asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what answer he has given or proposes to give to the resolution sent to him by the Scottish area of the National Union of Mineworkers demanding a complete and unqualified withdrawal of the statement made by Sir Charles Reid, production director of the National Coal Board to the effect that though more machinery is being sent to the pits, output per man is falling; and will he make a statement on the position.

The resolution to which the hon. Member refers was sent to me for information five days ago and has been acknowledged. The answer to the last part of the Question is "No."

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he has considered the report sent to him by Mr. J. Bowman, vice-president of the National Union of Mineworkers and director of manpower, stating that the recruitment of European voluntary workers and Poles is considerably below expectation, and that arrears of recruitment of juvenile workers is mounting at an alarming rate; and what action he proposes to take on this report.

A copy of Mr. Bowman's report has been sent to me by the National Union of Mineworkers and I am considering it in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make exceptions in approved cases so as to enable a British couple to adopt an orphan child of one of our former Allies.

I have no power to make exceptions from the provision in the Adoption Act, 1926, excluding any infant who is not a British subject, but when there is an opportunity of amending legislation I will consider whether it is necessary to retain or modify this limitation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why mounted police were sent into the crowd attending the Fascist meeting in Hertford Road, Hackney, last Saturday.

I am informed that part of the crowd was disorderly and mounted police as well as foot police were used for the purpose of dispersing it and restoring order.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why a Fascist meeting, which disturbed the peace, was allowed to be held in Camden Road, Islington, on Saturday last.

No political meeting was in fact held in the road in question on the 1st May but the procession of the Union Movement ended its march there and immediately dispersed. Some disturbance was caused by the throwing of missiles at the marchers as they broke up.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received a report from the Commissioner of Police about the Fascist demonstration in Islington last Saturday; and whether he has any statement to make about the possibility of future incidents of this kind.

I would refer to the answer given today to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Central Hackney (Mr. H. Hynd).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to enact the recommendations of the Committee on Clerks and Justices, 1944, Command Paper No. 6507.

I am anxious to introduce legislation on the matters dealt with in the Report of the Departmental Committee on Justices' Clerks, but I am not yet in a position to say when it will be possible for me to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct the Commissioner of Police to arrange for the moving on of large and noisy meetings from the streets to those parks and open spaces suitable for such meetings.

It is desirable that organisers of outdoor meetings should hold them in places where there is no risk of obstruction to traffic or of disturbance to residents, but the police are not justified in intervening unless a meeting gives rise,

—	Total numbers registered as unemployed.		Number of registered disabled persons included in preceding column.		Disabled persons unemployed for more than 3 months at December, 1947.
	Males.	Females.	Males.	Females.	Males.	Females.
Whitehaven employment exchange	199	85	118	7	81	—
Cleator Moor employment exchange	183	31	51	1	36	—
Millom employment exchange	26	7	17	—	5	—

The numbers of disabled who had been unemployed for more than 3 months are available only In respect of December, 1947.The figures in the table exclude disabled men requiring employment under sheltered condition

asked the Minister of Labour if periodical progress reports regarding recruitment of workers for the cotton industry have been issued; whether these reports included progress made in regard to provision of day nurseries; and if these reports will be made available.

Figures showing the numbers of workers employed in the cotton industry are issued monthly by my Department and appear in a Press statement and in the Ministry of Labour Gazette, copies of both of which are available in the Library. For the future I have arranged to include in the monthly report placed in the Library a note of progress made in the provision of day nurseries.

asked the Minister of Labour to state, for the last available date, the total number of unemployed signing on at the Whitehaven and Cleator Moor and Millom employment exchanges respectively, male and female to be shown separately; also the number of disabled persons signing on, those who have been signing on for more than three months to be shown separately.

The numbers of insured persons registered as unemployed at 12th April were as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of each series of "Matters of Fact" have

Issue.	Subjects.	Numbers of		Total	Cost of
		Printed Copies.	Duplicated Copies.		Printing	Staff.
					£	£
1	5	2,285	300	2,585	62	50
2	5	3,010	300	3,310	52	63
3	1	3,010	300	3,310	15	21
4	5	3,020	300	3,320	64	56
5	4	3,000	300	3,300	67	83
					Total Costs	£533

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a detailed list of securities in which the surplus of the Unemployment Fund is invested, their cost price and their value at the latest available date.

I would refer the hon. Member to the particulars given to Parliament in the Report of the Unemployment Insurance Statutory Committee (House of Commons Print No. 106), which shows the securities held by the National Debt Commissioners at 31st December, 1947, and in the Unemployment Fund Investment Account of securities held at 31st March, 1948 (House of Commons Print No. 120).

