asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will give the names of the ships forming the normal escort to H.M.S. "Glorious," three of which were not with her at the time she was destroyed by enemy action.

As I have already explained in reply to my hon. Friend's Question of 22nd May, 1946, there is no question of any particular ships, or a particular number of ships, ever having been allotted as a normal escort for H.M.S. "Glorious."

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the numbers of those entering the Royal Navy under the "Y" scheme during the period October, 1945, to April, 1946, and the number of these entrants considered for, and promoted to, temporary commissions.

No application for enrolment in the Royal Navy under the "Y" scheme were accepted after 15th September, 1945. Those candidates who had already applied and whose names were on the waiting list at that date were interviewed. Of these, 23 were found suitable and enrolled in October, 1945. None of the 23 was recommended for, or granted, a temporary commission.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that a parcel of textile samples sent from the U.S.A. early in June has not yet been delivered in this country; and what steps he is taking to speed up the delivery of U.S. parcels at this end and so help the export drive.

My inquiries in this case are not yet complete. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the widespread volume of complaints and hindrances to internal trade throughout the country, he will now restore the postal services which were in operation before the recent changes were introduced in May.

No.

asked the Post-master-General what proportion of the total expenditure per annum of the Post Office is represented by payments to contractors, firms or persons not forming part of the Civil Service; what is the average period of time between placing orders with such contractors, firms or persons and payment for the goods or services supplied; and what proportion of such expenditure is represented by physical assets whose useful life is longer than the period between the placing of an order and payment for it.

The proportion of the total annual expenditure of the Post Office represented by payments to contractors and other persons outside the Civil Service was about 20 per cent. in 1946–47, of which contracts for services account for about half. The period of time between placing orders and payment varies with the period required for production (which may range up to three years), the arrangements in individual contracts for progress payments of various types, and the time taken in the submission and examination of accounts. The calculation of the average period would involve a large amount of work and, in view of the many different types of contracts in question, I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by undertaking the inquiry. As regards the last part of the question, the life of practically all physical assets purchased is longer than the period between the placing of the relative order and payment.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the number of huts, in sections, retained at the R.A.F. camp, Houghton Green, near Warrington; what is to be their future use; and, if not needed for R.A.F. purposes, whether youth clubs and similar institutions will be allowed to purchase them provided they are used to carry on their distinctive work for young people.

Five dismantled huts are at present held at the R.A.F. Station, Houghton Green. All of them are needed by the A.T.C., and they will shortly be issued to squadrons of the Corps.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what was the cost involved in sending a specialised crew to install Eclipse Beam equipment at Renfrew Aerodrome in connection with the recent visit of the Prime Minister; and why this special equipment was necessary, especially as the Renfrew authorities had been told it was unobtainable.

Transport Command sent a mobile Eureka beacon to Renfrew on 21st July to help the pilot who flew the Prime Minister to Scotland. The beacon, with a mechanic, was flown to Abbotsinch; it was sent from there by road to Renfrew in a vehicle belonging to the R.A.F. The aircraft which flew the beacon and the mechanic was on a normal training flight; the mechanic, and the driver of the road vehicle, were on normal Service duties the mechanic stayed with friends and claimed no expenses for lodging or subsistence; the only extra cost involved in this safety precaution was, therefore, the petrol for the road journey from Abbotsinch to Renfrew, a distance of one mile and a half. The Eureka beacon is not generally used by civil aircraft, and is not, therefore, required at Renfrew, where blind approach equipment is being installed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what steps he is taking to encourage the Corporations, at the present time, to develop their air-cargo services, with a view to earning the maximum foreign currency as invisible exports equivalent to the earn- ings of the merchant shipping services in the past.

My noble Friend is fully alive to the desirability of encouraging the carriage of cargo by air and is satisfied that the three Corporations have the matter under constant consideration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what steps it is proposed to take to overhaul the air accident inquiry procedure with a view to eliminating the present defects by which his officials are sitting as judge in their own case and with a view to substituting an adequate judicial procedure to protect the rights of all parties concerned; and when he proposes to comply with Regulation 7 of the Air Navigation (Investigation of Accident) Regulations, S.R. & O., No. 650, 1922, in connection with civil air accidents of a serious nature, in connection with which a non-judicial preliminary investigation is obviously inadequate.

