asked the Minister of Education when he expects that the temporary school accommodation at the former isolation hospital at Sheldon, Birmingham, will be available for occupation; and when the Hatchford Brook and Ulverley Schools will be completed.

The local education authority expect the temporary classrooms at the former isolation hospital, Sheldon, to be ready for occupation in June this year, possibly earlier. The first part of the Hatchford Brook Primary School is expected to be available at the end of December, and the first part of the Ulverley school by Easter, 1949.

asked the Minister of Education the number of teachers who have already qualified at emergency training colleges in Wales; the number now awaiting admission to college; and the number of teachers qualified at these training colleges who have found employment in Wales.

Two hundred and sixty-five men and 187 women teachers have already qualified at the emergency training colleges in Wales. Six hundred and forty-five men and 63 women are awaiting admission. One hundred and four men and 51 women from these colleges are already known to have found posts in Wales, but complete information is not yet available, as one of the colleges ended its first session only last week.

asked the Minister of Education the number of schools in Wales where milk is not given to the children; the reasons for this omission; and whether he will name the schools concerned.

Thirty-three grant-aided schools in Wales and Monmouthshire are not receiving milk under the Milk in Schools Scheme. Difficulties in obtaining a suitable supply account for a number of these cases: every effort is being made to overcome the difficulties. I will send my hon. Friend the names of the 33 schools.

asked the Minister of Education if he will introduce legislation to amend the Teachers' (Superannuation) Act, 1945, so that non-pensionable peacetime service by a qualified teacher as schoolmaster, Royal Navy, up to five years and previous to 1st April, 1945, may be treated as contributory service on payment of to per cent. contributions.

No.

asked the Minister of Education how many open scholarships and exhibitions at Oxford and Cambridge were awarded to candidates from independent schools, direct grant schools, and aided and maintained grammar schools, respectively, in the years 1936 and 1937; in the years 1946 and 1947; and how many scholars were in each type of school in those years.

On the first part of the Question I am unable to add anything material to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 14th March last. The answer to the last part of the Question is as follows:

Type of School.	Number of Pupils.
	1936	1937
Secondary schools in receipt of grant	463,906	466,245
Secondary schools recognized as efficient but not for grant	72,848	73,421
	1946	1947
Maintained and assisted grammar schools	488,931	504,599
Direct grant grammar schools	85,372	77,958
Secondary schools recognized as efficient but not for grant	102,258	118,596

asked the Minister of Education if he will inquire into the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of a student at a London University College who applied to the Ministry for a maintenance grant three weeks ago, and has received no answer.

This student was granted an award under the Further Education and Training Scheme from November, 1945, to the end of the Summer Term, 1948, but has recently been taken ill. When my Department receives definite information as to the date on which he is likely to resume his course the question of maintenance grant for the period of interruption will be considered.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he was aware of the shortage of supplies of X-ray films for British hospitals, when he placed an additional export quota on manufacturers in the autumn;(2) whether he will relax the export quota of X-ray film manufacturers, until British hospital requirements are fully met.

I am not aware that British hospitals cannot get enough X-ray film, but if the hon. Member will let me have particulars of any case of difficulty I will look into it. There is no separate export target for X-ray film which is included in the general target for photographic sensitised materials.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether in view of the withdrawal of the assured wool supply for Harris tweed for the Outer Hebrides, he will consider granting permits to more mainland spinners to supply weavers in the Islands after serving their mainland customers, in order to enable the hundreds of unemployed or under-employed Island weavers to increase their production of exportable Harris tweeds.

Under the arrangements for the sale of British wools by auction, which came into force last autumn, spinners for the Harris tweed trade may now purchase as much wool as they wish whereas before they were limited to specific allocations. The Hebridean spinners should be able to purchase all the wool they need to work to full capacity. Weavers in the Islands are receiving from these spinners more yarn than they had in 1939. They also receive yarn from mainland spinners up to more than 100 per cent, of prewar supplies, whereas yarn supplies to weavers on the mainland are still substantially below prewar and are insufficient to keep all their available weavers fully employed. Many established weavers on the mainland have looms standing idle for this reason, and I should, therefore, not be justified in permitting still more mainland spinning capacity to be devoted to the needs of Hebridean weavers at their expense.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an undertaking that no further concessions in Imperial Preference will be made without prior reference to Parliament.

There must always be an opportunity for Parliament to consider agreements relating to tariffs and preferences, since changes in the United Kingdom tariff can only be made by legislation or by orders either requiring affirmative Resolutions or liable to annulment by negative Resolutions of the House.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will instruct his regional officers to grant a petrol allowance to non-agricultural exhibitors and judges at recognised horticultural shows, so that exhibitors may be able to convey their exhibits to and from the shows and the judges to travel to them in the discharge of their duties.

