asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the figures of trade between the British and Russian zones of Germany in the year 1946–47.

Between 1st September, 1946, and 31st December, 1946, the value of deliveries from the British zone to the Soviet zone totalled approximately 46 million Reichsmarks, against deliveries from the Soviet zone to the British zone amounting to approximately 28½ million Reichsmarks. On 1st January, 1947, the British and United States zones were combined, and deliveries from the combined zone to the Soviet zone between that date and 31st August, 1947, came to approximately 59 million Reichsmarks. During that period the Soviet zone delivered goods to the approximate value of 75 million Reichsmarks to the combined zone.

Is the Under-Secretary able to give any comparison between the present volume of trade and the trade normally obtaining in peacetime?

No, Sir, I cannot do that; indeed, I should be very doubtful whether that calculation could be made, bearing in mind the entirely new and artificial nature of the frontiers.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many new British cars have been supplied to the Control Commission in Germany during the past 12 months.

Seven hundred and six, during the 12 months ended 30th November, 1947.

How does the Under-Secretary defend this number of vehicles being sent over to Germany, (a), in view of the production of cars in Germany itself, and, (b), in view of enormous number of cars surplus to war requirements rotting in parks in Germany?

There are a number of cars rotting in parks, and a number of the Control Commission cars which were requisitioned earlier are tending to rot. I should require notice of the first part of the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has considered the correspondence that has been sent to him concerning maladministration among the personnel of the Control Commission in Germany; and if he will make a statement.

I am having this correspondence examined, and, with the hon. Member's permission, I shall write to him on the subject.

In view of the continued accusations against the administration of the Control Commission and the consequential loss of. British prestige, will the Under-Secretary have all these cases examined so that they can be substantiated or repudiated?

I do have all these cases looked into, but few of them have concrete evidence to support them.

Is it not a fact that the Select Committee on Estimates, who were in Germany recently and reported on these particular cases, refuted the statements made in a great many of them, and said that the Control Commission were doing a very excellent job?

I am sure that that is the general view of well-informed people.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that in September last a German was permitted to enter a British Army building in Brunswick, entry to which is normally forbidden to Germans, on the production of a document signed by the hon. Member for Maldon (Mr. Driberg); and if this permission is authorised by any order or instructions issued by the Control Commission in British-occupied Germany.

The answer to the first part of the Question is, "Yes, Sir," and to the second part, "No, Sir." I am satisfied, however, that in the circumstances the Control Commission official concerned behaved in a proper manner.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many British personnel, in convenient categories, are employed in the British zone in Germany.

Eighteen thousand six hundred and eighty-five British subjects were employed by the Control Commission in the British zone of Germany on 1st November, 1947. In addition, 496 were employed in the United States zone, and elsewhere, on the work of the Commission. With the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate the breakdown of these figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Is it not obvious that the number is far too great for the work they do, and would it not be better to send some of them home to do productive work in this country?

Yes, Sir, it is a large number. We have reduced it considerably in the last month or so, and have a considerable programme of reductions in sight.

Are not the Americans getting just as good results with 496 as we are with 18,000?

The noble Lord the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is investigating the whole question of the size, organisation and functions of the Control Commission.

The Minister says that there is a considerable programme of reduction in hand. Will he tell us the ultimate reduction to be aimed at in the present programme?

That is one of the things which is being considered by the noble Lord.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why Mr. and Mrs. Harry Davies, 14, Albert Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, were refused permission to travel to Germany at their own expense to attend the funeral of their daughter Marjorie, a Control Commission clerk, who was found drowned in her bath at Dusseldorf; and why have the parents been refused the right to bring her body home to England, or failing that, to visit her grave in Germany next spring.

I am sorry to say that it is still not possible to provide travel and accommodation facilities for relatives to attend the funerals of members of the Control Commission who die in Germany. The existing arrangement for burials is that members of the Control Commission who die on service are buried in war cemeteries in Germany under the same arrangements as apply to members of the Armed Forces. So long as this practice continues the rules of the Imperial War Graves Commission, which do not allow repatriation of bodies, must be observed. This arrangement, however, is being reviewed. No application to visit Germany in the spring has been received from Mr. and Mrs. Davies.

