asked the Minister of National Insurance how many employees of Approved Societies have applied for positions under his Department since the new National Insurance scheme was introduced; how many have been refused; and whether a reason for rejection is given in every case.

The number of Approved Society employees, wholly or mainly engaged on National Health Insurance work, who have applied for positions in my Department, is 9,537. Of these, all except 412 have been found suitable for employment by the Ministry although not all may accept the appointment offered. The majority of those not found suitable for employment by the Ministry were only recently engaged on a temporary basis by the Societies. It is not the general practice to inform a candidate of the grounds on which he is regarded as unsuccessful.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what percentage of men and of women will not live long enough, according to actuarial calculation, to draw a retirement pension; what is the total contribution towards such a pension paid from age of entry into the scheme till pensionable age; what annuity from pensionable age could be payable under ordinary insurance practice on the equivalent amount of this total contribution; and what lump sum at death at any time could be payable under similar practice by a yearly payment equivalent to the yearly contribution towards a retirement pension.

As regards the first part of the Question, on the basis of the rates of mortality assumed in the finance of the National Insurance scheme, the proportion of men aged 16 who will die before age 65 is 34 per cent., and the proportion of women aged 16 who will die before age 6o is 17 per cent. As regards the remaining parts of the Question, I should be happy to discuss with the hon. and gallant Member the best way of providing him with the information he is seeking.

'asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the discussions proposing a limitation on the availability of dollar aid under the Marshall Plan, the effect of which would be that credits resulting to Britain under the Plan would not be available to underwrite banking operations in the Empire and sterling bloc generally.

No. I know of no such discussions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the cost involved in the facilities which have been made available to the British association football team to play against Spain.

This visit is still under discussion with the Spanish authorities. No facilities, therefore, have as yet been made available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is permitted to take out of the country amounts in excess of £5 when travelling on holiday to Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Poland and Roumania; and in respect of which of these countries negotiations are being conducted to increase the permitted sum.

Travellers are permitted to take with them not more than £5 in sterling notes, but this money is for use to meet their travelling expenses on British transport, or for their immediate needs on returning to this country. Notes so taken may not be spent or exchanged abroad and they are not, therefore, available for holiday purposes in Czechoslovakia or any other country. No negotiations for the resumption of tourist travel are being conducted with any of the countries named in the Question, although the question is likely to be discussed in connection with the trade talks with Yugoslavia which will probably be resumed shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give consideration to the payment of Post-War Credits to ex-Service men of World War II who are over 50 years of age.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to be in a position to announce a lowering of the age limit above which Post-War Credits may be cashed.

Any further release of the Post-War Credits must depend on the economic circumstances, and I cannot at present say when it will be possible to make an announcement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now release unpaid Post-War Credits, especially in the case of ex-Service men and women.

No.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware of the trouble and inconvenience caused to old people who do not have banking accounts by the practice of paying Post-War Credits by means of crossed cheques; and whether he will consider paying these sums by the use of a post office savings book as is done in the case of service gratuities.

The recipient of each of these cheques is told in a covering note how, if he has no banking account, the amount may be obtained through a third person. It was not found practicable to make the payments by the method which the hon. Member suggests.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make public the details of the proposals submitted by His Majesty's Government to the U.S. State Department for the initial programme of contemplated expenditure and earnings in the dollar area.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Brixton (Lieut.-Colonel Lipton) on 13th April, to which I have nothing to add at present.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount of dollars so far paid to the U.S.A. as royalties for patent and other licensing rights on penicillin processes.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the negotiations with the Egyptian Government regarding the payment of pensions to certain former employees of that Government who are British subjects and are now resident abroad, have yet been concluded; and whether the amounts which have already been paid in this country and withheld from the pensioners since Egypt was excluded from the scheduled territories, can now be remitted to them.

Up to the present, the Egyptian authorities have intimated that they are not prepared to provide exchange for British pensioners living in hard currency countries. In their own interest pensioners living in such countries should return to Egypt or the Scheduled Territories. Individual cases of proved hardship, where change of residence is impracticable on account of age, ill-health, or any other reason, will be considered by His Majesty's Government, and the transfer of such pensions abroad will, where necessary, be allowed on compassionate grounds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were allowed to take money to Canada as emigrants from the United Kingdom during 1947; what was the total sum involved; how many had applied for the maximum sum of £5,000; and what was the estimated drain on this country for 1948 before the decision to cut the sum allowed out, was announced.

