asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will instruct regional Petroleum Officers to grant supplementary petrol to persons engaged on official political work.

Regional petroleum officers already have these instructions.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in this instance the chairman of a local branch of a constituency association applied to the regional petroleum officer and was referred back to the political agent——

At Gravesend?

—and will he issue further instructions that the regional petroleum officers should grant petrol to people who are doing this class of work?

These arrangements are all agreed with the chief agents of the parties concerned, and it would be undesirable to leave complete discretion in this matter to the regional petroleum officers.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what, in convenient categories, are the salaries paid to the 197 extra staff recruited to deal with the applications for supplementary petrol ration, also of the 60 officers borrowed; and what is the total cost including office accommodation and travelling and subsistence allowances.

The 197 are grade III clerks. The 60 are mainly junior clerical officers. The scale of pay for grade III clerks varies from 41s. to 116s. a week and that for clerical officers from £140 to £450 per annum. The total cost of the additional staff is estimated at £5,000 per month.

Why is it necessary to incur this extra waste of money? Is not the remedy worse than the disease? May I further ask the Minister whether, in the event of these officers giving a decision with which the appellant is not satisfied, there is any court of appeal, and to whom?

That matter does not arise out of the original Question.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether petrol is issued to parents of children who are weekly boarders to take them to and from their schools at weekends.

Only in special circumstances, where distances are comparatively short and public transport is not practicable.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the reasons for not allowing holders of supplementary petrol allowances to use the petrol in any car for which they are prepared to pay tax and insurance fees.

Allowances are made on a scale to enable the applicant to cover a certain mileage. Each allowance must therefore be related to a specific car, the approximate capacity of which is known.

Is not one result of this regulation that a great deal of frustration is caused to a large number of people, and revenue, in the form of tax and insurance fees, suffers considerably?

No, Sir. It would obviously be an impossible position for us not to know the horsepower of the car otherwise there would be great scope for evasion. We are prepared, in special cases, to consider the issue of an allowance for two cars, if full particulars are provided.

Can arrangements be made for garage proprietors to use their petrol on a second car, if the first car breaks down? At present they cannot use petrol for the second car without going through the paraphernalia of sending in the registration book and so on.

I have already said that we are prepared to consider special cases of that kind.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether Service men and women on leave will be granted supplementary petrol allowances for shopping, etc., on the same basis as civilians.

Yes, Sir.

Will the Minister make arrangements to see that dealing with these cases is expedited, because at present probably they will have finished their leave before the allowances get-round to them?

I will do my best.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that in the Featherstone area of Yorkshire on 5th November many hundredweights of coal were -burnt on bonfires; and what action was taken by his Department and the local authority to prevent this wastage of fuel.

I have made inquiries and am informed that in the Featherstone district on 5th November small quantities of coal slag and dust collected by children from local slag heaps or from unusable residue of miners "home" coal left as refuse to be cleared away by the local authority were burnt on a few bonfires. There is no evidence whatever to support the suggestion in the question that many hundredweights of coal were thus consumed.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the "unusable residue of miners' 'home' coal" was far better quality material than my constituents are receiving?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has studied the Gibbons-Cellan-Jones patent system of upgrading of gas; and whether he will give an estimate of the increased benzole production that will result from the application of gas upgrading pipes to all existing coke ovens.

This system has been studied by my technical advisers, and I understand that the process is being examined further by the National Coal Board. With regard to the second part of the Question, I regret that I cannot give an authoritative estimate.

Can the Minister say whether the estimated saving of seven million gallons of petrol is a probable result of this installation, and if so, will he reintroduce the basic ration when this system is adopted?

That is the estimate made by the persons who have produced this process, but it certainly would not be nearly enough to restore the basic ration.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the amount of increased oil consumption in Great Britain due to the conversion in industry and railway engines from coal to oil during the last two years; and whether, since this conversion, the supply of oil is still sufficient to satisfy this operation.

Separate figures are not available showing the consumption of oil by consumers who, prior to conversion, consumed coal, but the total increase in oil consumption by industry and the railways since May, 1946, is in the region of 1,100,000 tons. As to the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 30th October to the hon. Member for Royton (Mr. Sutcliffe).

