asked the Minister of Works what is the amount of the licence granted to the "Daily Worker" on the construction of its new building in Farringdon Street.

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bucklow (Mr. Shepherd) on 1st December last.

Whatever the amount, how does the right hon. Gentleman justify such a large expenditure at this time, when the workers, and others, are so badly in need of houses?

The work was originally started and a licence granted, with the support of the Ministry of Information, in December, 1945. Work subsequently required by the district surveyor resulted in some increase in the expenditure involved.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the sum total of the property owned by the Tory and Liberal Press?

That is quite another question, and has nothing to do with this one.

asked the Minister of Works on what grounds he has ref used the Iveagh Trustees a permit for repairs of Ken Wood House; and whether he will reconsider his decision.

A licence for the repair of Ken Wood House at a cost of £1,500 has been issued.

Is the Minister aware that this announcement will give very great satisfaction to a large number of Londoners who take a great interest in this matter?

asked the Minister of Works if he will give details of the building materials supplied to the Communist offices at the corner of King Street and Bedford Street, Strand, during the last two years to date; and, in view of the acute demand for housing material why priority was given to any of these supplies.

Licences were granted mainly for essential repairs and fire protection required by the London County Council. I cannot give details of the materials actually supplied. Priority was granted for the supply of certain materials in order that the work should not come to a stop.

In view of recent developments, will His Majesty's Government show that they mean real business about this Communist menace and requisition this property and hand it over to business firms?

That does not affect the real business.

May I ask whether the Minister of Works thinks it extremely desirable that there should be a fire in this building?

asked the Minister of Works if he is aware of the shortage of cement supplies in Scotland; and if he will take action to ensure an adequate and continuous supply.

There was a temporary dislocation in the supply of cement to Scotland early this month, due to interference by fog with shipping. The present rate of shipment will ensure that Scotland receives a fair share of the supplies of cement available for the home market.

Can the Minister give an assurance that he will maintain a continuous and adequate supply in view of the fact that 200 men were put out of employment a fortnight ago because of the shortage there?

The Minister would like to do so, but he is not in charge of fog and other things which hinder transport.

Is the Minister aware that a shortage of plasterboard is causing a hold-up of housing all over the West of Scotland, and will he help in this respect?

That is quite another question.

asked the Minister of Works whether he will make a statement about the strike of industrial employees in his Department.

asked the Minister of Works if he has any statement to make on the unofficial strike of the maintenance men employed by his Department in the Palace of Westminster and other Government establishments.

I am glad to say that the men have resumed work.

Will the Minister use whatever influence he may have in the matter to ensure that the further negotiations are not unduly protracted, either by the representatives of the trade unions or anyone else concerned in the matter?

Certainly there is going to be no undue protraction. I understand the trade union representatives and the Minister of Labour are meeting this afternoon.

In view of the fact that these employees have been asking to have their wages reviewed for the last 18 months, could the Minister ask his Department to keep in closer touch with their employees?

There is some misunderstanding in regard to the 18 months. As a matter of fact, a formal application was only submitted in January of this year.

Can the Minister say when the boilers are to be relighted?

The boilers have been relighted, and hot water will come on between four and five o'clock this afternoon.

Wherever the responsibility lies for the long delay in this case, if it be the case that something like 18 months have elapsed since this matter was first raised, is it not possible for the Government to impress upon trade unions and Government Departments alike the necessity for the urgent treatment of such claims?

Certainly. It would help particularly if the trade union organisations themselves formulated their request at a rather more rapid rate than was done in this particular case.

Could my right hon. Friend say what the average wage of these men has been?

asked the Minister of Works (1) how long he expects it will be before the full production of bricks in Bedfordshire will be restored; and what steps are being taken to clear and make use of the accumulated stocks in this part of the country for housing;

(2) what are the reasons for the closure of Elstow Brickworks, Bedfordshire, and for the reduction in the night shift at the Stewartby works, having regard to Me housing needs of the country.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Ealing, East (Sir F. Sanderson), on 15th March.