The total number of approved applications for Canada by individuals or families during 1947 was 15,600. The total cost in foreign exchange during the year was £5·5 million. This total does not relate precisely to the number of applications received, since it includes the annual instalments of those emigrants who left in previous years. The figure of applicants who applied for the transfer of the full £5,000 is not readily available, but 10 per cent. of all new applications received in the first 10 months of 1947 were for the maximum amount. The total expenditure during the first quarter of 1948 was £2·3 million, and the total cost for the year, if the restrictions had not been imposed, might have been of the order of £10 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the adverse visible balance of trade and the drain on our gold and dollar resources during the first quarter of 1948, the estimates contained in the Economic Survey for 1948 on both these points can still be considered accurate.

The balance of payments estimates given in the Economic Survey refer to the first half of 1948. Their accuracy can only be judged retrospectively and I am not therefore prepared to make any amendments to the estimates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of unfunded sterling balances that have been transferred from one holder to another in each year since the end of the war.

Transfers of sterling between countries or monetary areas outside the sterling area or the scheduled territories amounted to £10 million in the second half of 1948, £67 million in the year 1946 and £275 million in the year 1947. These figures are a measure of the multilateral use of sterling between countries in the non-sterling area and are not, of course, an indication of changes in the aggregate of these countries' sterling balances

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an assurance that where, through nationalisation, the incomes and capital of individuals have suffered, an individual making any contribution under the Special Contribution will be allowed to deduct from the total to be paid both loss of interest and capital.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether payments already made on account of the Special Contribution carry discount at the rate of 2 per cent. net per annum calculated from the date of payment to 1st January, 1949.

Yes; that is what I proposed in my Budget and the Finance Bill will so provide.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why Purchase Tax is imposed on second-hand blankets.

Blankets, whether new or second-hand when sold by registered wholesale merchants and manufacturers, are liable to tax under Section 18 (2) of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1940.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many individual articles Purchase Tax is at present levied.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Economic Secretary to the Treasury how many U.S. theatrical productions have appeared in this country in the last 12 months; what total sum in dollars has been remitted in consequence; and what are the corresponding figures for British productions in the U.S.A. and dollar receipts in this country.

Information about the number and earnings of U.S. theatrical productions in this country and of British productions in the U.S.A. is not available. But during the 12 months ending February last the remittances to the United States by entertainment artists, including those engaged in theatrical productions, amounted to £259,000. Comparable figures of receipts by British artists are not available.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in connection with the action which is to be taken in respect of certain civil servants employed on work involving national security, the fact that the wife of a civil servant is a member of the Communist or Fascist Party will be taken into account in considering whether the civil servant himself is associated with the party in question.

Each case will have to be considered on its merits and I can give no answer of general application.

asked the Economic Secretary to the Treasury what are the steel allocations to individual industries for 1948, expressed in tons and in percentages of monthly steel production.

Allocations of steel, as agreed inter-departmentally, are made to Departments, not to industries. It is not the practice to give details of such allocations or of the quantities subsequently authorised by Departments to consumers in particular industries.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the approximate number of British subjects, normally resident in the United Kingdom, who obtain United Kingdom tax exemption in respect of emoluments received by them as officials of international organisations; and how such immunity is certified to his Department.

I cannot say how many obtain the exemption. In any individual case the exemption depends on the facts, which can be verified by reference to the organisation concerned.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many Statutory Rules and Orders were issued in the first quarter of 1948.

Statutory Rules and Orders have now been replaced by Statutory Instruments, of which 653 were registered in the period from 1st January to 31st March, 1948.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has any statement to make on the proposals of the Footwear Distributors' Joint Committee for relaxed controls and reduced coupon values in order to provide cheaper footwear and to clear slow moving stocks.

We are studying the proposals referred to, but are not yet in a position to make any statement on them, except to point out that they are largely based on the assumption that footwear production can be maintained at the high level reached during the last six months. Whether the imported raw materials to permit this will be available to us, and whether we can afford the necessary hard currency for a considerable proportion of them, I cannot yet say.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many feature films were produced in British studios during 1947; and what was the average cost per film.

Forty-nine British films of first feature standard were registered during the 12 months ended 31st March last and may therefore be taken to have been produced during 1947. On the usual assumption that the total costs were about twice the labour costs, the average cost per film was about £220,000.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he will take to increase the inadequate supply of children's utility clothing.