Would the Minister tell us if this is the real reason for the basic petrol ration being cut, that it is a question of tankerage space and not of saving of dollars at all and that, owing to the increased oil consumption, the space used previously in tankers for petrol has had to be used for oil?

No, Sir; the reason for the abolition of the basic ration was the urgent necessity to save dollars, but I fully agree that there is also a serious tanker shortage now.

May I ask one more question? I agree that at the present moment it is partly a question of saving dollars, but if some 12 months ago dollars had been spent on tankers instead of the shipment of rotten bananas, would not the basic ration have been saved?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is satisfied that he will be able to achieve his target of eight million tons of oil for oil-coal conversion schemes in this country; what approximate proportion of the schemes approved show that two or more tons of coal will be saved for each ton of oil used; and whether, in the event of its proving impossible to obtain the expected eight million tons of oil, he will take steps to give priority to those schemes which show the most substantial saving of coal in relation to oil used, or schemes which are likely in the long run to prove of permanent value to the country's economy.

Consumption of black oils before the conversion programme started, amounted to two million tons a year. The schemes already authorised will when in full operation involve an increased consumption of six million tons a year. While, as I explained in a reply given to the hon. Member for Royton (Mr. Sutcliffe) on 30th October, it has been necessary to postpone certain schemes, I hope that it will be possible to complete the whole programme in due course. As regards the second part of the Question, between one-third and a half of the oil to be used in approved conversion schemes are expected to save two tons of coal or more for each ton of oil used.

Can the Minister give an absolute guarantee that all the necessary oil will be forthcoming?

I cannot give an absolute guarantee, because I am not in control of the whole world supply of oil and tankers, but I have already said we hope to be able to meet all these demands.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether saved-up petrol may be used on Christmas day, in order that families and friends may get together and share a better Christmas dinner near a more cheerful fire than would be possible for them separately.

I regret that I cannot add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter) on 13th November.

But is it, then, really a fact that the Minister of Fuel cannot produce even a small ration of the Christmas spirit?

No, Sir, but I think many families in the country will manage to get on at Christmas without this particular form of spirit.

In view of the fact that the Minister has just said that the cut in the basic ration was to save dollars, and since this petrol is already bought and so the question of dollars does not arise, would he not look into this again to see whether he cannot be a little more generous? It is a very small thing to ask.

I regret that I cannot agree to my hon. Friend's request. I have considered this matter most carefully, and I am afraid that we really must enforce this very unpleasant change now.

Does the right hon. Gentleman not realise that the Minister has had offered to him on a plate by both my hon. Friends jointly a means of restoring what was shown last night to be the waning popularity of the Government?

May I ask the Minister whether, from the wording of this Question, it is a fact that, in order that families and friends may get together and share a better Christmas dinner near a more cheerful fire, they are going to use the petrol to burn on the fire?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what action he is taking with regard to the supply of fuel elements for gas fires; and if he is aware that the acute shortage of such elements results in a serious waste of gas in fires with broken or missing elements.

Yes, Sir, I am aware of the shortage of ceramic elements for gas fires. I am informed that production is increasing satisfactorily, but owing to the shortage during the war it will be some time before we can overtake demand.

Does the Minister realise that there is here a leak in our coal supplies, and will he do his best and seek the assistance of other Departments in his endeavours to increase supplies as soon as possible?

I will certainly do my best to increase supplies.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will make a monthly statement, and have it promulgated in all local fuel offices, giving the percentage of the allocation of domestic coal supplied and what should have been the average delivery per registered consumer, excluding licences, in each of the fuel regions for the previous month, so that consumers may have some idea of the amount of coal they should have received and a check against merchants' failure to deliver a proper quota of coal.

No, Sir.

Arising out of that reply, is the Minister aware of the cock-and-bull stories that are being told by merchants as excuses for not delivering the proper quota of coal, such as horses having gone mad and having had to be shot?