In view of the distress which has been caused in the Newcastle-under-Lyme district, and, indeed, throughout the whole country, by this case, and the fact that this was an only child, whose parents were prepared to bear their own expenses, although they are by no means rich, will not my hon. Friend review the case, and see if anything can be done?

I am aware of the distress felt about this matter, and some inaccurate newspaper reports have not been helpful. The facts are as I have stated. While these arrangements are being made under the regulations of the Imperial War Graves Commission, I think it would be a very difficult precedent if I made an exception in this case.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the answer he gave about travel is not correct, and that it is possible to get a passage to Germany through an ordinary travel agent without any help from the Foreign Office provided the Foreign Office grant permission?

We are preparing a scheme for travel and accommodation facilities for relatives in these cases.

That is no answer to my Question.

My hon. Friend said that no application has been received from the parents to visit the grave. That is not my information. But if an application of that kind is received by him, will he promise to give it favourable and sympathetic consideration?

I will certainly give it due consideration.

The hon. Gentleman said that the whole position was being reviewed. In this review, will consideration be paid to natural human feelings, as such consideration does not seem to have played very much part in the matter so far?

Yes, Sir. I have not perhaps made it clear that the existing arrangements put the officials of the Control Commission, at the moment, under the regulations of the Imperial War Graves Commission. Hon. Members will appreciate that these regulations also apply to a large number of relatives of Service men. There is this difficulty therefore: That while we apply these regulations, we must apply them to everybody concerned in the same way. Until a change has been made in the regulations I am not willing to make an exception.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what complaints were made by the participating authorities in the Allied Kommandatura as to the work of the Kulturbund zur demokratischen Erneuerung Deutschlands in re-educating the German people in the spirit of democracy and international understanding; on what dates were they made; and by whom.

I am not aware that any such complaint has been made.

Is my hon. Friend aware that this organisation of some 120,000 people includes leading writers, scientists, actors, etc., from all the sectors and zones of Germany, that up to the date of the ban imposed by my right hon. Friend, it enjoyed the highest support of the occupation authorities in each of the zones, and will he bear that in mind?

I am not clear what my hon. Friend means. In point of fact, no application has been received from this organisation.

Will the hon. Gentleman give an undertaking that when he has finished re-educating the Germans in the spirit of democracy and international understanding, he will turn to others in equally urgent need of re-education?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the Kulturbund zur demokratischen Erneuerung Deutschlands addressed an application on 30th October to the Allied Kommandatura for permission to function once again in all sectors in Berlin; that as no unanimous decision was reached, the application was remitted to the Allied Control Council; and whether he will instruct the British representative on the Control Council to support the application when it comes up for consideration.

No, Sir. The Kulturbund has not yet addressed an application to the Allied Kommandatura for permission to function. The British representatives in Berlin have already stated that they are prepared to give such an application favourable consideration if and when submitted.

Will my hon. Friend he good enough to inquire whether or not an application has been received?

I think that my hon. Friend is misinformed, and that the application to which he is referring was an inquiry whether it was necessary to apply.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has considered the statement sent to him concerning the use of motor cars by German civilians to enable them to attend sporting functions and for other pleasure purposes; and why petrol can be used in Germany in this way at a time when the basic petrol ration has been abolished in this country.

My right hon. Friend has called for a report on the statement referred to by the hon. Member and will communicate with him as soon as possible.

Is the Minister aware that statements such as I have indicated in the Question, and which appear in the Press, cause a lot of feeling in this country; and will he take steps to ensure that they are promptly repudiated, if untrue, or confirmed, if true?

Yes, Sir. We have called for an immediate inquiry into this case.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will extend the extra cheese ration to all those who work in the open including lorry drivers in rural areas if their employment makes it necessary for them to carry a mid-day meal with them.

I regret that I cannot extend the extra cheese ration to every worker whose employment may take him into a rural area.

Will the right hon. Gentleman take into consideration that a number of truck drivers in rural areas do a good deal of loading and unloading as well as driving; and will he look into the matter again, as it appears that the rules as at present drafted exclude a large number of people in rural areas who cannot get home for a midday meal or go to a canteen?