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will make a statement regarding the total amount of payments made under the War Damage Act where repairs or rebuilding have been carried out; and the total administrative costs of the War Damage Commission to the last convenient date.

Up to 31st March last, payments in respect of work which has been carried out totalled about £522,500,000. Total administrative expenses of the War Damage Commission in respect of all their duties since 1941 have totalled about £7,000,000 to the same date, excluding allied services rendered by other Departments.

Following is a statement of the numbers of copies produced, together with the relative costs:

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the number of eviction orders granted against tenants of property in London and the home counties; that rest centres and similar institutions offering temporary accommodation to families are in many cases now full; what arrangements exist to provide such accommodation outside the area where these families were evicted or had to leave their habitation; if he has considered the need of requisitioning halls to accommodate these families; and if he has information as to the approximate number of families who need to be so accommodated.

I am aware that some eviction orders are being granted by the courts. Local authorities already have powers to provide accommodation and they are doing their utmost to help people in distressing circumstances. The answer to the last part of the Question is "No."

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish in HANSARD a table showing the number of temporary hutments, Nissen and Uni-Seco respectively, built in each of the Metropolitan boroughs.

The following are the figures:

asked the Minister of Health the reason for the delay in publishing Statutory Instruments 652 and 653 of 1948 until a date nine days after they purport to come into effect.

These instruments were made on 3oth March and came into effect on 1st April. They had to be laid before Parliament but this could not take place before 6th April. They were published as soon as possible after laying. Local authorities' associations were consulted beforehand and local authorities were told the purport of the instruments.

asked the Minister of Health if under his regulations a doctor now employed as an assistant may on 5th July commence a separate practice from his principal, providing patients wish to be placed on his panel and the district is not considered to be over doctored, or must he commence outside of the area in which he is now practising as an assistant doctor.

With the agreement of the Medical Practices Committee, an assistant may, on or after 5th July, practise as a principal in any area under the National Health Service, but the agreement of the Committee would not relieve him from any restrictions imposed by any personal legal agreement previously entered into with principal.

asked the Minister of Health what plans have been drawn up to ensure that the 100 to 120 day nurseries required for children whose mothers desire to return to the cotton industry will become available within the next eight months.

All Departments concerned are working together, both centrally and regionally, to secure the provision of additional nurseries by firms and local authorities as quickly as possible.

asked the Minister of Health if he will increase the financial grant of 55 per cent. to local authorities whose day nursery schemes could be extended and so bring the grant more into line with the 100 per cent. grant made during the war.

The grant payable from 5th July next towards the cost of local health services, which include clay nurseries, has recently been fixed as part of the wider general scheme of financial help to local authorities embodied in the Local Government Act, 1948. I could not properly raise the existing rate in the meantime.

asked the Minister of Education whether he will issue instructions to all school authorities that the information required for Main School Medical Records, Form 10 M, is only to be obtained when volunteered by a parent and never by questioning a child.

I am considering whether the existing instructions should be made more specific, but it was never my intention that the information needed should be obtained by questioning a child.

asked the Minister of Education whether he still anticipates that the temporary school classrooms at the former Isolation Hospital, Sheldon, Birmingham, will be ready for occupation in June, 1948.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Education why it is necessary for children reaching the age of 15 to continue at school till the end of the current term.

Section 8 (1) of the Education Act, 1946, requires it.

asked the Minister of Education how many applications for grants to send children to fee-paying schools have been made; how many of these have been granted; how many have been refused; and how many of the grants allotted were for boarding schools.

My approval is required only to the general arrangements made by local education authorities for assisting pupils to attend fee-paying schools, and I am not informed about their application to individual cases. I am, therefore, unable to supply the desired information.

asked the Minister of Education how many infants entered school in 1945, 1946, 1947; and what is the estimated intake for 1948.

My Department does not collect separate statistics about children entering school. It is, however, estimated that the numbers of children under eight years of age entering maintained and assisted schools in 1946 and 1947 were 535,000 and 565,000 repectively, and that the number in 1948 will be 585,000. No estimate can be made of the number in 1945.

asked the Minister of Education how many women and men teachers are teaching in infant schools at the last convenient date; and how many more are required.

In January, 1947, about 27,400 women were teaching in infants' departments. There were also some 21,000 women teaching infants' classes in junior and all-age departments. I shall shortly be issuing a circular setting out in as much detail as possible the estimated requirements and supply of teachers for the next five years.

asked the Minister of Education whether his committee on the recruitment and supply of teachers for infants' schools has yet reported; and what were the terms of the report.