As I informed the House on 3rd July last, my noble Friend is seeking the views of the National Civil Aviation Consultative Council on the whole question of air accident inquiry procedure. In reply to the second part of the Question, Regulation 7 empowers my noble Friend to appoint a Court when it appears to him expedient to hold a formal investigation. As I stated on nth June last, my noble Friend proposes to exercise that power if the case presents problems of exceptional difficulty and public importance.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what directive has been issued by the Military Government in Germany on the subject of denazification procedure; and whether the directive will be made public.

The directives issued by the Military Government in Germany on the subject of denazification are Control Council Directives Nos. 24 and 38 implemented by British Zone Executive Instructions Nos. 3 and 54. All these documents have been published.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on what date the Morgenthau Plan for Germany was accepted, in principle, by His Majesty's Government.

The Morgenthau Plan was never accepted in principle by His Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what quantity of peat remains uncollected for lack of transport in Germany; and what steps are being taken to secure this valuable fuel reserve for civilian uses.

It is hoped that no peat will remain uncollected at the end of the cutting season. The target for this year is 2,000,000 tons of peat, as against 1,350,000 tons cut and transported last year; every effort is being made to obtain the necessary machinery and other requirements.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements were made at Potsdam for the return of members of the Polish Home Army in the hands of the Russians; and whether this arrangement has been fully carried out.

The Potsdam Agreement provided that

"The Three Powers are anxious to assist the Polish Provisional Government in facilitating the return to Poland as soon as practicable of all Poles abroad who wish to go, including members of the Polish armed forces and Merchant Marine."

The execution of this provision, so far as Poles in Russia are concerned, is necessarily a matter for discussion between the Polish and Soviet Governments, and I have no official information on the subject of its application to any particular categories of Poles.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the success of the recent visit of a Turkish Parliamentary Delegation to this country, an early return visit by a British Parliamentary Delegation can be arranged.

Yes. I understand that an invitation from the Turkish National Assembly has already been accepted, and arrangements are being made by the Inter-Parliamentary Union for a visit to Turkey by a Delegation of six Members from 27th October to 9th November.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the total value of British property in Spain which has been taken over compulsorily by the present Spanish Government.

I regret that the information asked for is not at present available. I am making inquiries and will communicate the result to the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Prime Minister if he is aware that the Ministry of Supply have refused to support an application for chains for agricultural machinery because agriculture is not on the Prime Minister's priority list; and, in view of the importance of this year's harvest, if he will have this matter reviewed and make a statement.

The demand for precision chain of all kinds exceeds the supply, but everything possible is being done to improve the position. For the present, first priority in delivery must be given to programmes directly contributing to the expansion of fuel and power resources, but it is recognised that agriculture is also vital; it occupies the next position and as much preference as possible will be given to its requirements.

asked the Prime Minister if he will move for the appointment of a committee composed of Members of this House to examine the size of our Armed Forces in regard to our present commitments and to suggest any means whereby those Forces can be speedily reduced.

I have been asked to reply. No, Sir. This would not be the appropriate course, but my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already asked my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence to make an urgent examination into the whole of this question.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is aware that 27 new R.A.F. bomb-sights have been sold from surplus stores at Toome, Antrim, to a Belfast dealer for £25, whereas they cost more than £500 each to produce; and if he is satisfied that proper prices are being obtained for such surplus stores.

The cost of production of these bomb-sights complete averaged £60 each. Parts were, however, removed before sale. Surplus stores of this kind have a very limited civilian use and I am satisfied that the best possible prices are obtained by selling them by auction.

asked the Minister of Works to what priority firm the hangar at Bonython Farm, Helston, has been allocated.

The hangar at Bonython Farm, Helston, was not allocated but was sold by competitive tender to Messrs. English Clays (Lovering Pochin & Co.).

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware that the allotment holders in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens have been informed through the Westminster Allotments Association that their tenancies would terminate in the autumn; and whether it was with the knowledge of his Department that this information was given by the Westminster Allotments Association.