I would very much like to extend the special cheese ration as widely as possible in rural areas. We have just extended it to a new large category—the rural builders—and I am afraid that we cannot go further at the moment because of supplies.

Is the Minister aware that lorry drivers working for private contractors do not receive this extra cheese ration, whereas lorry drivers working for county councils do; and does he realise the number of similar anomalies to this that are in existence?

I will look into that point, but I am not aware of it.

asked the Minister of Food why persons who would qualify otherwise for the extra cheese ration are ineligible if they are self-employed; and whether he will take steps to correct this anomaly.

As a general rule, self-employed workers are able to make arrangements for obtaining a mid-day meal. I regret that I cannot allow them the special cheese ration.

Will the Minister look into this matter again? I think that he will find, particularly in the case of small self-employed men—like the small builder working side by side with his men—the present regulations prevent such people from getting extra cheese?

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many smallholding farmers, whose homes are not close to their fields, are not able to get a hot midday meal, and as the regulations are based on a wrong assumption will he reconsider them?

Self-employers in rural areas are, for the greater part, farmers, as my hon. Friend suggests; but I cannot agree that they are in a specially difficult position with regard to food. I think that they are in a very much more favoured position than most of us.

Will the right hon. Gentleman reconsider this? Is he not aware that a large number of market gardeners and others are self-employed and work at considerable distances from their homes? In view of the fact that this arrangement about special rations was come to long before any differentiation was allowed for in the rationing system, surely, it is right for the whole question to be reconsidered now?

I cannot agree.

Why not?

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Minister of Food what facilities are available to children at boarding schools to secure their allowance of school milk during holiday periods.

With the agreement of the education authorities of the areas in which they live, boarding school children may attend holiday centres and obtain their school milk in the same way as day school children.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether an agreement has to be made with the education authority on behalf of the individual school child, or whether it is an agreement between his Department and the Ministry of Education?

I think that it has to be made between the schools concerned and the local education authority.

Will the right hon. Gentleman publicise this arrangement as much as possible before the Christmas holidays, because many parents, and, according to my information, some local authorities, are unaware of it?

Must the milk be consumed at the school or centre, or can it be taken home?

It must be consumed at the centre.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us where these centres are?

That is a matter for the local education authority concerned.

asked the Minister of Food what representations he has received from trade organisations as to the encouragement which is likely to be given to foreign shippers of edible nuts in shell to raise their prices in view of the prices realised at the recent auctions in this country.

I have received none; nor do I expect that the sale of a relatively small stock on this market will have the effect feared by the hon. Member.

When the right hon. Gentleman says that he has received no information, does that mean that before he decided to auction the nuts, he failed to read the memorandum submitted to him by the Edible Nuts Executive Panel in which that very point was expressly made?

No, Sir. I am aware of these representations, but I thought that the hon. Member meant further representations.

asked the Minister of Food what is holding up the food negotiations with Denmark; and when he expects to resume them.

Negotiations will be resumed shortly after Christmas. In the meantime both we and the Danes have been re-examining our respective points of view in the light of informal contacts which have been maintained.

When these negotiations are resumed, would not the right hon. Gentleman agree that it is better that we should take this Danish food, even at higher prices, and put it on points, rather than lose it altogether, considering that we have a favourable balance of trade with Denmark?

The hon. Gentleman is wrong in thinking that whether it is put on points or not has anything to do with the matter. If the food can be obtained, it can be easily distributed.

Surely the food can be obtained; but the right hon. Gentleman will not pay the price for it.

asked the Minister of Food why the Bristol Port Authority do not mark cases of imported fruit according to grade or type; and, as this failure to mark results in retailers sometimes having to pay high grade prices for low grade fruits with consequent loss and confusion, whether he will take steps to improve the position.

With the present shortage of labour and the necessity for turning ships round in the shortest possible time it would be impracticable to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion which would entail opening and inspecting every case. I am satisfied that the present arrangements are the fairest which can be devised in present circumstances.

Is the Minister aware that as a result of this practice retail traders are being involved in considerable losses, and cannot some system be arranged by means of which they know exactly what they are buying?