The Interim Committee for Teachers has given and will continue to give me advice on this and similar problems.

asked the Minister of Education whether, with the inauguration of the new examination for a general certificate of education in 1951, he will arrange for the examination to be held at an earlier date than the present school certificate examination in order to facilitate a proper spread-over of holidays.

That is my intention.

asked the Minister of Education what arrangements are made for the education of the children of canal boatmen who live upon their boats and who have no permanent residence ashore.

There are two schools in Middlesex which cater specially for the education of canal boat children. At the request of the National Joint Council for the Inland Waterway Industry the Birmingham local education authority are considering the establishment of a hostel where a number of these children can be accommodated and so enabled to attend school more easily.

asked the Minister of Education how many new schools have been built since August, 1945; and the number of places that have been provided.

Sixteen new schools with places for some 4,000 pupils have been built since August, 1945. A much larger number of new schools is under construction, and many of them are now nearly ready. Many other new places have been and are being provided at existing schools but it is not possible without undue labour to say how many.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations if the Government of Eire has been invited to take part in the deliberations about Western Union, and with what result.

No. No other Government has yet been invited to take part in the consultations between the Five Powers who are parties to the Brussels Treaty of 17th March.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why Mr. S. A. Sadler Forster has been appointed full-time chairman, at £3,000 per annum, of North-Eastern Trading Estates, Limited, and Mr. E. Brunning, C.B.E., has been appointed part-time chairman, unpaid, of Wales and Monmouthshire Estates, Limited.

The extent and nature of the work which I wish to see carried out in the North-East are such that I consider it desirable to appoint a full-time salaried chairman in this instance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many jet turbine engines and component parts, respectively, have been exported to the U.S.S.R.

Fifty-five gas turbine engines of types not included in the secret list, and available for export generally have been exported to the U.S.S.R. in fulfilment of contracts signed in August, 1946, and March, 1947. No component parts as such have been supplied, but the normal complement of maintenance spares for the 55 engines has been exported to the U.S.S.R.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that larger orders from Sweden are held by hosiery manufacturers for all classes of goods, and that the Swedish buyers are unable to obtain import licences from their Government; and if he will ask the Swedish Government to implement the trade agreement on the strength of which these orders were booked.

Yes. I am aware of the position. The difficulties in obtaining import licences for these and other goods will be the subject of discussions with the Swedish authorities which are about to open in Stockholm.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will extend to the chairmen of urban district councils the special allocation of clothing coupons made to mayors.

I regret that I cannot see my way to make this concession.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the stock position, he will consider down-pointing leather clothing.

Although supplies of the types of leather used for this clothing are good at the moment, it is very doubtful whether the present level of imports can be maintained. I do not consider that the stock position calls for special action just at present though I will keep the position under review.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many telephone poles salved from abandoned Services installations, or still in situ, in Orkney and Shetland, respectively, are held for disposal by Timber Control; and whether he will arrange for them to be released immediately to the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, whose plans for the distribution of electricity in these counties are being hampered through lack of poles.

I understand that about 4o telephone poles have been handed over this week in Shetland to Timber Control for disposal. These have been offered to the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, and if found to be suitable for transmission of electricity will be allocated under licence to the Board. No other poles are held for disposal by the Timber Control.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give comparative figures of bankruptcies for the years 1936, 1937, 1938, 1945, 1946 and 1947, shown separately.

The total number of bankruptcies in the years 1936–38 and 1945–47 were:

1936	…	…	…	3,249
1937	…	…	…	3,123
1938	…	…	…	3,105
1945	…	…	…	207
1946	…	…	…	323
1947	…	…	…	626

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of their short supply, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of steel wire scrubbing brushes.

Imports of brush wire sanctioned last year are now coming forward. I am informed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply that arrangements are being made to increase the United Kingdom output of wire.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why permission was granted to the London County Council to import 5,000,000 clay tiles from Holland; and why they were not ordered from British firms so as to save imports.

The London County Council have not been granted any licences to import clay tiles from Holland or any other country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the Government subsidy on the collar attached cotton shirt retailed at 9s. 2d.; and what steps he is taking to control the price when the subsidy is removed.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the utility shirt with collar attached made from utility cotton cloth Specification No. 3021/3. The subsidy was not on the garment itself but on the cloth used, and amounted to about 1s. 4d. As regards the last part of the Question I would refer him to the reply given to him on 4th May.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether, in view of the fact that the supply of leather is more than sufficient for the home and export trade, he will take immediate steps to abolish the Leather Control, which is causing accumulations of unsaleable leather;(2) whether, in view of the effects of Government bulk purchase of hides in reducing our export trade in leather footwear and manufactured leather goods, he will restore the purchase of hides to private traders.

