asked the Secretary of State for War how many German prisoners of war died in British-controlled camps in Belgium last year; and from what causes.

During the first half of 1946 deaths of German prisoners of war in camps in Belgium were notified from the following causes:

Tuberculosis	49
Dysentery and abdominal diseases	38
Heart disease	31
Paralysis and brain disease	27
Pneumonia	16
Other diseases	18
Suicide	7
Accident	7
Total	193

The camps were all closed by 1st July, 1946.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will so adjust the regulations applying to prisoners of war as to allow them to send home to their relatives and friends at home more than the one sealed letter permitted at the present time.

Prisoners of war can use the sterling which they are now allowed to draw to send sealed letters on prepayment as they please, in addition to the one sealed letter they are allowed to send free.

asked the Secretary of State for War what priority is being given in repatriation of prisoners of war to those who, under Operation Fox, were brought over to this country in 1946 on the understanding that they would be set free on completion of the 1946 harvest.

The transfer of these prisoners of war was not contingent upon any understanding as to their repatriation.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many prisoners of war are still detained in prisoner-of-war camps in Germany; and at what rate they are being released.

No prisoners of war are now detained in prisoner-of-war camps in the British zone of Germany. The second part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the broad categories of present occupation of the 77,222 prisoners of war who were still held in the Middle East at the end of June last.

Prisoners of war in the Middle East are all employed by the War Department and this work includes:

• New camp construction;
• Maintenance of existing War Department accommodation;
• Construction of furniture for married quarters, barrack rooms and institutes;
• Construction of packing cases and packing stores;
• Guarding of stores;
• General duties in War Department depots.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the recent concession regarding facilities for travel given to prisoners of war will cover the right of the prisoners to take a ticket and travel on the omnibuses of the L.P.T.B. and other transport authorities.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the increased need for the maximum food production, farmers who are cultivating land included in the Stanford Battle Training Area will be allowed to carry on preparations for next season's crops.

As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State said in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend on 1st July, the military authorities are fully aware of the vital importance of home food production, and every practicable facility will continue to be given.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the circumstances in which 10562027 Driver J. H. Dawes, R.E.M.E., who was apprehended as a deserter in December, 1945, escaped from close arrest during the same month, was reported to have rejoined his unit in November, 1946, and is once again absent from his unit; why was he not court-martialled during the period between November, 1946, and nth July, 1947; and why was it possible for this soldier to again escape.

I am making further inquiries into this case and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for War what accommodation it is his intention to provide at Army establishments and camps for Olympic Games officials and competitors; which establishments and camps will be affected; whether such provisions will result in the establishments concerned being moved to new locations; what is the estimated cost of each of such moves; and whether he will give an assurance that no-non-industrial or industrial employee will be discharged or transferred from his home location as a result of any such provision.

I have agreed that any camp no longer required for War Department use may be handed over to the Ministry of Works for the use of the Olympic Games Committee. At present only one camp is under discussion. This is the Convalescent Depot in Richmond Park. No movement of establishments will be necessary, and no War Department employees will be affected.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what accommodation it is his intention to provide at Naval stations and camps for Olympic Games officials and competitors; which stations and camps will be affected; whether such provisions will result in the establishments concerned being moved to new locations; what is the estimated cost of each of such moves; and whether he will give an assurance that no non- industrial or industrial employee will be discharged or transferred from his home location as a result of any such provision.

The answer to the first part of the Question is that the Admiralty have no establishments within reasonable distance of Wembley Stadium and are unable, for that reason, to offer any accommodation for the competitors at the Olympic Games. The rest of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Air, what accommodation it is his intention to provide at R. A.F. stations and camps for Olympic Games officials and competitors; which stations and camps will be affected: whether such provisions will result in the establishments concerned being moved to new locations; what is the estimated cost of each of such moves; and whether he will give an assurance that no non-industrial or industrial employee will be discharged or transferred from his home location as a result of any such provision.

My Department is planning to accommodate at R.A.F. Stations about 2,400 competitors and officials for the Olympic Games. The whole of West Drayton and part of Uxbridge will be lent for this purpose. The cost of moving the units involved elsewhere is difficult to estimate but there will be no extra charge upon Air Votes because the moves would have had to take place at a later date. I regret that it is not possible to give the assurance asked for in the last part of the Question, but my hon. Friend may rest assured that the number of civilian employees who will be discharged or transferred to other stations, will be kept as low as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will arrange for German prisoners of war who have been released, and who wish to remain permanently in this country in order to add to the labour force, to be allowed a brief visit to their homes before beginning work.