It is impossible to have every case opened at the port.

asked the Minister of Food why fruit traders in the Weston-super-Mare District of Somerset are only just receiving allocation No. 10 of oranges, whereas other parts of the country have already received allocation No. 12.

As the northern and industrial areas of the country do not get their full share of home-grown fruit, I am continuing the policy of giving them an occasional extra allocation of oranges to make up. The Weston-super-Mare district is receiving allocations on a par with all other areas in the south.

Can we have the information, if I put a Question down, concerning the areas which are ahead of others, because it does not seem to me that those areas behind in the allocation are always those which have the advantage of distribution?

Certainly, but the information has already been given and is available in HANSARD.

asked the Minister of Food what complaints he has had recently of the damage through frost to Scotch seed potatoes in transit to England; what representations he has made to prevent undue exposure at the docks and to ensure the use of solid bottomed railway trucks and a bottom layer of straw; what is the estimated annual loss of potatoes due to such conditions; and whether, in view of the extreme shortage of potatoes, losses will be reduced to the minimum this year.

I have had very few complaints; my Department has impressed on the railway and shipping companies and port authorities the need for full protection of seed potatoes during transit, including precautions of the kinds suggested by my hon. Friend.

Could my right hon. Friend say when that impression was made?

I am continually impressing upon shipping and railway companies the need for care in this traffic, but the overall loss is only running at one half per cent. at the moment.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make facilities to enable British Restaurants to organise mobile meals services.

I am willing to consider requests from Civic Restaurants or any one else for licences to operate mobile meals services where a genuine need can be shown.

Would my right hon. Friend encourage local authorities to make these applications by drawing their attention to those successful schemes which are in operation at the moment?

I hope my hon. Friend's Question will serve that purpose.

asked the Minister of Food what imports he received in return for the 9,500 tons of chocolate exported between 1st January and 31st October, 1947; and how many dollars did this export earn.

All the money received for our exports of chocolate, as of our other exports, is used to pay for our imports of essential food and raw materials, and for other indispensable overseas payments. The number of dollars earned was 83,000.

Does the Minister realise that this continual juggling and speculating with the nation's food is one of the main causes of shortage here? Can he answer that one?

asked the Minister of Food whether he can make a statement in regard to his policy in regard to the export of sweets and how much sugar has been allocated for this purpose.

As to the policy concerning the export of foodstuffs, including sweets, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply on 14th July to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Joynson-Hicks). Approximately 10,000 tons of sugar, out of a total consumption of approximately 1½ million tons has been earmarked for sweets, chocolate and sugar confectionery for export in 1948.

Could the right hon. Gentleman say what proportion of these exports are going to dollar countries and what proportion to sterling countries?

No, Sir, we cannot say in advance, but we strive to make the highest proportions go to dollar countries.

asked the Minister of Food why 2 cwt. of biscuits, 49 cwt. of chocolates, 3 tons of chocolate couverture, 128 cwt. of confectionery, 2,608 gallons of cordials, 5 cwt. of pea flour, 39 cwt. of canned and 156 cwt. of smoked fish, 1 cwt. of hops, 23 cwt. of jams and marmalade, 99 cwt. of pickles and sauces, 85 cwt. of tinned soup, and 14 cwt. of canned vegetables, imported into Kenya and Uganda in October, were exported from Britain.

We have always exported limited quantities of processed foodstuffs to the Colonies. The Colonial Governments were requested in September to restrict imports from the United Kingdom to those judged essential.

Is it not the case that sweets, jam and vegetables are produced in ample quantities in Kenya and Uganda for their own use? Is there any rationing of the articles mentioned in this Question in those Colonies, and is it not desirable that they should be retained in this country?

We are striving to reduce this type of exports to the least possible amount, but I do not think we could ever get them down to nothing. We have urged upon the Colonial Governments to keep them on the lowest possible level.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in these Colonies, and in Singapore and Hong Kong, he will find enormous quantities of products of this country, far greater than the Colonies need, and will he make a further effort to see that these quantities are reduced?