Is not this surplus of bricks due to the political venom of the Minister of Health?

Is it not a fact that only a few months ago the Minister was pressing brickworks which had been closed during the war to reopen? Is it not the case now that many brickworks which were reopened at great expense will have to be closed?

It is true that some time ago we were pressing them to reopen. The present situation is testimony to the efficiency of what we did. The immediate difficulty is only temporary, and I am sure that it will be overcome in a short period.

Does the situation which is set out in my Questions virtually mean that the supply of bricks has outrun the supply of timber in this country, and if so how soon will the balance be redressed?

The limiting factors in building work are timber and steel. Without them, the consumption of bricks cannot be brought up to the normal standard.

asked the Minister of Works if he is aware that for the last year discussions have been taking place between the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Works relative to the release of the timber storage sheds of Messrs. Burt, Boulton and Haywood of Totton, Hampshire; that these discussions have still proved inconclusive; and whether in view of the urgent need for adequate timber storage space in this country he will take action to have these premises de-requisitioned forthwith.

In consultation with the Board of Trade my Department has been trying for several months to find alternative premises for the Fire Service who are occupying the storage sheds. Accommodation is now being adapted for the purpose and it is hoped to release the storage sheds by August.

The Minister says, "It is hoped." Can he give a more definite assurance than that? No doubt he realises that the release was promised in May last year, and that many vague promises such as the one the right hon. Gentleman has given this afternoon have been given. Can he give us something more definite now?

No. I exhibit, in this matter, the one conservative characteristic I have of being careful about giving dates in advance.

asked the Minister of Works what is his policy as regards the requisitioning of shops and parts of stores as offices by Government Departments; whether he is aware that one Ministry has used large floor space in a Brighton store since 1940, causing considerable loss to this store; and whether he will make arrangements to transfer this burden to some other firm or to the local borough.

It is my policy to restrict requisitioning of vacant accommodation to the minimum and I should only requisition occupied premises in the most exceptional circumstances. This applies to shops and stores as to other premises. I am aware that the Brighton Food Office is still in part of a Brighton store and I am anxious to move it elsewhere as soon as suitable vacant premises can be found.

Does the right hon. Gentleman really think that it is British fair play to have landed this one particular business, since 1940, with all the expenses of the cost and loss arising out of having the Ministry of Food there? Does he not think that the question of finding other premises which are suitable is a matter for urgent decision, because there are other borough premises which could be used? Will the right hon. Gentleman look into the matter and take a more active interest in it?

I have looked into the question of the borough premises referred to, and I am assured by the Corporation that they are required for specific Corporation purposes.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that they are not required for other purposes for a year or two? Surely the Ministry of Food does not intend to remain there indefinitely.

My information is not what the hon. Member has given.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress is being made in Turkey in the organisation of classes in English for Turkish students; and how far the work of the British Council has been recognised by reciprocal action on the part of the Turkish authorities.

The English classes organised by the British Council in Turkey are now well established and were attended by 4,542 students in the last quarter of 1947, which compares with 4,563 students for the same quarter of 1946. Increasing emphasis is being laid on the training of Turkish teachers of English and it is hoped that this work, which is now undertaken at Ankara, will shortly be extended to Istanbul and Izmir. The British Council in Turkey receives a full measure of cooperation from the Turkish authorities.

Does the hon. Gentleman contemplate the extension of this beneficent work in Turkey, and can he say whether the shortage of teachers of English prevents more active progress?

We would willingly extend it but we have to bear in mind the question of overseas expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state, as at the latest convenient date, the number of institutes under the direction of the British Council now in operation in Spain; the totals of members and students attached to the institutes; and how far the cultural activities of the British Council are receiving expanding co-operation from the Spanish people.

There are five British institutes in Spain under the direction of the British Council. At the end of December, 1947, there were 4,606 students and 3,772 members attached to these institutes. These figures represent a slight decrease from the total of the previous year.