The only German ex-prisoners of war employed in a civilian status in this country are those who have volunteered to remain for a limited period in employment in agriculture after they become due for repatriation. There are no arrangements for them to remain permanently in this country and the question of allowing them to go home and return for permanent employment does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Labour (1), whether he is aware that a dispute exists between the National Coal Board and the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union, due to the failure of the Board to establish negotiating machinery; that the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union is taking a ballot of its colliery members on a withdrawal of labour in the industry; and whether he will take immediate steps to avert the threatened stoppage;(2), whether he is aware that, as a result of the failure of the National Coal Board to set up appropriate machinery under Section 46 of the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946, for the establishment of wages and conditions in the industry, a dispute exists between the Board and the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union which may lead to a stoppage of work; and whether he will instruct the Board to operate Section 46 as far as clerical and administrative employees are concerned, in consultation with the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union, which has been acknowledged by the Board as an appropriate union under Section 46 of the Act.

I am aware of the attitude of the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union in regard to the difficulties attendant on the establishment of negotiating machinery in respect of colliery clerical and administrative staffs. These difficulties have arisen from the lack of a mutual understanding between various unions purporting to represent the grades concerned, and I understand that the' National Coal Board are ready and anxious to see appropriate joint machinery established as soon as these differences are resolved. My Department is maintaining close touch with the situation.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give instructions to those in charge of employment exchanges to refer persons offering part-time service as nurses to nearby hospitals.

This is already the normal practice. If the hon. Member has any particular case of difficulty in mind I will be glad to look into it.

asked the Minister of Labour the average wage paid on a recent date to women in the textile industry in Great Britain and the West of Scotland, respectively.

In the last pay week of October, 1946, the average weekly earnings of women aged 18 years and over in the textile group of industries in the United Kingdom were 63s. 7d. I regret that comparable figures for the West of Scotland are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour what action he is now proposing to take about the 1,250,000 men of working age who are not gainfully occupied and for whom his Department cannot at present account.

I really cannot accept the implication that there are 1¼ million men doing nothing worth while. This was discussed at length on the Adjournment Debate on 4th June, when my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary put the matter in its proper perspective.

asked the Minister of Labour what is his estimate of the numbers of men to be called up for military service between 1st October, 1947, and 31st March, 1948.

About 80,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total expenditure in 1946 of non-sterling-area currency for concession fees, royalties, foreign equipment, labour and other local services involved in the world-wide operations of the British oil industry.

Total expenditure outside the sterling area was about £80 million in 1946.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what progress has been made in the production of the films planned by the Central Office of Information in March, 1946, on the subjects of Exports and Imports, and Production; and what has been the total expenditure on these two projects up to date.

After scripts for two long documentary films on these subjects had been prepared, changes in both the national and the international economic situation made it desirable for the projects to be abandoned. The total expenditure was £5,965.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can obtain figures to show the number of U.S. and Canadian-built tractors and combined harvesters now laid up for lack of spare parts in the county of Berkshire.

Such figures are not readily available, but I am having inquiries made about parts for six combined harvesters reported to be immobilised in the Hermitage district of Berkshire. Any other cases brought to my notice will be promptly investigated.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will have an immediate survey made, county by county, of the number of U.S. and Canadian tractors and combined harvesters now unable to work for lack of spare parts.

Staff and other considerations do not admit of a detailed survey being undertaken in the manner suggested; and the situation naturally tends to change from day to day. I should add that comparatively few cases of American tractors and combined harvesters being laid up for lack of spare parts have been reported to me recently.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will supply a log of all the flying carried out at Roborough Aerodrome during November and December, 1946, and January, 1947; and state the number of hours flown at this aerodrome since January by A.T.C., by civil aircraft and by Service aircraft, respectively.

The information is given in the following table:

NUMBER OF HOURS FLOWN AT ROBOROUGH AIRFIELD.
Date.	R.A.F.	Civil.
November, 1946	39	1½
December, 1946	22½	½
January, 1947	33	—
TOTAL	94½*	2
1st January to 31st July, 1947	457†	87½
TOTAL	544½

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he will take immediate steps to reopen Plymbridge Lane at Roborough Aerodrome.