If the hon. Member will notice the quantities stated in the Question they cannot be called enormous quantities.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether he exercises any control over quantities of foodstuffs leaving this country?

We do issue licences for these exports when the Colonial Governments assure us that they are necessary.

asked the Minister of Food the quantities of biscuits and chocolate, respectively, exported to the United States, Belgium, Switzerland and Egypt, as from 1st January, 1947, to 30th November, 1947.

I regret that this information is not yet available for the month of November. With permission I will circulate details down to the end of October in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

In view of the fact that these foodstuffs are urgently required at home, can the right hon. Gentleman tell us whether it is his ambition to perpetuate confusion and chaos? Is it not utterly useless to send abroad foodstuffs which are required at home, while every time one asks for figures one is told that the figures are unavailable?

The figures are fully available. They will be found in HANSARD.

I am not satisfied.

Can my right hon. Friend say why these commodities are sent abroad when we need them so badly at home?

I have already explained that matter before, and I will send my hon. Friend a copy of the explanation. It is because we get very much more dollars for the food we export and with those dollars are able to buy larger quantities of food that we need in this country.

Are we getting dollars for food which goes to Belgium or Egypt?

The right hon. and learned Gentleman has not seen the nature of my reply, and what quantities go to those countries. Moreover, those are the countries mentioned in the question.

It is all very unsatisfactory.

asked the Minister of Food if he will state the estimated total cost 1947–48 of subsidies on animal feedingstuffs, welfare foods, milk in schools and national milk schemes, respectively.

It is now estimated that these subsidies for the year to 31st March, 1948, will cost: £32.2 million for animal feedingstuffs; £3.5 million for welfare foods; £29.6 million for national milk and milk in schools schemes.

asked the Minister of Food, on what grounds he has refused a licence for the establishment of a fried fish shop in the village of Easington, East Yorkshire.

I am sorry to say that owing to the shortage of fats I am unable to grant licences for new fried fish shops in very many areas where they would no doubt be welcome.

In view of the fact that the Minister's right hon. Friend the Minister of Works issued the licence for the erection of this establishment, that the application to his Department has the backing of the Easington parish council, and that the nearest fried fish shop is seven miles away in the town of Withernsea, will he look into the matter again?

We are pressed on very many of these cases, and this applicant was very carefully warned not to commit himself financially. I am afraid that it is very difficult to reconsider it.

When the Minister of Works issued a licence for this erection was that a warning not to proceed?.

When he applied for a licence to my Department he was most clearly warned.

asked the Minister of Food whether his attention has been called to the latest report of the Medical Officer for the Port of London which calls attention to the marked deterioration in the quality of certain types of foodstuffs entering the port, particularly meat and meat products; and whether he can make any statement on the subject.

I have seen the report to which the hon. Member refers, and I think the reference to the quality of imported food is capable of misinterpretation. Arrangements have been made in collaboration with port health authorities for the food which is imported to be inspected and while it may not be possible to maintain prewar standards of quality at all times I can assure the hon. Member that the most stringent measures are taken to ensure that no food which is unfit for human consumption is distributed.

asked the Minister of Food if the bigger acreage of potatoes which farmers are being asked to grow in 1948 takes into account an increased demand for potatoes as other foods become scarcer.

We wish to see the very maximum possible acreage of potatoes grown in 1948. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture has already given farmers as additional inducements an acreage payment of £12 an acre for the first 10 acres, instead of £8 and a substantial increase in prices.

Could the Minister say to what extent we are expecting to eat more potatoes next winter?

That depends on the general food supplies, the acreage which is planted and the yield from that acreage.

What is the intention?

The intention is the maximum, as I have already stated.

asked the Minister of Food in view of the spread of fowl pest what precautions he is taking to prevent further infection; and whether he will limit the import of poultry from countries where this disease is known to exist.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture on 1st December. In view of the need to secure all possible supplies of food, I do not propose to place any unnecessary restrictions on the import of poultry from Europe.

asked the Minister of Food, in view of the fact that in 1938 imports amounted to 1,549,761 tons, why there have been no wheat imports from Australia during the years 1946 and 1947

Less wheat and flour was available for export from Australia in 1946 and 1947 than in 1938. Moreover, in the two later years Australia has exported most of her surplus in the form of flour to rice-eating territories, mainly British, which are short of rice. I am glad to say, however, that the first ships carrying wheat from the bountiful 1947 Australian harvest are already on their way to this country.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that there is a large percentage of breakages in shipments of imported eggs during unloading; to what extent this is due to piece rates being in force which encourage carelessness and hurry; what is done with the eggs so broken; and what steps he proposes to take to avoid such wastage in future.