I am not at present satisfied that the supply of leather can be maintained at such a level as to enable the Control to be withdrawn. Our present import programme entails heavy expenditure in hard currency countries, and the balance of payments position is such that the level at which expenditure was running in 1947 cannot be continued. Purchase of hides was reduced in the latter part of last year and the effects of this will shortly become apparent. I will continue to do all I can to make leather available for export trade in leather, footwear, and leather goods. The position is under continuous review.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware of the shortage of 1.5 Volt hearing-aid batteries types D9 and D18 in Edinburgh; and when supplies of these batteries are likely to be available to retailers.

Yes, my information is that the manufacturers are sending further supplies immediately.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how long it will be before the telephone equipment needed for Kenya is provided and installed.

I am not certain which equipment the hon Member has in mind. There is unfortunately considerable delay over delivery, owing to the heavy demands for telephone equipment. Most of the material on order for Kenya is expected to be ready for shipment between December next and April, 1949. I cannot say when all the equipment will be installed but my information is that it should be ready for service by the end of next year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has considered the possibility of the Colonial Development Corporation undertaking mining development in the Colonies; and what steps will be taken to associate local people with the Corporation where such development is undertaken.

It is certainly within the functions of the Corporation to undertake mining development. The method of associating local people in any such enterprise undertaken by the Corporation must vary with the individual circumstances, but provision is made in the Act for the establishment of committees to keep the Corporation informed of local circumstances and requirements and for the direct association in a particular enterprise of the local Government or local inhabitants themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many criticisms he has received from Colonial administrations regarding the effect of the news service provided by the Democratic and General News Service, of which the proprietor is Mr. Eric Cook; and which of these administrations made representations to his Department during the war regarding the material circulated by this news service.

No criticisms, or indeed comments of any kind have been received, and so far as I can trace no representations were made by Colonial Governments during the war regarding this news service.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will cause inquiry to be made in those towns in the vicinity of camps holding members of the Polish Resettlement Corps as to the consequent abnormal demand on the stocks of unrationed foodstuffs, with the object of increasing the allocation of such supplies to shopkeepers so that there may be sufficient to supply the requirements of the normal population.

If the hon. Member will let me know the towns and foods of which complaint is made, I will certainly make inquiries.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will consider the application of extra ration scales to agricultural workers on lines similar to those in force for miners in view of the complicated forms that have to be completed by farmers and the fact that supplies have to be collected in bulk by the farmer and by him distributed to the workers in his employment.

While I am not prepared to grant rations to agricultural workers I am determined, as I stated in a reply to the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) on 28th April last, that agricultural workers who are entitled to seasonal allowances should actually get them and new regulations will be issued shortly designed to ensure that they do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why Mr. G. Campbell was refused permission by Lasswade district council to use water to build his house, when he had carefully observed all rules and regulations, and had the sanction Midlothian county council.

I am informed that the district council's reason for refusing to grant a supply was that the existing water supply in the special district is not sufficient for the properties already there. The county council have agreed, however, that as soon as the work of augmenting the special district supply begins, with the delivery of piping now on order, a supply will be given for building purposes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the amount of grain allocated annually to racehorses and racing greyhounds respectively.

The quantity of oats allowed in rations for racehorses in England and Wales in the year 1947 was 8,176 tons. There are no allowances for greyhounds.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements are made to assist those British subjects who are making, and have made their own arrangements to emigrate to the Union of South Africa and other British territories in Africa by motor lorry during their passage through foreign countries; how many of such emigrants have obtained visas; and what are the number awaiting arrangements being made.

The Foreign Office are not concerned with the emigration of British subjects to British territories overseas and the emigrants in question only receive from consular officers the same assistance as is given to all British subjects in foreign countries. Emigrants to South Africa travelling by the desert route have fallen into serious difficulties on a number of occasions, and the Foreign Office have issued warnings of the hazards involved in the use of that route. These emigrants do not require visas in order to enter British territory and it is, therefore, not possible to give any statistics in answer to the last two parts of the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what was the total strength of the German Section of the Foreign Office on 1st April, 1948, as compared with the same day of 1947.

1,808 on 1st April, 1948, and 2,256 on 1st April, 1947. These figures include staff on loan from the Control Commission for Germany and also German Section staff employed in the Middle East on prisoner-of-war duties and in Germany on audit duties.