In view of the great progress made in this work of the British Council in Spain, would the hon. Gentleman consider whether the time has not arisen for a review of our diplomatic relations with Spain to bring about more friendly understanding?

That is an entirely different question.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us, about the 4,000 odd students and the 3,000 odd members, how much these two figures overlap, how much the same persons occur in both lists?

I do not think they overlap, but I would like notice of that question.

Is there still any stipulation about the religion of representatives of the British Council in Spain?

I would like notice of that question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement as to the number and membership of the Anglo-Swedish societies organised in Sweden by the British Council; and as to how far the educational activities of the Council are being encouraged and supported by universities and schools throughout Sweden.

There are 77 Anglo-Swedish societies in Sweden with a total membership estimated at, well over 10,000. They are, however, not organised by the British Council but are all autonomous organisations founded on Swedish initiative. The British Council receives considerable support from universities and schools throughout Sweden. British Council summer schools are well attended, large groups of Swedish teachers have at their own expense attended refresher courses in Britain and competition for British Council scholarships is extremely keen. In addition an increasing number of specialists are interesting themselves in British achievements and in many cases their investigations are sponsored by official Government organisations. Various county educational boards have asked the British Council to run a number of courses under their auspices and at their expense.

Do not these replies indicate that the work of the British Council in these various countries is having a great effect on their attitude to the significance of British friendship, and their appreciation of the British way of life?

I agree. I think it is a very useful contribution.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will now consider the publication of a White Paper describing the negotiations which led to an agreement, approved by the British Prime Minister in September, 1944, on the Morgenthau scheme for the pastoralisation of Germany; the precise terms of the agreement; and any subsequent negotiations which may have taken place leading to the abrogation of the agreement.

The so-called Morgenthau Plan was considered by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Woodford (Mr. Churchill) and President Roosevelt during the Quebec Conference in September, 1944. It was then carefully examined by His Majesty's Government, as were a number of other plans for the future of Germany, but was never adopted or agreed to. Except on the one occasion of the Quebec Conference there were no negotiations on the plan between His Majesty's Government and the United States Government, and the plan lapsed. In these circumstances it is not considered that any useful purpose would be served by publishing a White Paper on the subject.

Will my hon. Friend direct the attention of the Foreign Secretary to the revelations made by Mr. Cordell Hull in his memoirs, recently published in the United States, which contradict the evidence now given to this House that no agreement was finally reached on this subject; and does he not think that it is high time the whole of this murky matter was examined, and a full statement made to this House by those responsible for signing this infamous document?

I think that is an injustly sinister interpretation to put upon what went on. The truth is that President Roosevelt and the right hon. Gentleman did initial a document at Quebec. Presumably, the right hon. Gentleman's agreement was subject to consideration by his colleagues, and that was as far as that agreement—so called—went at the Quebec Conference. I do not consider such a sinister interpretation should be placed upon it.

Are we to understand from that statement that the British Government of the time repudiated the signature which the right hon. Member for Woodford (Mr. Churchill) affixed to the document?

I think that the hon. Gentleman cannot now ask the right hon. Member for Woodford to make a statement, because he is not responsible at the moment. One cannot go back. That is an old ruling of this House.

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, if I said that the agreement was signed, I should have said that it was initialled—[HON. MEMBERS: "You did say it was initialled."] It was an initial on a discussion which took place. Of course, I have no doubt it was taken that any initial of that kind would be subject to agreement by the right hon. Gentleman's colleagues.

May I ask how the hon. Gentleman reconciles what he has just said with the generally accepted view in America that the Morgenthau Plan formed the basis for the Potsdam Agreement, and will he take my hon. Friend's advice, and call the attention of his right hon. Friend to the Cordell Hull revelations, which really will astound him if he reads them carefully?

I can only speak from my own information. I cannot accept responsibility for generally accepted views in other countries.

