asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to state the timber and steel content, respectively, for each of the non-traditional houses listed in Table F of the Housing Return for Scotland; and similar figures for a brick house.

The information is as follows:

Type of House.	Softwood Standards.	Steel tons.
Aluminium	·842	·375
Atholl	1·90	4·00
B.I.S.F	1·6	4·50
Brydon	1·2	1·1
Cellular Concrete	1·12	·7
Clyde	1·81	1·7
Cruden	1·5	2·5
Demonstration (average)	1·6	3·12
Foamslag	1·0	2·0
Hilcon	1·7	4·5
Lindsay	1·9	3·25
Miller "No Fines"	1·65	·175
Orlit	·73	1·35
Stuart	1·6	2·7
Swedish Timber	5·0	·15
Weir (Paragon)	1·25	8·025
Weir (Quality)	1·12	6·65
Whatling Concrete	1·8	·5
Whitson Fairhurst	1·74	·98
Wilsons Hollow Block	2·0	1·0
Wimpey	1·64	·4

The quantity of softwood in a traditional brick house varies with the size of the house but is limited to 2 standards softwood per 1,000 square feet of floor area. The quantity of steel in a normal house is approximately ·25 tons.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why licences for reconditioning cottages at Saughtrees and Langside farms in the parish of Wamphray have been refused although previously approved by the Dumfriesshire County Council.

These applications were for the provision of improved amenities which although desirable were not necessary for the running of the farms and were refused because of the high estimated expenditure.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the average expected grant per house to local authorities for each of the types of permanent non-traditional houses listed in Table F of the Housing Return for Scotland, and provided for in the Civil Estimates for the year ending 31st March, 1949, and a similar figure provided for permanent brick houses, with similar figures for grants paid during 1947.

The average amount of capital grant paid in 1947 for the non-traditional houses which are eligible for such grants was:

	£
B.I.S.F.	250
Cruden	70
Orlit	140
Stuart	143
Whitson-Fairhurst	70
Permanent Aluminium Bungalows	765–786

No grants were paid in 1947 for the Atholl, Hilcon and Weir houses. It is expected that the same amount of grants will be paid during the present financial year in respect of the houses, which have been included in approved proposals. In addition Swedish timber houses were sold to local authorities under Section 3 of the Building Materials and Housing Act, 1945. Payments to the Building Materials Fund from the vote of the Department of Health for Scotland are £203, £104 and £475 for types B, C and D respectively. No capital grant is paid on brick houses since the grant is intended as a contribution towards the excess cost of non-traditional over that of brick houses.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the European voluntary workers' camp at Annfield, Ladybank, Fife, has at present 218 men of whom 140 remained idle during the week ending 1st May; that the demand for these workers for agricultural work is less than was expected and is not likely to increase in the immediate future; and if, therefore, he will arrange that the East Fife Agricultural Executive Committee be given power to arrange for these men to go to other employment in the district so that the value of this labour force may not be wasted.

Yes, but, given suitable weather conditions and normal progress of the crops, the demand for the service in agriculture of these workers should shortly increase. Meantime the possibility of finding employment for them temporarily in other permitted industries in the district is being examined by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and National Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of the survey made with a view to publishing "Agricultural Survey of Scotland," published in 1946; what was the cost of its publication; how many copies were printed; and how many were sold.

The field work of the Survey was carried out by the technical staffs of the agricultural executive committees as part of their wartime duties, and it is not therefore possible to give an estimate of the cost of collecting the information. The cost of publication was £450; 1,000 copies were printed and 660 copies have been sold.

asked the Secretary of State for War what percentage of married soldiers in the Regular Army are accommodated in married quarters; and what allowances are made to compensate those for whom married quarters are not available.

At present approximately 27 per cent. of married soldiers have their families living with them in married quarters. No compensation is paid to soldiers for whom married quarters are not available; they do not of course pay the charges for rent, furniture, fuel and light which are paid by soldiers occupying married quarters.

asked the Secretary of State for War upon what basis an Army trade is assessed as skilled or unskilled for the purposes of the pay code.