Supplies are as large as the present over-riding need to export textiles will allow. Increased supplies of children's utility and other clothing depend upon a bigger production of textiles.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the demand for sodium compounds both from home and overseas markets considerably exceeds the supply; and whether he has considered increasing the supply by employing firms other than Imperial Chemical Industries on their manufacture.

I am aware that the demand for most sodium compounds tends to exceed the supply, and we are taking all the measures possible to increase it, including the support of suitable projects put forward by firms other than the one mentioned by my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will arrange for surgical belts to be available without the complicated method of giving up coupons and asking for a refund from the Board of Trade.

No. Surgical belts of not more than 6 inches in width specially designed for a number of specified conditions are already available coupon-free. Other types cannot be thus clearly defined and some may be worn in place of other rationed under-garments.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an assurance that the export of tops and woollen or worsted yarns will not be allowed to take priority over or interfere with the fullest possible production in this country for export of the finished product in cloth, clothing or textile articles.

The hon. Member may be assured that the needs of the weaving and knitting industries for export production have and will continue to have first consideration in the allocation of yarn output.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will reconsider his refusal to issue licences to the Aberdeen Fish Buyers and Merchants Association Limited to purchase sets of boxboards from Sweden in view of the support of these applications by the Ministry of Food.

I assume that this Question refers to two applications by the Aberdeen Fish Curers and Merchants' Association which were rejected on currency grounds. These requirements can be met by box-boards cut from timber already in stock in this country, and in these circumstances the expenditure of the foreign currency involved would not be justified.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what anticipated value of textiles will be bought by Denmark under the recently-signed trading agreement; and under what arrangements such importations will be licensed.

The Danish authorities have indicated that during 1948 they expect to issue import licences for United Kingdom textiles to a total value of about £5 million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will consider providing a scheme whereby boarding house keepers who do not hold catering licences can obtain a supply of coupons for tea towels to enable them to carry on their business in a hygienic manner.

I regret that I cannot see my way to make this concession. It would be administratively impossible to distinguish this type of small boarding house from the household taking in occasional lodgers or, indeed, from the ordinary household.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many goods for export the Government have bought from manufacturers and shipped abroad; what proportion of these shipments are still lying in foreign countries unsold; and if he will give separate figures for motor cars and tractors.

I am not aware of any such cases.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now in a position to make any statement about the composition of the new Board of the North-Eastern Trading Estates Ltd.

Yes. The present directors of the Company have given me their willing co-operation and, subject to the approval of the members of the Company at a special meeting to be held on 29th April, the new Articles of Association, which follow closely on those agreed for all the other Estate Companies, will come into force on 1st May. In view of the very important work which still remains to be clone in the North-East, I have decided to appoint a full-time salaried Chairman, who will be Mr. S. A. Sadler Forster. I am now in process of appointing the remaining directors and hope to announce their names shortly.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware of local protests about the regular footpaths and roads which are threatened with permanent closure as a result of the establishment of the Aeronautical Research Station at Twin Woods, Bedfordshire; and whether he will arrange for a full investigation which takes account of the possibility of keeping open all established rights of way by diverting them where necessary or creating alternative routes to meet the convenience of local residents.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport has been asked to take action under the Requisitioned Land and War Works Acts, 1945 and 1948 to close permanently certain highways which would interfere with the use of the Aeronautical Research Station at Twin-wood. Under these Acts there is full machinery for the consideration of objections and for the provision of diversions or substitute highways.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that there is a shortage in Yorkshire of.604 bulbs for bicycle rear lamps; and, what steps he is taking to improve their production and distribution.

The output of this type of bulb has increased, but is not yet sufficient to meet all requirements. I was not aware of a serious shortage in Yorkshire, but if, on investigation, it is found that Yorkshire is not receiving a fair share of available supplies, distribution will be adjusted.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware of the acute shortage of cement in Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland; and whether he will take urgent steps to increase the supply.

I would refer the hon. Lady to the answer given by my right hon. Friend yesterday to the hon. and learned Member for North Aberdeen (Mr. Hector Hughes), from which she will see that steps have already been taken to ship increased supplies of cement to the North East of Scotland.

asked the Minister of Works what action he is taking to increase the supplies of cement in Scotland so that housing schemes may not be delayed on account of the shortage of this essential material.