On 15th January last the Westminster Allotments Association were informed that the allotments could be cultivated until the end of December, 1947, and that allotment holders would have access to them until the end of March, 1948, for the purpose of gathering winter crops. An application dated 22nd July last has been received from the Westminster Allotments Association for a further extension of one year and this is now under consideration. I have no knowledge of the information given by the Westminster Allotments Association to the allotment holders.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that no export allocation has been made to blanket manufacturers in this country since the end of May; and if, in view of the urgent need to increase our export trade, he will take steps to see that the necessary export licences are issued.

Yes. Export allocations were issued to blanket manufacturers on 11th August.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give information about the recent outbreaks in several towns of anti-Semitic feeling manifested in damage to property.

During the first week of August a number of shop windows were broken in some of the larger provincial cities. Most of these shops were occupied by Jewish tradesmen, but many were not. The damage was mostly done after dark by young people in groups of two or three, some of them not quite sober. In some places the noise of breaking glass caused crowds to gather, but there was no attempt to incite mob activities and it is clear that there was no organised movement. A number of persons have been prosecuted and convicted on charges arising out of these incidents. It would be a mistake to regard these regrettable incidents, which were the work of a few disorderly persons seeking an excuse for hooliganism, as any indication of public feeling.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons held a licence for experiments on living animals under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, during the year 1946; how many places were registered for such experiments; and how many visits were made to them by the inspectors.

2459, 460 and 726 respectively.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the outbreak of poliomyelitis he will suspend his autumn diphtheria immunisation campaign.

No. I am not advised that this would be justified.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take urgent steps to secure that either the L.C.C. or the Metropolitan borough of Hammersmith provide adequate housing for the case of Mr. and Mrs. Walsh, 83, Loftus Road, W.12, who have been living for many months in misery and bad health, with six people sleeping in one room and for whom neither of the two housing authorities offers any accommodation or hope thereof.

I am making inquiries and will write to the hon. and learned Member.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he will arrange for the various assurances given to the Services in India by the Government to be published in a single authoritative document.

Yes. I think it will be for general convenience if this is done and a White Paper will be presented to Parliament shortly. This will not add anything new to the statements already made on behalf of His Majesty's Government but will recapitulate these in a form suitable for easy reference. The White Paper would be laid on the same date.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether coal merchants are entitled to know the pithead price of the grades they buy, or why not.

Yes. If a merchant has difficulty in ascertaining the pithead price of coal supplied to him, I will have inquiries made on receipt of full particulars.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how the stocks of coal at pithead and at opencast workings at the end of June this year compared with the stocks at the same date last year.

At the end of June, 1947, stocks of coal at pithead amounted to 1,130,000 tons, and at opencast sites or central stocking grounds to 65,000 tons. The corresponding figures for the same date last year are 1,671,000 tons and 181,000 tons respectively.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the total expenditure over a twelve month period to the latest convenient date on the import of motor fuel; and how much of this sum is payable in dollars, in sterling and in foreign soft currency.

The F.O.B. value of motor spirit imported into the U.K. during the 12 months ending 31st May, 1947, was approximately £19,000,000 of which about £11,000,000 was paid in U.S. dollars and £8,000,000 in sterling. There is a foreign currency cost incurred in the production and refining of oil by British oil companies, varying acording to the areas concerned. It is not, however, practicable to apportion this over particular petroleum products.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will state that, notwithstanding the domestic and commercial cuts in petrol announced by the Government, the extended rations recently made available for foreign visitors will not be curtailed.

Although the basic petrol ration will be reduced as from 1st October, the recently made arrangements for the issue to foreign visitors of extra coupons to cover one return journey between the port of arrival and furthest destination will be continued.

asked the Minister of Transport what are the salaries and terms of employment of the full-time members appointed to the Transport Commission.

The salaries authorised for the posts of chairman and of full-time members of the British Transport Commission are £8,500 and £5,000 per annum respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will indicate the number of ships still under the control of his Department, according to type and of over 3,000 tons, showing the numbers employed on passenger and freight services, respectively.