There are no unskilled Army trades. Army trades are arranged in three groups, A, B and C, in a descending order of difficulty and time required in attaining proficiency. There are three degrees of skill, Classes III, II and I, in each Army trade which correspond with the grades of learner, journeyman and master craftsman where there is an equivalent trade in industry. The several rates of pay reflect the time required and difficulty in attaining proficiency in each class of each trade.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the strength of the personnel engaged in bomb disposal; how many bombs were dealt with in the past twelve months; and how many reported bombs remain to be dealt with.

Approximately 450 British Army officers and other ranks and 1,000 prisoners of war are at present engaged on bomb disposal and mine clearance. The sites of 550 reported bombs and anti-aircraft shells were dealt with during the past twelve months and some 12,400 mines were cleared. One hundred and eighty-four reported bombs and anti-aircraft shells and over 1,000 mines remain to be dealt with, but fresh suspected bombs are still being reported.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of officers in the Army Cadet Force; and the number of boys to the nearest convenient date.

On 31st January there were 7,746 officers, and 753 under-officers, 1,210 adult warrant officers and 100,325 boys in the Army Cadet Force.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Oxford City dated 11th June, 1947, concerning the motor car of Mr. Frederick C. Lay.

I regret that the correspondence forwarded by the hon. Member has been mislaid. If it cannot be found, my Department will get in touch with Mr. Lay and I will arrange for the matter to be dealt with immediately.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning when it is proposed to promulgate the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes for Third Schedule Purposes) Order, 1948.

This Order was made on 5th May. Printed copies are now available in the Vote Office.

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers employed in the radio and radio components industry at 31st December, 1947, or nearest approximate date and at the latest available date; and the numbers unemployed in this industry on the same dates.

The radio and radio components industries are not separately distinguished in the statistics compiled in my Department and I regret, therefore, that the figures desired are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many foreign workers have been recruited for the mining industry in total; and the number for each of the last two months.

At 1st May the number placed was approximately 14,500, and about 1,050 more had been submitted. The number placed in March was 1,644, and in April 1,777.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can estimate for any particular date the total manpower employed on work for the export trade, including services of all types as well as manufacturing industries.

I regret that it is not possible to make any such estimate.

asked the Minister of Labour by what methods he estimates the numbers of workers employed on orders for exports quoted in the Monthly Digest of Statistics.

These figures are based on information supplied to my Department each month by employers in the manufacturing industries. Employers employing 10 or more workers are required to state the total number on their pay-rolls and also the percentage employed on orders known or believed to be for export.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many applications for Swiss currency for travel under the regulations which came into force on 1st May were received through banks, private travel agencies and co-operative agencies, respectively; and, in each category, how many were refused;(2) whether he is aware that private travel agencies were being refused currency for parties who had booked reservations to Switzerland weeks before 1st May when the co-operative travel service was advertising it had Swiss currency available throughout May; upon what basis the allocations of currency were made; and if he will make a statement.

The total amount of Swiss francs available for tourist travel to Switzerland for the summer season ending 31st October, 1948, has been divided into monthly quotas. Out of these monthly quotas, an allocation of currency has been made to each travel agency, or group of travel agents, who handle bookings to Switzerland. These allocations were determined after consultation with representatives of the agencies and are based on the volume of Swiss business handled last year. At present only 60 per cent. of the allocations to agencies and independent travellers is being released; the remaining 40 per cent. will be released a fortnight before the beginning of the month in which the applicant is travelling. This will give those who were not able to make arrangements far ahead a chance of obtaining an authorisation.It is understood that certain travel agencies accepted advance bookings for Switzerland in anticipation of the granting of currency quotas. The Authorisation Office for Travel to Switzerland was not, however, in a position to accept applications for currency either from agencies or from private individuals before 5th April, the date on which the London Office re-opened. Private agencies have not been refused currency except in so far as their allocations within the preliminary quotas of 60 per cent. for any particular month were exhausted.Applications for authorisation to travel to Switzerland are not made through Banks. I do not feel that I could call upon the Authorisation Office for Travel to Switzerland to undertake the labour involved in furnishing the number of applications made by private travel agencies and co-operative agencies, respectively. According to information supplied by the Authorisation Office, however, the total number of applications for currency received by them between 5th April and 5th May was approximately 85,000. Of these, 5,700 had to be rejected owing to the preliminary quotas having been exhausted.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Inter-Departmental Planning Staff, under the supervision of the Chief Planning Officer, have yet prepared a long-term plan for the use of the country's manpower and resources; and whether the details of that plan will be published.