I should naturally be glad to hear from my hon. Friend all stories of that character which he cares to pass on to me.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the number of domestic coal consumers in the Borough of Wandsworth registered with Rickett, Cockerill & Co., and their subsidiaries, Stratton Gentry, Cornwall and others; the number to whom the full 15 cwt. summer allocation was delivered between 1st May and 31st October; the number who received less than the London average delivery of 10 cwt. during that period and the reasons; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent this firm, in future, being five months behind with their deliveries.

Messrs. Rickett Cockerill & Company and their subsidiary companies have 13,225 domestic registrations in the Borough of Wandsworth. I regret that the full information asked for in the second part of the Question is not readily available, but I am informed that not less than 10 cwt. have been delivered against nearly every order placed with the five main depots of the principal firm, representing some 10,000 customers. I am also informed that there are no arrears of delivery of the extent suggested in the last part of the Question.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what action he proposes to take as regards a Press announcement, a copy of which has been sent to him, made by the Hull and District Coal Merchants' Association, stating that owing to restricted supplies distributors did not anticipate being able to deliver more than 10 bags (12½ cwt.) of coal out of the current allocation of 12 bags (15 cwt.) during the period 1st November to 31st January; and whether he will state the likely average delivery of domestic, coal, excluding licences, per registered consumer in Hull during this period, in view of the increased coal output and increased stocks in merchants' yards.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "None, Sir." With regard to the second part, I have nothing at present to add to the last paragraph of the answer I gave to my hon. Friend on 20th November.

Can the Minister deny or confirm the statement being made by the coal merchants in Hull that there is to be a cut in coal for domestic consumption as from 1st December, and that it is to be transferred to industries for the export trade?

I can certainly deny that rumour. The domestic coal allocation is, in fact, the same as last year, allowing for increased registration. There is no truth in the rumour to which my hon. and gallant Friend has referred.

That statement is definitely being made by the merchants in Hull today.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that the Hemsworth and United Kingdom Coke Oven Company at Pontefract is faced with a complete breakdown in their gas supplies as a result of the recent cut in their weekly allocation of coal, and whether, in view of the necessity to maintain supplies of gas to the 3,000 industrial and commercial consumers and 100,000 domestic consumers which the company supplies, he will take immediate steps to restore the company's coal supplies to the previous figure of 4,000 tons a week.

Owing to the high level of output, recent coal deliveries to this plant have in fact exceeded 4,000 tons per week. I am looking into the question of future supplies for the plant.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when the hon. Member for Hornsey may expect replies to his letters of 13th, 25th and 27th October which concerned, respectively, Mr. F. Pettit of 38, Ashley Road, N.19, Mr. C, Dervin of 16 Wolseley Road, N.8, Mr. H. W. Arber of 103, Nelson Road, N.8 and Mr. J. E. Buchan of 83, Ferme "Park Road, N.8 in view of the fact that the questions raised in these letters concern the livelihood of people who have put their savings into garage businesses.

I regret the delay, but these are all applicants for allowances of petrol to enable them to start new hire car services and such applications require careful local investigation. I will reply as soon as the necessary inquiries have been completed.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that they are not all new applications for garages, and that some of them are from ex-Service men who want to continue with existing garages? Cannot he expedite the work of his Department so that people are not kept in suspense for six or seven weeks?

I should have thought the hon. Member realised that these matters were of such importance to these men that we must take care before we decide. I can assure him that these are all applications for hire car allowances, whether or not from ex-Service men or garage proprietors.

Arising out of that answer, how many of these men are people who followed the advice of his predecessor in office, now at the War Ministry, and joined the Army in order to qualify to run a garage later on?

Arising out of the Minister's supplementary answer, may I ask, as licences have to be carefully considered before they are granted, where a hire car proprietor obtained a licence prior to the abolition of the basic petrol ration, whether that car for which a licence has been obtained will receive the petrol necessary to run it?

I am afraid the hon. and gallant Member misunderstood me; I said "allowances," not "licences."

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the estimated saving in dollars by the curtailment of the basic ration in the Channel Islands.

Up to the present petrol has been rationed in Guernsey alone. The estimated saving resulting from the abolition of the basic ration is 640 tons a year, the approximate cost of which, at present prices, would be 28,800 U.S. dollars. I understand that rationing will be introduced in Jersey on 1st January, but I have no reliable estimate of the saving which will follow.