Yes. Traffic will have to be controlled, however, when aircraft are taking off or landing at the airfield.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if, in view of the urgent necessity for increasing the labour force, he will consider immediate methods to ensure that old age pensioners are not penalised in any way by taking on full-or part-time jobs.

As I have already said on previous occasions, the relevant provisions of the National Insurance Act were expressly framed so as to provide special inducements to old people to remain at work. These provisions will come into operation when the new scheme is brought into force as a whole.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any effective use is being made at the present time of the inland sorting depots that were built on the railways adjacent to the seaports during the war; and whether he will take such steps as are necessary to equip them as wagon repair depots to enable the large number of railway wagons in "need of repair to be speedily repaired.

The depots at Glasgow and Liverpool are in use for goods in transit to or from the ports or for short term storage but the possibility of utilising a damaged shed at the Liverpool depot for wagon repairs is being considered. The depots at Bristol and Cardiff are in use as Sea Transport Stores and the possibility of releasing some part of this accommodation for wagon repairs is also being investigated.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider a scheme, which is being locally sponsored, to make the railway bridge across the Severn, between Lydney and Sharpness, available also for road vehicles.

The scheme to which my hon. Friend refers has been considered on a number of occasions and a further examination of its possibilities has been made recently. Having regard to the inevitable irregularity of such a service and the small number of vehicles that could be conveyed, I do not feel justified in asking the railway companies concerned to construct the works necessary to enable such a scheme to be operated.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that it is the practice to keep a first-class compartment locked and labelled, Not for public use, on the 4.35 train from Waterloo; and whether he will have this stopped and so allay the irritation of the ordinary citizens who are regular passengers on that train.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 9th June, 1947; Vol. 438, c. 51], supplied the following statement:Careful inquiries by the railway company have not revealed irregular reservations on the 4.35 p.m. train from Waterloo. Apart from reservations for B.O.A.C. air passengers on Fridays, when an extra coach is added to the train, the only reservations recorded during May were one for a school vacation party, one for an invalid with attendants and two for King's Messengers, all of which are permitted by the instructions in force.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will specify the types and quantities of wood suitable for boat building which have been imported into this country in the last 12 months, or other convenient period; and if he will state what are the major purposes for which this wood has been allocated.

The following woods suitable for boat building have been imported into this country in the last 12 months:

Species.		Quantity.
		Thousand Standards.
British Columbian Pine	…	229
Quebec Pine	…	10
Western and White Spruce	…	104
Swedish White and Redwood	…	169
Pitchpine	…	1
		Thousand Cubic Feet.
Mahogany	…	2,195
Obechi	…	892
Danta	…	16
Teak	…	282
Iroko	…	173
Peroba de Campo	…	21

Normally the better grades of these woods are used for boat building but, disregarding waste in conversion, almost any grade could be utilised. The major purposes for which the woods have been used, apart from ship-building, are building, furniture, aircraft and vehicle construction, and in the mining industry. Remaining stocks of Silver Spruce (500 Standards) and Rock Elm (70,000 cubic feet) imported during the war for aircraft and naval boats are now being used for agricultural machinery components, baking equipment, vehicle construction, and a number of miscellaneous essential purposes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the names of the senior members of Home-grown Timber Branch of his Department; and what experience of British forestry, other than as members of the timber trade, each has had.

I understand that the Question refers to the Home-grown Timber Branch of the Timber Control and not to the Home Timber Production Department. The Head of the branch is Mr. F. J. Bailey, who is assisted, for Scotland, by Mr. A. C. Wright. Applications for felling licences are dealt with in the areas, the senior officers concerned being:Area I (Newcastle):

asked the Minister of Transport if he will cause a shelter to be erected "at the omnibus stop at Spondon Lane End, near Derby, for the benefit of the workers from the celanese factory who have to travel in the Nottingham direction.

As I have stated in reply to previous Questions, I have no general powers to require the erection of bus shelters, but I will make inquiries into this case and write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that pamphlets on soil conservation, giving instructions inapplicable to local conditions, have been circulated by the Government of Nyasaland amongst Africans; and whether the pamphlets will be withdrawn.

No; I am not aware that any such pamphlets have been circulated. If, however, my hon. Friend would care to let me have particulars of the information available to him, I will have further inquiries made.