The employment of all vessels registered in the U.K. is subject to my control by licence or direction, but I assume the hon. Member to refer to vessels in the following classes, as being under my direct control, namely:—

(i) Government-owned ships;

(ii) Ships under requisition;

(iii) Vessels of other countries, mainly American and Canadian, on bareboat charter to the Ministry; and

(iv) Foreign vessels on time charter to the Ministry.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury when the hon. Member for Hornsey may expect to get a reply to his letter of 9th May, concerning the insurance premiums on requisitioned property.

As I explained to the hon. Member in an interim reply, his letter raises rather wide issue and it has not yet been possible to resolve them. I hope, however, to be in a position to reply in the near future.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, since the Government promised four months ago to make some provision under which old age pensioners could obtain cheaper tobacco and the pensioners are still paying the full rate, he will give the pensioners a rebate for the month so lost.

No.

asked the Minister of Labour how many postal employees were discharged as redundant in Aberdeen in the period 1st April to 31st May, 1947; how many have been found jobs in industry; and how many of the remainder are unsuitable for industry by reason of age and, or disability.

I am having inquiries made and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the temporary postmen dismissed in Glasgow during June, 1947, have now found other employment; and how many are still unemployed.

I am having inquiries made and will write to the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Minister of Labour if the Polish workers in the engineering industry, who had their union cards returned to them, are now to be allowed to work; and what were the grounds for the return of their cards.

I am not aware of the grounds for the action taken in this matter by the trade union concerned and I am in communication with them. In the present situation, and having regard to the vital necessity for additional production which has been stressed from all quarters, it is essential that full use should be made of all available sources of labour and I am extremely anxious that these Polish workers should be allowed to remain at work.

asked the Secretary of State for War the circumstances in which 6097311 Private R. Beasley, Gordon Highlanders, who surrendered to the authorities before 31st March, 1947, under the terms offered to deserters, is now confined in Wormwood Scrubs Prison under a sentence of three years' penal servitude, and about which the hon. Member for Wimbledon wrote to him on 12th May.

This soldier, who absented himself from a draft proceeding on active duty at a time when fighting was most severe, was tried by court-martial in B.A.O.R. and found guilty of desertion from 18th July, 1944, until 12th March, 1947. He has recently been transferred to the United Kingdom and his sentence will be reviewed at the War Office and will receive the special consideration given to deserters who surrendered themselves in response to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Defence.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the fact that supplementary payments have been made to cover rises in prices in respect of war damage claims for private chattels, he will arrange for the value of payments made under the War Damage Business Scheme to be similarly increased, since it is clearly impossible to replace plant and equipment today at the prices ruling at the time of the loss.

The Government, as at present advised, do not propose to make any such supplementary payment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the value, during the first six months of this year, of exported machinery suitable for the manufacture of confectionery to hard currency countries, sterling area countries and other countries.

The total value of exports of bakers' and confectioners' machinery (including machinery for sweet making) in the first half of this year was £420,000, of which about £87,000 went to hard currency countries, £252,000 to the sterling area, and £81,000 to other countries.

asked the Minister of Food if he will give the exact proportions of sugar, pectin, colouring matter and preservative contained in jam made to conform with his Department's S.R. & O. 842, where the proportion of fruit specified on the label is only 20 per cent. and assuming that there are no other ingredients.

Typical proportions of ingredients per 100 lbs. of the finished product in factory-made jams for which a minimum fruit content of 20 per cent. is prescribed by S.R. & O. 1944, No. 842 are:—

—	Raspberry.	Blackcurrant.	Red-currant.	Loganberry.
	lb.	lb.	lb.	lb.
Fruit	21·1	20	22·2	20·2
Sugar	68·5	68·5	68·5	68·5
Pectin	10	5	10	9
Citric Acid	0·3	—	0·2	0·3
Colour and preservative	trace	trace	trace	trace

Water is added to compensate for loss of moisture during boiling. In practice, the exact proportions of fruit, sugar and added water vary a little according to the condition of the fruit. No preservative is added by the jam manufacturer, but where fruit pulp is used in place of fresh fruit traces of sulphur dioxide may be found in the finished jam.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that the recent fall in the home demand for kippers is mainly due to the deterioration in their quality, owing to insufficient smoking; and whether he will consider introducing legislation to prescribe a minimum period of smoking or, alternatively, to prohibit the use of dye in the processing of kippers.