I am advising regional petroleum officers that allowances may, in suitable cases, be made to exhibitors and judges of agricultural products.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will consider making a 10 per cent. cut on commercial allocations of petrol to enable him to consider granting a small basic ration to private car owners from 1st April to 30th September.

The economies made at the time of the withdrawal of the basic ration included a cut of 10 per cent. in the allowances for goods vehicles, taxis, and hire cars and all business supplementary allowances.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that regional petroleum officers only allow supplementary petrol allowances to husbands or wives who work away from home; and whether he will now authorise the grant of petrol to men in the Services who are stationed at long distances away from their homes many of whom have been refused petrol for their motor bicycles and who now cannot afford the train fares home.

Allowances to men in the Services are made on the same basis as allowances to men in civilian life. I do not consider that in this matter a distinction between them would be justified.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that A. J. Walker, 65, The Grove, Gosforth, asked for two gallons of petrol per month to enable him to take his parents one aged 85 and the other 93 years out on occasions as they are too infirm to travel in public service vehicles, and was refused; and will he reconsider this case.

Mr. Walker's application was not refused, and now that he has supplied the necessary information an allowance has been issued.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is satisfied that manufacturers who have converted from coal to oil burning are receiving adequate supplies of oil.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that householders in outlying districts of the Forest of Dean are frequently unable to get sufficient coal allocations for heating their houses and cooking; and whether arrangements can be made that, where there are temporary coal shortages, extra supplies of paraffin or other liquid fuel will be available.

I am not aware of any recent shortage in coal supplies to householders in the Forest of Dean area but if my hon. Friend will inform me of any specific cases he may have in mind I will gladly have them investigated. As regards the second part of the Question, paraffin deliveries to dealers are sufficient to meet the requirements of all priority consumers registered under the Kerosene (Paraffin Oil) Priority Scheme and to provide in addition a margin of supplies for the use of other domestic consumers.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the number of workers employed in Scotland on building and civil engineering in the following undertakings: coal, electricity, gas, petrol and opencast mining in June, 1947, and the estimated number to be employed on such work in those undertakings at June, 1948, in accordance with the proposals set out in Capital Investment in 1948, Command 7268.

I am informed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works that the number of men employed in Scotland in June, 1947 on building and civil engineering work in coal, electricity, gas, petrol and opencast mining undertakings was 421, 324, 257, 287 and 932 respectively. With regard to the second part of the Question I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is now in a position to announce further appointments to membership of the Area Electricity Boards.

Yes. I have made the following further part-time appointments since my previous announcement on 31st December:

• South Eastern Area Board: Sir Merrik Burrell, Sir John Dalton, Mr. W. J. Oswald.
• Southern Area Board: Lieut.-Colonel Edward L. Luce, Mr. A. Lockwood, Mr. W. H. Lawson.
• South Western Area Board: Mr. A. N. Irens. Mr. G. Johnstone, Mr. Stanley H. Payne.
• Eastern Area Board: Mr. W. J. Bennett, Mr. W. Newcome-Baker, Sir Cecil Oakes.
• East Midland Area Board: Alderman Minto, Mr. L. L. Perkins.
• Midland Area Board: Mr. C. R. Heathcock Mr. J. McDowall.
• South Wales Area Board: Mr. L. Parsons.
• Merseyside and North Wales Area Board: Councillor H Evans.
• Yorkshire Area Board.: Alderman J. H Bingham, Mr. R. E. Crowe, Councillor H. Fairbotham.
• North Eastern Area Board: Colonel E. G Angus, Alderman C. F. Sanderson.
• North Western Area Board: Alderman J. R. Potts, Mr. E. J. Smith.
• South East Scotland Area Board: Baillie J. M. Airlie, Mr. Robert Watson McCrone.
• South West Scotland Area Board: Mr. J. Sullivan.

asked the Minister of Health if, when considering approval for new houses during the first half of 1948, preference for certain key workers will include cotton textile workers.

Account will be taken of the priority requirements of textile workers in the placing of fresh contracts.

asked the Minister of Health what was the estimated cost for converting Princes Hotel, Hove, into flats; how many were envisaged; and why the plans were not proceeded with.

I understand that no definite plans or estimates have been prepared. The proposals seem to have been abandoned on economic grounds.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the increased cost to local authorities in administering the building works licensing scheme; and whether he proposes to make a grant to offset this additional charge upon local authorities.

Yes. Proposals are under discussion with the associations of local authorities.

asked the Minister of Health the total amounts for housing over the last three quota periods in respect of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Westminster, Marylebone and St. Pancras.