Has it not been most generously admitted by former Secretary of State Byrnes, that our conduct in this matter was a great deal more farsighted than that of either the United States of America or the Soviet Union?

In view of the tact that there is a real discrepancy between the statements made by my hon. Friend and the evidence given by Mr. Cordell Hull, does not the Minister think that it would be a good thing that there should be a full publication of all the reports of discussions which went on, and the publication of documents, which have never been presented to this House, even though they have been published in all the newspapers in the United States?

I am not aware of these discrepancies, but perhaps I have not sufficiently studied the source of information to which the hon. Gentleman refers. I do not accept this sinister interpretation. I think the facts I have stated are a straightforward and perfectly plain account of what happened.

In view of the obscurity of this matter, I wish to give notice that I shall raise it on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any decision has yet been reached to discontinue the dismantling in the British zone of Germany of factories which can be used for peaceful production.

No, Sir.

Is my hon. Friend aware that public opinion in the country as a whole hopes that very soon a decision will be announced that the dismantling of these factories has definitely been ended?

Can the hon. Gentleman say how long this suicidal nonsense is to continue? Is it going on at the present time, and how much longer is it to go on?

In view of the fact that the Government have said that Western Germany is expected to play its part in the Marshall Recovery Plan, is it really intended to continue dismantling Western Germany's industrial equipment?

I have nothing to add now to the policy statements that have been made on this question already by my right hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will publish a statement, giving the housing programme for 1948 and 1949, respectively, for each of the main industrial cities in the British zone of Germany.

No, Sir. All housing programmes are drawn up by the Germans themselves, and owing to the crippling shortage of building materials practically all of them are confined to repairs and maintenance. They are not communicated to the Control Commission and I regret that an unjustifiable expenditure of time and effort would be involved in their collection. The only programme available is the Ruhr miners' two-year housing programme, in which, owing to its economic importance, the Control Commission has had to retain a direct interest. I am sending a copy of this programme to my hon. Friend.

Can my hon. Friend say to what extent the general building of new houses is being restricted by this ridiculous programme of dismantling plants which are capable of producing both building machinery and building equipment? He must know that, otherwise he cannot have dismantled any.

The dismantling programme, as has often been explained, takes into account the fact that there are not sufficient materials to keep in production the plant dismantled. Therefore, the underlying assumption of my hon. Friend's supplementary question is not valid.

Yes, but as no new houses have been built, and as machinery is required for the purpose, and the works for building machinery are being dismantled —how does he tie all that up together? Surely, it is absurd.

I would not like to carry this argument much further without notice. I do not think that anything the hon. Member has said is inconsistent with my view that shortage of materials could account for all of it, Mr. Stokes: No houses have been produced.

If the Ruhr miners are to get new houses, will the Minister guarantee that the miners' wives will be given sufficient soap?

In view of the fact that we are finally responsible for the government of this part of Germany, and of the fact that housing conditions there are so utterly deplorable, cannot the Minister do something to obtain for the House the information on the subject which we ought to have?

I do not think I can really give an undertaking to provide the facts in respect of housing outside the Ruhr. That is not a matter for the Control Commission, and I believe that the statistics would involve a great deal of expense and labour to acquire, but, on the Ruhr housing programme, I will willingly make the information available and send a copy to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Food the number of officials engaged in the administration of the B.U. scheme of bread rationing; and whether he is satisfied that present results still justify the expenditure of this manpower.

About 750 local food office staff spread over 1,200 food offices deal with bread rationing. I am satisfied that the results of the bread rationing scheme still justify the labour expended upon it.

Is it not a fact that this particular scheme has broken down in many parts of the country to a point where B.U.s are no longer collected, and is not this an indication that the matter needs reconsideration?

In view of the fact that the population has increased by two millions since 1946, and that flour delivered for human consumption is less by 2.6 per cent, than the amount delivered in 1946, I think this is still justified.