Steps have been taken to increase the quantity of cement shipped to Scotland to the limit of berthing and loading facilities. In addition, arrangements have been made for further supplies to be available for transport by road.

asked the Minister of Works what was the cost of the Labour training building on A27 at Paulsgrove, Portsmouth.

The estimated cost of erecting this Government Training Centre is £162,850.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will inquire into the number of footpaths diverted during the war at the instance of county agricultural committees, with a view to securing their early reinstatement.

About 2,500 footpaths were diverted under authorities given by county war agricultural executive committees under Defence Regulation 62 (5A). This Regulation was revoked on 28th September, 1945, and committees were then instructed to tell farmers concerned that the protection afforded by the Regulation was withdrawn and that they should restore the public facilities which previously existed.

asked the Minister of Health why it is necessary to provide a doctor's certificate to obtain a surgical belt.

The purpose of the certificate is to ensure that cases of medical need can be easily identified and that materials are not used up for other articles before medical needs are met.

asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the reduction from 160 per cent. to 150 per cent. in the export target and in view of the shortage of steel, he will stop production of nontraditional houses which require much steel and concentrate on traditional house building for which ample materials are available and requires less steel and no Government subsidy.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 15th April.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new hospitals were completed in Scotland in 1947; and the number now under construction.

The limited building resources available for hospital work have been used up till now to improve and extend existing hospitals. No new hospital is now under construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what building in connection with education, was undertaken in 1947; and how much of this included the building of new schools.

During the year 1947, projects in connection with educational provision to the estimated value of £2,500,000 were authorised. Of this amount approximately £1,500,000 is applicable to hutments being erected by the Ministry of Works for the raising of the school leaving age, and £330,000 to the erection of new schools. The expenditure actually incurred during the year amounted to approximately £820,000, of which £470,000 applied to hutment buildings. These figures do not include expenditure on school meals provision where this is not included as part of the main structure of new schools. The estimated expenditure on school meals projects during 1947 is £630,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the confusion created by the issue of the circular from his Department dealing with those tenants who are under notice to leave their premises before May term; and if he will make a further statement to announce his future policy.

I informed local authorities in a circular dated 7th April that I should be glad to have particulars of cases affecting shop tenancies where it appeared to them that the circumstances would justify consideration of the use of requisitioning powers. So far as I am aware, the procedure to be followed is generally understood and no confusion has been caused by the circular.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware of the present derelict state of Sherington Nurseries, Newport Pagnall, Bucks.; what were the horticultural qualifications of the tenant introduced by the Newport Pagnall sub-committee in 1941 after the requisition of the premises and the eviction of Mr. C. C. Peach; what subsidies, pay and allowances were made to such tenants; how long the premises were granted free of rent; what other occupations were followed by these tenants; and what labour was supplied on their entry in 1941 when it was refused to the owner.

The Buckinghamshire Agricultural Executive Committee took possession of land at Sherrington Nurseries in April, 1941. The Committee were themselves unable to undertake cultivation and had difficulty in finding tenants willing to do so. Eventually they agreed to let the property to joint tenants, by profession a consulting physician and a blood transfusion organiser, who although themselves having no particular horticultural qualifications, engaged as a manager a fully qualified horticulturalist approved by the committee. Under this arrangement the production of food from the holding was greatly increased.Under the terms of agreement with the committee in regard to rent, based on the report of a valuer on the condition of the premises, no rent was paid between April, 1941, and September, 1942, during which period, pending completion of somewhat extensive repair work, the tenants were not in full beneficial occupation of the premises. The tenants were paid a potato subsidy in the usual way, but otherwise received nothing in the nature of pay or allowance in respect of their occupation of the nursery.I understand that the tenants engaged adequate labour on taking over the property and I do not accept the suggestion that the committee had previously refused to fulfil any specific application by Mr. Peach for labour which they were properly in a position to supply. The property was derequisitioned on 31st October, 1947, and I am aware that since that date no effective arrangements appear to have been made by Mr. Peach for cultivation, and he has apparently refrained from fulfilling his responsibilities under the Agriculture Act, 1947. I understand that he considers that, if he did so, his present negotiations for settlement of claims arising from the derequisition might be prejudiced. As I informed the hon. Member on 18th December last, I am advised that this is not so, and Mr. Peach has been so informed. If the land is not properly cultivated the provisions of the Act will of course have to be brought into operation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any statement to make with regard to the payment of allowances to jurors.