The value of licences issued for work of maintenance and repair to housing accommodation during the three periods from 1st November, 1947, to 31st January, 1948, are as follows: Westminster, £124,622; St. Marylebone, £78,802; St. Pancras, £108,328.

asked the Minister of Health if he has considered the letter sent to him by the joint production and consultative advisory committee of Messrs. A. W. Hawkesley, Ltd. with reference to the delay in giving a decision about the production of the two-storey semi-detached factory produced house; and will he indicate if it is his intention to proceed with the provision of houses of this type.

Yes. I regret, however, that I cannot yet give a decision.

asked the Minister of Health whether any local authority which has had certain material allocated to it for its building programme, will not be permitted to obtain any further materials until its present supply is substantially exhausted.

Bulk allocations of building materials are not made to local authorities.

asked the Minister of Health why some of his regional officers have refused applications for the building of farm workers' cottages sponsored by county agricultural executive committees; and if a limit to the number of such houses has been laid down for each region.

The limiting factor is the supply of labour and materials. My regional officers have agricultural needs well in mind, but if demands exceed building resources in a particular locality it may not be possible to accept all applications immediately. The answer to the second part of the Question is "No."

asked the Minister of Health the total sum of money his Department intend to spend on medical research in the year 1948; and how much will be spent research into the causation, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of infantile paralysis.

Medical research is primarily for the Medical Research Council, but my Department's estimates will include a sum to meet expenditure in connection with certain special inquiries. I do not anticipate that this will need to provide separately for inquiries into infantile paralysis additional to those already in progress.

asked the Minister of Health if he will revert to his original decision and allow the installation of a modern sputum sterilising plant at Keycol Hospital, Sittingbourne, where antiquated and inefficient plant is in use at present.

Approval in principle was given on 11th February, and subject to technical examination formal authorisation will follow.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the large area served and the long-standing need, he will approve the provision of a barrier ward at Keycol Hill Hospital, Sittingbourne.

I am not satisfied that this is the most urgent need to which the necessary materials should be put.

asked the Minister of Health what action is being taken to make available the water supply from Bradwell Grove to the Witney Rural District, and to the village of Holwell in particular.

I have authorised the Witney Rural District Council to undertake works for testing the yield of the source before deciding to acquire it. I understand that the work will commence as soon as conditions permit.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give an assurance that married women doctors will be considered for appointments as house physicians and house surgeons in hospitals under the National Health Act.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of difficulties in obtaining materials required for the construction of refuse-collection vehicles and what steps he is taking to secure quicker deliveries.

Yes. I am well aware of these difficulties and am considering what can be done to meet them.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered communications from the Borough of Colchester and the Urban Districts of Wivenhoe and West Mersea forwarded to him by the hon. Member for Colchester on the subject of delay by his Ministry in dealing with an application by the Essex County Council to spend £600 on the adaptation of a building at the Tuberculosis Dispensary, Shewell Road, Colchester; whether he is aware that apparatus valued at £2,000 is lying idle pending the adaptation of the building; and whether he will make a statement.

Yes. The work mentioned is to be carried out at the earliest possible date.

asked the Minister of Health whether the necessary printed forms are now available to alien doctors so that they can make applications to come on the Medical Register; and whether he is aware that great hardship has been caused by the failure of his Ministry to approve these forms hitherto.

This is a matter for the General Medical Council who I understand have already issued some of these forms and expect to issue the remainder shortly.

asked the Minister of Health what powers he has to inspect the private and industrial nurseries now being established in factories, hotels and private houses.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for West Fife (Mr. Gallacher) on 22nd January, a copy of which I am sending him.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will introduce legislation to enable Members of Parliament to sign certificates of exemption from vaccination.

No. Compulsory vaccination will end on 5th July next, when the repeal of the Vaccination Acts by the National Health Service Act takes effect.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the North Wales Sanatorium at Denbigh has been trying to secure two Thermos flasks since 11th December and are still awaiting a permit after correspondence ranging between the Board of Trade and his Department; and whether he will inquire into this matter.

Yes. A permit has now been issued.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will take steps to check the recent rise in price of imported tomatoes.

I know there have been some instances of unduly high prices for imported tomatoes, but my information is that during the week ending 21st February the average retail price of imported tomatoes in England and Wales was 1s. 6¾d. per pound as compared with a maximum price of 1s. 4d. per pound at this time last year when price control was in operation. We are in consultation with the Trade as to what steps can be taken to achieve an improvement.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that certain trades in the City of Aberdeen are greatly prejudiced by the deprivation of the subsidiary products derived from the slaughtering of cattle there owing to the new war-time practice, since continued, of exporting live instead of dead meat; that unemployment is caused thereby; and what steps he proposes to take to restore those trades and obviate that unemployment.