Can the Minister justify this insignificant saving? Does it not reduce the whole of his scheme to a farce? Has he realised that the withdrawal of the basic ration in the Channel Islands and elsewhere is a definite stoppage of our ability to recover?

I am not responsible for what the Governments of the Channel Islands do, but I think we should be grateful to them for playing their part, and helping us in this matter.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power (1) the amount of petrol produced in this country during 1945 and 1946; and the estimated production in 1947 and 1948 respectively;

(2) the petrol production at Heysham and Billingham I.C.I. in 1945 and 1946; and the estimated production in 1947 and 1948, respectively.

As the answer involves a number of figures, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

It is not yet possible to give a firm estimate of 1948 production since, as I have already told the House, proposals for adapting part of the Heysham refinery for the production of motor spirit from imported crude oil are under examination. A decision on this is expected in the near future. The production programme at Billingham is also under review by the I.C.I. I am hoping for a substantial increase on the 1947 production.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much motor spirit is produced by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company at Abadan; and how much of their production is sold outside the sterling area.

Production of motor spirit at Abadan during the first nine months of this year amounted to approximately 2,000,000 tons, of which about 25 per cent. was shipped to countries outside the sterling area.

Can my right hon. Friend say whether any of the petrol shipped outside the sterling area is sold to the American-Arabian Oil Company?

Not without notice.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much time, and how much in salaries and expenses were incurred by inspectors of his Department investigating an electric advertising sign used by Messrs. Zip French Cleaners, Ltd., of Stoke-on-Trent, which is estimated to use 2½ ounces of coal a year.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many solicitors, counsel and officials employed by his Department attended the hearing of an action against Zip French Cleaners, Ltd., at Stoke-on-Trent Stipendiary Court on 21st November; what was the total cost of this action falling on the Ministry; and what was the accusation against the defendants.

A solicitor and two inspectors employed by my Department attended the hearing, and the preliminary inquiry involved two short visits to the premises concerned, and an interview with a director. The legal costs of the prosecution will amount to about £15, but I regret that it is impracticable to estimate the cost of the very small proportion of the time of those officers who were concerned in the routine inquiries.

The charge against the defendants was one of unlawful use of fuel—namely, electricity—for the purpose of advertisement in the course of their business, contrary to Article 5 of the Control of Fuel (No. 3) Order, 1942. Proceedings were taken as a result of the refusal of the defendants to comply with a request to discontinue the use of the sign. The offence was proved, but the case was dismissed under the Probation of Offenders Act

As several Government Departments use these signs, could not Ministry officials stop persecuting private traders, for once?

I am continually being asked by hon. Members to enforce this restriction more rigorously, because of the bad psychological effect of advertising lighting.

Is it not rather out of proportion to use a herd of elephants to squash little bunches of flies?

This is a difficult matter. If there is a lot of advertising lighting it has a bad psychological effect with regard to fuel economy. This was a case where we asked the people concerned to stop it, and they refused, so we brought the case against them on those grounds.

Is it not a fact that the electricity in this case was not used for lighting, but merely to drive a motor, so how does the question of lighting arise?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why American coal, which costs £5 10s. per ton plus transport charges, was sold to the Dumfries Lunatic Asylum at 40s. 6d. per ton; and who pays the difference.

The cost of imported American coal, including ocean freight, is unlikely to exceed £5 a ton. The price charged by the National Coal Board to consumers of this coal is similar to that for comparable British coal. As already announced, the resulting loss falls upon the National Coal Board and it was partly in order to cover tin's loss that the Board were recently obliged to raise prices generally.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that the loss must eventually fall on the taxpayer, and is all imported American coal being sold to the public and institutions' at less than cost price? Will he also ask his fellow Members on the Front Bench whether they ought not to be committed to the institution mentioned in the Question?

The price of the coal imported from America, as I have already explained, is fixed so that it will sell here at the same price as British coal. That is obviously a fair thing to do; the burden is then evenly spread among all British consumers.