Can the hon. Lady confirm or deny the story which appeared in today's papers that bread rationing is to cease shortly?

No, Sir.

Can the hon. Lady mention any parts of the country where the scheme is actually operating at all?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the fact that ample supplies are likely to be available, he will reconsider his decision to reimpose control of the distribution of home grown tomatoes.

asked the Minister of Food if he is yet in a position to make a statement about the price and distribution of tomatoes for the 1948 season.

As my hon. Friends will know, strongly conflicting advice has been given to us by the trades concerned. My right hon. Friend has, however, decided that price control must be introduced but distribution will be effected under a voluntary scheme, under which the N.F.U. ensure that, where necessary, loadings are made in consultation with my Department.

Is my hon. Friend aware that she is to be congratulated on this very wise decision, which will improve distribution, reduce the cost to the consumer and will no longer leave the wholesalers under the regrettable necessity of taking money for which they have done no work? Will she also look into similar schemes of food distribution to see whether similar action can be taken, because wholesalers would like to perform their normal functions and not receive money for nothing?

As price control of tomatoes has led to a serious shortage in the past, can the hon. Lady say how she will prevent a shortage arising in future?

As it will cover only six weeks, I think the hon. Gentleman has sufficient knowledge to know that, after six weeks, there might be a glut.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that an Australian gift tin of cooking fat, recently sent to a resident of Braintree, is embossed with the word "Poison"; if, in view of the concern and confusion caused by this error, he will cause the contents of the tin to be analysed at public expense; whether other similar cases have been reported to him; and if he will make representations with a view to preventing a repetition of the error.

I am informed that the cooking fat was a gift sent privately through the post from Australia. I do not think that the Government are called upon to have private parcels analysed at the public expense, but the recipient can do so if he wishes on payment of a small fee. No similar case has come to my notice, but I do not see how representations on my part could prevent a repetition of the error.

Can the hon. Lady assure us that, in future, this particular title will apply only to English cooking fat?

Could my hon. Friend at least give some helpful advice to my constituent, who is in grave domestic embarrassment? He tells his wife to go ahead and use it because it is probably all right, and she says that she does not quite like to.

Yes, I can give my hon. Friend some good advice. All he has to do is to have it analysed and pay the bill.

Is this not a matter where the Member of Parliament for the constituency might be very useful?

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that onions were unprocurable from any shop in Glasgow during week ending 14th March, and at the same time these were selling in large quantities at more than double the controlled price on all the barrow-stances of the city; and can he indicate the source of supply to the Glasgow barrow-stances.

These alleged irregularities have already been brought to the notice of our enforcement officers and investigations are proceeding. My hon. Friend may like to know that since January, 1947, over 160 successful prosecutions against street traders in Glasgow have been undertaken.

Does not my hon. Friend know the source of supply? Could not her enforcement officers tell her that they know where these barrows are being loaded every day, and the exact spot at which they are being loaded? Does not my hon. Friend also know that bananas like these are being sold every day in large quantities in the streets of Glasgow? Does she doubt that?

No, I do not doubt what my hon. Friend says. I will let my hon. Friend have the information.

Is it not apparent that, in spite of these prosecutions, this has been a complete triumph for free enterprise?

Can my hon. Friend hold out any hopes to the House that supplies in the coming months will be sufficiently great to make this "under-the-counter" business unnecessary?

Will the hon. Lady arrange for the bananas which have been displayed by my hon. Friend to be placed in the Library?

asked the Minister of Food what saving he anticipates will be made in manpower, time and efficiency by the proposed transfer of all trade work concerning local retailers from the local food offices at Uttoxeter, Rugeley and Stone to the food office at Stafford; and what benefit to the retailers concerned will result.

About 10 staff will be saved by the transfer of trade work for Rugeley and Stone to Stafford. Uttoxeter is not included in the scheme. Centralised trade pools already set up in different parts of the country are working smoothly, and experience has shown that they economise in manpower and provide an efficient service to traders.