have a delay of two hours before the lorries complete their rounds and they can take their evening meal; and whether he will ensure that such delay shall not exceed a reasonable time.

County war agricultural executive committees are aware of the importance of avoiding excessive distances and delays in the transport of prisoners of war, but if my hon. Friend will let me have details of any particular case which he has in mind, I will gladly have them investigated.

asked the Minister of Works what representations he has received from Glasgow Corporation dealing with the issue of building licences and their effect on housing; and if he will make a statement.

The Corporation of Glasgow have represented that some of the work licensed by my Department is not essential. They refer to fifteen cases all of which have been carefully examined, and account for only £45,000 out of a total of £6,300,000 covered by applications authorised during the period from January, 1946, to June, 1947. In two cases where unlicensed work was alleged to have been carried out further investigations are taking place. I am satisfied that the licences in the remaining thirteen cases were justified; in six of them the licence was given mainly to meet the specific requirements of the corporation's officials. A meeting will shortly take place between my officials and representatives of the corporation with a view to discussing the building programme for the area.

asked the Minister of Works whether his attention has been drawn to the litter and rubble left lying in Hyde Park to the North of the East end of the Serpentine; and whether instructions will be given to the R.Es., London District, to remove the barbed wire, stakes, pipes, etc., that constitute a danger to children besides being unsightly and unworthy of the other amenities of this park.

This area in Hyde Park was occupied during the war by the camp attached to the A.A. gun site. The removal of the foundations of the huts is at present in hand. It is hoped to complete the clearance of the site and to remove the surrounding barbed wire fence before the end of August, after which the site will be resown with grass and returned to public use.

asked the Minister of Works how it is proposed to use the training centres that are being closed down in Scotland.

It is expected that one of the centres will be used by the Coal Board for the training of miners, and two will be made available for industry.

asked the Minister of Works which Government offices it is proposed to accommodate at the temporary offices being erected at Sighthill, Edinburgh, and where these offices are at present located.

The temporary office building now being erected at Sighthill, Edinburgh, is unlikely to be ready for occupation before the beginning of next year and I am not yet in a position to say which particular staffs will be accommodated in the new building. It is intended to vacate buildings high in the order of priority for release, such as dwelling houses, hotels, educational and business premises.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is aware that Scottish hospitals are experiencing considerable difficulty in obtaining supplies of surgical dressings, particularly gauze; and what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of these essential medical supplies.

The production of surgical dressings and gauze was to some extent interrupted by the fuel crisis but is now adequate to meet essential needs. I was not aware that Scottish hospitals were experiencing undue difficulty in obtaining supplies until I received the correspondence from my hon. Friend. I will write to him as soon as I have made inquiries.

asked the Minister of Supply the names of the persons he has appointed on the working party inquiry into the ophthalmic lens industry; what are their terms of reference; and when does he expect to receive their report.

There is no working party for this industry, but a departmental panel has been set up under the following terms of reference:

"To recommend what action, if any, should be taken to encourage development, increase production to meet the estimates of existing and potential demand at home and abroad, and to assist the industry to get on a sound economic basis."

The report is expected within two months

asked the Minister of Health when the Southern Railway Institute and club sports ground at Dutton Lane, Eastleigh, Hampshire, will be released and restored for its original purposes.

The premises were transferred to the Ministry of Health as they were occupied for housing. They will be released as soon as alternative accommodation can be found for the occupants.

asked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the contradictory estimates of the number of school buildings black-listed in 1925 still in use, he will issue a copy of the Black List, compiled in 1925, together with any memoranda associated with it issued by the Board of Education at that time.

No. I trust that the figures given in my answers to the hon. Member's last two Questions on this subject will have removed any misunderstanding that may have existed.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware that the selection of children from the national schools or boarding places in the independent schools is determined in the case of the L.C.C. not by consideration of individual ability to profit by the boarding scheme, but by consideration of circumstances such as whether they are orphans and similar conditions; and if he will discourage these artificial restrictions on the number and kind of children who can apply for boarding education.

I am aware that the selection is determined by home and other external circumstances, though I understand that considerations of individual ability to profit are not ignored. As regards the second part of the Question. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a memorandum recently issued to local education authorities giving them guidance on the difficult problem of selecting pupils for a hoarding education.

asked the Minister of Transport if his attention has been called to the fact that the Southern Railway have new coaches standing idle waiting for door handles; and if he will remove controls so that these coaches can he put into service.

I understand that 29 electric and 12 steam-hauled coaches are at present awaiting electric light fittings, door handles, glass and seat frames before they can be put into traffic. It is such shortages of materials for components that necessitate controls.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what has been the cost of excavating for outcrop coal on the Coleorton-Swannington cross-roads since last November; how many men and machines have been engaged; how much coal has been produced: and upon whom has the loss fallen.

The cost of opencast coal operations at the site cannot be fully ascertained until the final accounts of the contractor concerned are received and agreed. During the period of working about 20 men and five machines were engaged on the average. The total production of coal from the site was 6,000 tons. Any loss on opencast working not falling to be borne by the contractor under the terms of his contract is met from the Exchequer.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether His Majesty's Government have accepted any financial commitment in respect of the exhibition of Indian art to be held by the Royal Academy next winter; and what is the extent of their commitment.

Yes. His Majesty's Government have agreed to share equally with the Government of India any proved loss not exceeding £10,000 in all which may result from the exhibition. The maximum sum therefore which the Government are committed to ask Parliament if necessary to vote in order to meet the the United Kingdom's share of the arrangement will be £5,000. It is hoped, however, that there will be no need to call on the guarantee.

asked the Minister of Food the value of food products bought by his Department from abroad for the financial year 1946–47, or any convenient yearly date, specifying the amounts spent on the larger purchases.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedford (Mr. Lennox- Boyd) by the Prime Minister on r6th June.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the fact that an extension of hours has been granted in London for catering establishments, this will also be extended to Brighton and Hove up till midnight for the summer months, on a basis of a shift system for staff being put into force.

The Meals in Establishments Order, 1942, has always permitted establishments in London to serve meals one hour later than in the provinces. I regret that I cannot extend this concession.

asked the Minister of Food if he will increase the additional allowance of sugar for jam-making; and if it will be possible to issue five extra allocations in the same way as last year.

I have already arranged for three special issues, each of 1 lb. per ration book, of sugar for jam making this year, and in addition the domestic ration is being raised to 10 ozs. a week from 20th July. I am unable to make any statement about further special issues at the moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a military mission is still retained in Rumania besides the diplomatic mission; and what are the special duties of this mission and how many persons are comprised in it.

A British Military Mission is still retained in Rumania, pending the ratification of the Treaty of Peace with that country. Its head is the British representative on the Allied Control Commission, which is entrusted with the supervision of the execution of the terms of the armistice with Rumania. The mission is composed of II officers and 26 other ranks.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent British and Germans in the British zone of Germany are not permitted to share public entertainments equally.

Germans may visit requisitioned places of entertainment only as guests of British personnel. British personnel may visit German theatres, music halls and concert halls, but are not allowed to visit German cinemas except in the British sector of Berlin.