Will my right hon. Friend try to give a more sympathetic reply to the spokesman for that lunatic asylum?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, in view of the fact that the coal output for the year will probably fall short of the Coal Board's target by three or four million tons, he will say what figure he now expects to be reached.

For the 52 weeks ending 27th December, 196 million tons, for the 53 weeks ending 3rd January, 199 million tons.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the intention now with regard to the Consumers' Councils as provided for in the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946, in connection with the making public of the deliberations of these councils as a natural and necessary safeguard in the public interest.

Under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, 1946, the Coal Consumers Councils are to make annual reports to me, which I must then lay before Parliament.

In so far as these councils have been set up for the purposes of protecting consumer interests, and since, directly or indirectly, every member of the public is a consumer of coal, can my right hon. Friend see any valid reason why the work and deliberations of these councils should not be made public?

The publicity the councils give to their proceedings must be a matter for the councils themselves, and I do not propose to intervene in the matter.

Would not the simplest way be to hold the proceedings of these councils in public, where they can be reported in the Press, so that there is no doubt about what takes place?

It must be left to the councils themselves to decide.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what payment per ton is paid in commission to coal agents in Ayrshire and Glasgow for distributing coal to merchants; and what is the precise nature of the service they render.

By "coal agents" I assume my hon. Friend is referring to wholesale distributors, or factors who act as middlemen between collieries and the retail coal merchants. The usual factorage charged by distributors is 1s. a ton in Ayrshire and Glasgow, but there may be cases where it is below or above this figure. The service performed is in the main the assumption of financial responsibility for the sales of coal.

Does the Minister think that these factors are absolutely necessary?

I would not care, without further investigation, to express an opinion, but I have already told my hon. Friend that the Coal Board are going into the matter very shortly.

asked the Minister of Labour whether any guarantee of increased output has accompanied the recently announced increase of 15s. weekly in miners' wages.

I am not aware that a guarantee of this nature is proposed as part of the projected agreement between the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mine-workers relating to an increase in the minimum and day rates of wages in the coalmining industry.

Does not that conflict with the Government's stated policy that no further increases in wages can be given in this industry without some corresponding increase in output?

I am not in a position to say whether or not that policy was stated, but I am in a position to state that we are getting an increase in production before the wage increase becomes effective.

In view of the recent increases in production before the wage increase is effective, would it not be far better if we had less bickering from the other side of the House?

asked the Minister of Labour how many staff are employed in the Regional Appointments Office, Nottingham; what is the annual cost in salaries and all other charges, respectively; and how many people have been placed in jobs by them during the last three months.

The staff at Nottingham Regional Appointments Office which is engaged on the administration of the Further Education and Training Scheme, the Business Training Scheme, and careers advice in addition to placing work, totals 67. The estimated annual cost of salaries is £30,000, and all other charges, including rent, rates and miscellaneous expenses, are estimated at £4,000. In the three months ended 10th November, 1947, the Appointments Office placed 149 persons in employment.

Could the Minister tell the House how many of his staff in that office are being paid overtime?

Not without notice, but if they are paid overtime they are working for it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will favourably consider making tobacco tokens available to all old age pensioners even although they may be disqualified from receiving a pension whilst being maintained in a poor law institution;

(2) if he will make tobacco tokens available to pensioners, who, on account of mental illness, are maintained in mental hospitals or institutions and whose pensions are being administered in accordance with Section 32 (2) of the Widows' Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1936;

(3) if he will grant tobacco tokens to men over 65 and women over 60 years of age, who, not being qualified to receive a contributory pension, are, on account of destitution, in receipt of poor law relief.

I fear that in so far as the classes of persons referred to are outside the terms of the Statute the machinery of the scheme could not be operated to provide relief for them.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that his answer will give great dissatisfaction to the people concerned, and will he look at it again?

We have looked at this repeatedly ever since the scheme was introduced. The trouble is that we must have some scheme which is easy to apply, and a pension book that can be shown at the counter, so that the clerk there can realise at once that the person to whom it belongs is entitled to this concession.

Would it be so difficult to allocate the right supplies in these asylums with which the hon. Member's Question is concerned?