I believe that the fall in the home demand for kippers this year is due more to the poor quality of the herrings landed at the Moray Firth ports and to the warm weather than to any general decline in kippering standards. In 1945, my predecessor, Lord Llewellin, set up an Advisory Committee, composed of leading members of the trade and the Chairman of the Herring Industry Board, which examined thoroughly the best means of improving kipper production. They came to the conclusion that little practical good would be achieved by legislation on the lines now suggested by the hon. Member, but that improvement in quality could best be served by continued and rigorous inspection, carried out by officers of my Department. The rise in home consumption which continued until this summer seems to have justified this conclusion, and I see no good reason to abandon the present policy because of a decline, which I hope is only temporary, in the quality of the herrings.

asked the Minister of Food why he has authorised the importation from the British West Indies of 3,000,000 bottles of rum.

Arrangements for importing this rum have been in hand for some time and this quantity completes the overall programme agreed for the year. It comes" entirely from soft currency countries and the expenditure involved does not prejudice imports of essential foodstuffs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will inquire into the sale by the Buckinghamshire A.E.C. of tomatoes at the gateway of, and on, the premises of Sherrington Nurseries, under the retail licence originally granted to the dispossessed proprietor Mr. C. C. Peach, in view of the prosecution and fine recently levied on a nurseryman for a similar breach of the regulations which require all produce to be sent to the pool.

I have been asked to reply. I will certainly make inquiries and will write to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Minister of Food if, in connection with the National Milk Scheme for children under five years of age, he will state the estimated money value of overclaims made by milk retailers between February, 1943, and the end of June, 1947; and how much of this has been recovered, specifying in particular the amount recovered in the southern region.

Milk retailers are under a statutory obligation to maintain records of the quantities of milk supplied to each beneficiary under the Welfare Foods Service. These records are checked in as great a proportion of cases as the number of suitable staff will allow, or whenever there is special reason for inquiry. Where, as a result of this examination, an overclaim is proved, steps are taken to recover the amount overpaid. As not all the beneficiaries under the scheme take up their full entitlement, there is scope for overclaim by retailers, but it is only in those cases where the records are actually examined by the Ministry's officers that any over-claim can be detected. The Ministry is not, therefore, in a position to state the estimated money value of all overclaims. The total amount recovered on over-claims up to 30th June, 1947, was £37,116, of which £7,793 related to the Southern Food Division.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Mr. I. Rokach was placed under arrest; whether he is aware that this official risked his life to save the lives of two British officers kidnapped in January last; whether His Excellency the High Commissioner authorised his arrest; and whether he will seek to ease the existing tension in Palestine by considering his immediate release.

Mr. I. Rokach was detained under Regulation 111 of Palestine Defence (Emergency) Regulations, 1945. He is known to have contacts with terrorist organisations but although he acted as a go-between in the incident referred to in January last, he has consistently refused to co-operate with the security authorities. The period of his detention is a matter for the local authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons Mr. Charlton, the Governor of Acre Gaol, was suspended from his duties; what was the previous record of this officer in the Palestine Police Force; and what is to be his future disposal.

Mr. Charlton was suspended for refusing to carry out the execution of three Jewish terrorists. This matter is the subject of an inquiry instituted by the High Commissioner for Palestine and I am awaiting his report on the results of the investigation.

asked the Minister of Education whether he has now considered the cases of Brian Matthews, 57, Weelsby Road, Grimsby, and Roy Collier, 229, Durban Road, Grimsby, particulars of which have been sent to him; and whether these boys will now have the opportunity of attending one of the schools, the entrance examination to which they have passed, or what other suitable arrangements will be made for them.

I have looked into the facts which my hon. Friend brought to my attention about these two boys. Brian Matthews is, as I have already indicated in a letter, to be admitted to the De Aston School, Market Rasen as soon as his father takes up residence in the county area. Roy Collier did not qualify for admission either to the Clee or De Aston Grammar School and has not been offered a place at either school.