The Government have had under consideration the question whether jurors, in both civil and criminal cases, should be eligible for payment of travelling expenses, subsistence and compensation for loss of earnings or income and have decided to introduce legislation making provision for such payment when opportunity permits in the lifetime of the present Parliament. It is proposed that the opportunity should be taken at the same time to implement the decision, announced by the Attorney-General in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Maldon (Mr. Driberg) on 27th March, 1947, that, with the exception of the City of London special jury in commercial causes, special juries should be abolished.

asked the Minister of Pensions what was the total number of allowances issued in respect of wives and children of post-disability marriages, respectively, on 31st March; and the annual cost of each.

I regret that I am unable to give up-to-date figures, and the information I have mainly relates to 1914 war pensioners where the effect of the removal of the post-disability marriage bar is readily ascertainable. The approximate numbers and annual cost at 31st December, 1947, in respect of 1914 war pensioners were as follows:

		Number	Annual Cost
Wives	…	164,000	£1,783,000
Children	…	118,000	961,000

As regards pensioners of the 1939 war, my records show only the numbers and annual cost at 31st December, 1947, of cases arising before February, 1946, in which there was a post-disability marriage. The particulars for this limited period are as follows:

		Number	Annual Cost
Wives	…	26,000	£289,000
Children	…	42,000	£346,000

With the introduction from February, 1946, of the provision enabling post-disability marriages within ten years after discharge to be recognised, and the abolition of this time limit as from January, 1947, it became unnecessary to continue to make a distinction as regards post-disability marriages.

asked the Minister of Pensions what was the total number of pensioners on 31st March receiving the maximum by way of pension and higher wife's allowance and allowances for two children, plus unemployability supplement, plus constant attendance allowance; and the annual cost of these pensioners.

I regret that the statistics of my Department are not kept in

NUMBERS OF INSURED PERSONS REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED AT THE GREAT YARMOUTH EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGE AND JUVENILE EMPLOYMENT BUREAU.
Industry.			15th March, 1948.	13th March, 1939.
Building	…	…	83	237
Civil engineering construction	…	…	27	54
Sawmilling and machined woodwork	…	…	33	22
Electric apparatus, cable, lamps, etc.	…	…	16	4
Hotel, boarding house, restaurant, etc., service	…	…	150	667
Goods transport by road	…	…	27	52
Fishing	…	…	135	566
Dock and harbour service	…	…	51	364
Food, drink and tobacco manufacture	…	…	101	325
Distributive trades	…	…	73	597
National government service	…	…	24	58
Local government service	…	…	58	275
Entertainments, sports, etc.	…	…	91	229
Agriculture	…	…	31	194
All other industries and services	…	…	200	790
TOTAL—All industries and services	…	…	1,100	4,434

asked the Minister of Labour (r) the numbers of unemployed, men and women, registering at the employment exchanges of Glasgow at the latest convenient date; and on the corresponding date in 1939;

INSURED PERSONS AGED 14 YEARS AND OVER REGISTERED AS UNEMPLOYED.
Employment Exchanges.		15th March, 1948.		13th March, 1939.
		Males.	Females.	Males.	Females.
Glasgow area	…	14,961	4,920	60,073	16,567
*Finnieston	…	744	312	2,802	793
*Glasgow Central (Waterloo Street)	…	1,923	146	8,348	2,005
* Also included in Glasgow area.

asked the Minister of Labour what were the figures of unemployed registered at the Great Yarmouth employment exchange at the latest convenient date; and in the corresponding date in 1939, in trade groups.

The following table gives the desired information:(2) the number of unemployed, men and women, registered at the Finmiston and Waterloo Street employment exchanges of Glasgow at the latest convenient date; and at the corresponding date in 1939, respectively.

The following table gives the information desired:

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed in the five principal trade groups, respectively, registered at employment exchanges in Glasgow at the latest convenient date.

At 15th March, 1948, the numbers were as follows:—transport and communications, 2,235; engineering 2,003; distributive trades, 1,940; building, 1,120; shipbuilding and ship repairing, 1,068.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of people registered as unemployed in Wallasey on 14th April or the nearest convenient date.

1,075 males and 518 females at 15th March. The figures for April are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Committee on Courts Martial have now reported; and when the report will be published.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Bosworth (Mr. A. Allen).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to enable him to prevent any person convicted of a criminal offence from broadcasting.

No.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the total number of types of forms and licences at present being handled over the counters of post offices.

Main post office counters stock 20 different types of licences and 26 relative declaration forms or certificates.