I am aware that certain processors of animal by-products in Aberdeen are not working to maximum capacity but they are relatively better off for supplies than the processors in other areas. As I informed my hon. and learned Friend in reply to his Question on 23rd February, the movement of live cattle is necessary to provide a reasonable minimum standard of work for slaughtermen in other areas and I am not prepared to alter the present arrangements.

asked the Minister of Food whether an agreement has yet been reached in the negotiations for revised milk distributive margins sufficient to enable retail milk distributors to maintain a full weekend service.

I met deputations from the Producer Retailers' Committee of the National Farmers' Union and the Executive of the Central Milk Distributive Committee on 19th February, and in the light of the recent White Paper on "Personal Incomes, Costs and Prices" (Cmd. 7321) discussed with them their claim for an increase in the retail margin. I have reached the conclusion that it would be contrary to the White Paper policy to grant an increase. I urged the trade to maintain their full services to the public during the present economic difficulties and to co-operate in carrying out the White Paper policy.

asked the Minister of Food what proportions of the total consumption in Great Britain and Northern Ireland of bread, fresh meat, bacon, sugar, butter and cheese were imported from overseas; and what was the cost of each import.

I can best give this information in tabular form.

Food.	Percentage of United Kingdom consumption in 1947 provided by imports.	c.i.f. value of 1947 imports (Trade Navigation Accounts).
	per cent.	£
Wheat and flour	78	118,695,097
Fresh meat (fresh and frozen including offal)	58	84,061,053
Bacon and hams	63	20,958,138
Sugar	74	59,070,767
Butter	94	42,921,810
Cheese	92	31,512,081

It is impossible to state what proportion of the bread consumed was provided by imports. The figure given above for wheat and flour is calculated on the flour equivalent of the wheat and flour used for human consumption.

asked the Minister of Food what percentage of our food requirements was produced in Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the years 1944, 1945, 1946 and 1947, respectively.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Buckrose (Mr. Wadsworth) on 28th January. Complete figures for 1947 are not yet available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that many people recently hired motor coaches to travel from London to Liverpool in order to queue for tickets for a cup tie match; how much petrol was used in this way; and what steps he is taking to prevent a repetition of the consumption of fuel for such a purpose.

I could not, without extensive inquiries, confirm that a motor coach was hired for this purpose. In reply to the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 23rd February to the hon. Member for Solihull (Mr. M. Lindsay).

asked the Minister of Defence what is the estimated gross cost of military expenditure overseas for 1948–49 from which the net figure of £75 million given in paragraph 26 of Command Paper No. 7327 is derived.

Exact information is not available and could not easily be obtained, since part of the total consists of forecasts of local outgoings, rendered by overseas commands on a net basis. At a rough estimate, however, the gross total would be a little more than £100,000,000.

asked the Minister of Defence what is the approximate acreage of land now owned by each of the three Service Departments; how much has been acquired since 1st January, 1947; and whether the approval of Town and Country Planning authorities is sought before such acquisition.

The approximate acreage owned by the three Services on 31st December, 1947, was as follows: Admiralty, 44,000 acres; War Office, 329,000 acres; Air Ministry, 157,000 acres. Since 1st January, 1947, the following approximate acreages have been acquired by the three Services: Admiralty, 1,000 acres; War Office, 1,260 acres; Air Ministry, 23,000 acres. The approval of the Town and Country Planning authorities is sought, as a matter of normal procedure before land is acquired.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will arrange for rice imports from Australia to East Africa to be increased to about 1,500 tons a month.

No. East Africa supplies all its own rice requirements, and has neither asked for nor received an allocation of rice from Australia or any other country under the international rice allocation system at present in force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the production of groundnuts in West Africa is securing speedy sale and shipment, what is the amount that is awaiting disposal at the present time, and what further steps are being taken in respect of future development of this industry in West Africa.

All groundnuts offered for sale in West Africa are bought promptly by the West African Produce Control Board. There is no hold-up in ocean shipment but delay in movement to port is caused by shortage of equipment on the Nigerian Railways. Difficulties have been aggravated by the exceptionally large crops of the last two years. There are now about 290,000 tons of groundnuts in store in Northern Nigeria but this is a period of the year when stocks are normally high since purchases from the new crop are at a peak. Stocks in the Gambia, where no evacuation problem arises, are about 50,000 tons, all from the new crop. The report of a Mission which has recently investigated the possibility of largescale mechanised cultivation in West Africa is now being printed and I am in communication with the Governors about it. I hope to make a statement when the report is published before the Easter Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any further statement to make on the Burutu riot of 21st June, 1947, in the light of subsequent trials; and whether he is satisfied that the incident was properly handled by the police.

I understand that the Acting Governor of Nigeria is at present considering a request for an inquiry into the incident.