The percentage of imported eggs broken during unloading has been only fractionally higher in 1947 than in 1946 when it was some 2 per cent. The question of breakages of imported eggs is under continuous review, through the Ministry's officers at the ports, and I hope that this will lead to improvement in future.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that the bulk of the damage occurs on this side, and will he do what he can to obviate it in view of the waste of money and of food involved?

Yes, Sir. It is very important to keep the percentage as low as possible.

Will my right hon. Friend answer the part of the Question which asks: what is done with the eggs so broken?

We can in some cases salvage them for use in processing.

Could the right hon. Gentleman say what is the difference between "higher" and "fractionally higher"?

I should imagine that "higher" means higher by a whole number and "fractionally higher," higher by a fractional number.

Can the Minister state that the dock workers are making a 100 per cent. safety effort in the discharge of food cargoes?

Certainly. Nothing I have said must be understood to reflect on them.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in the interests of small households with relatively few points, he will arrange for certain types of tinned food, and especially fruits, to be put up in smaller containers.

asked the Minister of Food if smaller tins of pointed foodstuffs can be provided to meet the needs of persons living alone, and of small families.

When the Ministry imports canned foods we try to get the sizes which consumers prefer, although if the goods are already packed we cannot always choose. Home canners cannot produce more small tins because of the shortage of tin plate.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman consider that it is very unfair to people who are living alone, or to two people together, that there should only be the large tins available? Cannot he make a further effort to meet the needs of such people?

We fully realise that the small tins are of very great importance, but we cannot limit the total quantity of food imported to them. We would rather have the food in large tins than not at all.

Would my right hon. Friend look especially into the case of sweetened and unsweetened canned milk, about which there is considerable difficulty, as there is also in regard to syrup?

Certainly.

asked the Minister of Food if full rations are provided in the canteens for the miners and when a six or seven day week is worked in North Staffs are full rations provided for every day worked.

Miners' canteens draw rations on the industrial "A" scale on the basis of the number and type of meals served, and this applies whenever the canteen is open, even if this is seven days a week.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that at one of the pits the output target was 6,000 tons, while the men's output was 9,500 tons, and yet on several mornings their canteen had no milk or sugar and one morning the men had no breakfast? Is he aware also that the men were only allowed rations for five days although they did a six-day or seven-day week? In view of the great efforts that these miners are making, will my right hon. Friend give an undertaking to make an immediate investigation into this matter to ascertain who was responsible and to prevent a repetition?

Certainly, Sir. If my hon. Friend will give me the name of the canteen in question I will do so. There must have been some error in the allocation.

Will my right hon. Friend also undertake to discuss with the Minister of Mines the possibility of having welfare workers in the canteens? There is considerable dissatisfaction among miners at the way in which the canteens are run.

That is a matter for my right hon. Friend. We are not responsible for the running of the canteens.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what research work as distinct from development and testing work is being carried out by the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering.

As the answer is rather detailed, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that he will keep this matter under review?

Most certainly.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to what body the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering at present reports; whether any change of responsible body is contemplated; and when the engineering representation on the appointed responsible body will be strengthened.

The National Institute reports to the Agricultural Machinery Development Board. The present board's term of office is due to expire in January, 1948, and future arrangements are at present under active consideration.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say when these arrangements will be settled, in view of the early termination of these reports?

Early in the New Year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total acreage occupied by aerodromes in Norfolk and the total acreage which is now being cultivated by farmers or the War Agricultural Executive Committee.

The total area of land comprised in airfields in Norfolk is approximately 21,000 acres, of which 8,000 acres is covered with buildings and concrete runways. The area being farmed is about 9,300 acres.