In the case of these mental institutions, the actual pension is paid to the local authority concerned. They make an allowance to the patient, and give him, I think in all cases, a tobacco allowance in addition.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that whilst it is true that there is provision made in mental institutions and other institutions regarding these old people, there are a large number of old men who have failed to qualify for contributory pensions, and are not in institutions, who will have to suffer as a result of this, and who are in very poor circumstances? Surely, my right hon. Friend's Department can find some way of giving these people an allowance of tobacco?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the retail purchaser of a bespoke suit is required to pay the increased Purchase Tax imposed by the recent Budget with effect from the date of the Financial Resolution, whereas the purchaser of a ready-made suit is still able to buy at the old rate of Purchase Tax; and what steps he will take to remove this anomaly.

Yes, Sir; this situation results from the fact that under Purchase Tax law goods bear the tax in force at the time of their delivery by the registered supplier, whether direct to the customer in the case of a bespoke suit, or to a retail shop in the case of ready-made clothing.

Does the Financial Secretary realise that considerable hardship is caused to people who are outsize and have to order clothes, particularly in view of the fact that orders have to be given a long time before the clothes are delivered? Cannot some arrangement be made to remove this anomaly?

This kind of thing inevitably arises in a matter of this kind. There are bound to be anomalies, because the tax must be levied at the wholesale stage. It, therefore, arises in the case of suits where there is no intermediate stage and the tailor himself acts as the wholesaler. It does not arise in the case of a ready-made suit on which tax has been levied long before it reaches a peg in the shop.

Does my right hon. Friend recollect that last year the Chancellor made some such remissions as this on electrical and other appliances? Some of these suits have been ordered for as long as six or eight months, and amounts of money have already been paid on them. This is a very unfair infliction on these people.

There is no analogy between what happened then and the case of the increase of Purchase Tax in this Budget. In the former case the tax was put on; later the Chancellor agreed to reduce it, and amounts were refunded.

Will the right hon. Gentleman have another look at this and see whether, before the Committee stage of the Finance Bill, he can find a solution to the problem, which many Members wish to solve?

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury in view of the fact that during this financial crisis the nation is spending more on tobacco than it can afford, if he will give a lead to the country and set an example to private industry by issuing instructions that smoking will be prohibited in all Government offices during working hours.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 29th April last to my hon. Friend, the Member for Widnes (Mr. Shawcross).

In view of the enormous increase in smoking during the last few years, and the shortage of food, will not the right hon. Gentleman make an appeal to the men of the country to smoke less, so that the women and children can have more food?

Does my right hon. Friend not agree that it would be a good thing if, during the financial crisis, Members of this House set a good example by discontinuing the smoking of expensive cigars?

Does not the idea set out in this Question completely conflict with the Tory idea of setting the people free?

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many Government Departments use advertising signs employing a small electric motor driving a windmill which reflects daylight on the sign; and, approximately, how many are in use.

None, to my knowledge.

Would the Minister have a fresh look round? There are quite a few about.

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will call my attention to them, but I would point out to him that I listened carefully to the answers to the Questions he put to the Minister of Fuel and Power, and I gathered that he dislikes effort to be wasted in inquiries of this kind.

asked the Minister of Health how many permanent and temporary houses have been let to agricultural workers in England, Wales and Scotland.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications have been made up to 31st October by local authorities for the higher rate of subsidy in respect of the number of new houses allocated to the agricultural population.

The total number of new permanent houses let to agricultural workers in England and Wales since 1st April, 1945, is 3,075. The number of temporary houses so let is 610. Claims for the higher subsidies have been received in respect of 1,054 of the permanent houses. As regards Scotland I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the Secretary of State.

Will the Minister state, if he can, how many houses, both temporary and permanent, will be let during the next 12 months? What does he anticipate?

I cannot anticipate the actions of the rural authorities who are responsible for making the tenancies.

Surely, the Minister must go into this matter with the rural authorities and have some guidance, or knowledge, of what is going on?

The hon. and gallant Member should know that guidance has already been given to rural authorities in the selection of tenants. If the hon. and gallant Member does not know about that guidance, I will send him a copy.