The Central Economic Planning Staff and the Economic Section of the Cabinet Offices, in association with departmental staffs, have been working on this problem for the past year. As was explained in the Economic Survey, 1948, however, it was not possible to determine even the main features of long-term plans until the nature and size of the European Recovery Programme were known more accurately. For this reason, while it is proposed to publish the general nature of our long-term plans, I cannot at present give any indication when that will be.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the negotiations for a bilateral agreement with the United States in accordance with the requirements of the Economic Co-operation Act, he will ensure that the present arrangements governing the sterling area remain unchanged.

I do not think this Question arises in connection with the bilateral negotiations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware of the widespread feeling that the bookmakers' tax should apply, in addition to those operating at greyhound tracks, to those operating at racecourse meetings; what consideration he has given to this matter; and why the general application of the tax is not being introduced.

I would refer the hon. Member to my Budget statement.

asked the Lord President of the Council if he is aware that the average salary earned by qualified chemists in industry is usually hundreds of pounds higher than the average salary earned by qualified chemists in the same group in Government Departments; and that as these circumstances tend to deprive Government Departments of the highest talent in that special branch of science, he will review the position.

I have been asked to reply. I cannot agree that qualified chemists in Government Departments are underpaid. I am aware that there is a national shortage of chemists. The salaries of the various classes of the Civil Service in which chemists are employed have been revised since the end of the war and I see no need or scope for a further general review.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether an additional allocation of newsprint is made to the promoters of trade fairs for the publicising of those fairs.

No newsprint has been made available but certain quantities of other descriptions of paper have been licensed, each application being considered on its merits.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what complaints he has received regarding the poor quality of cloth imported from Japan; and what action he proposes to take.

None.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the cancellation of textile orders to Canada owing to British cottons being dearer than Canadian; that Canadian importers are seeking larger imports from the U.S.A. and Japan; and what action he proposes to take.

No. I am aware that Canadian firms have in many cases considered the prices quoted by our exporters to be high, but I am not aware that orders once booked have been cancelled. I am in constant touch with the Cotton Board and representatives of the industry on this matter and I am satisfied that every effort is being made to meet Canada's needs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the progress of the textile export drive; and as to sales resistance experienced in various countries.

Export of textiles and clothing have increased from a total value of £19.57 million sterling in September last when the export targets were originally announced to an average value of £22.93 million a month in the first quarter of 1948. The present target is £37.40 million a month and very considerable further increases will be necessary for its achievement. The diversion of cloth from the home to the export market is inevitably a lengthy process and exports have not yet felt the full benefit of the decision taken last Autumn to transfer supplies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is still the desire of His Majesty's Government that hon. Members should encourage recruiting and production drives in their constituencies in respect of the textile industry; and what steps have been taken in this respect to approach the civic authorities concerned.

Yes. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and I have written to the civic heads of 30 towns in the cotton textile area. We emphasised that the Government would be most grateful if they felt prepared to take the lead in organising local campaigns to stimulate cotton production in their respective towns. We hope that, irrespective of party, hon. Members for Lancashire will support us in their constituencies both by impressing on the civic heads the benefits to be expected from such campaigns and by taking an active part in their organisation and conduct. Following are the names of the towns concerned:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the stock position, he will consider reviewing the coupon value of boots and shoes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will reconsider the question of releasing for sale the large stock of waterproof and other clothing some of which is deteriorating in Swindon shops and warehouses.

I would refer my hon. Friends to the statement I made on this subject on 6th May.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is satisfied that adequate steps have been taken to establish accurate production figures in connection with cotton yarn in the spinning side of the industry.

Yes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the effects in terms of prospective employment, of

—			Approved.	Estimated full Employment.	Deferred.	Estimated full Employment.
1. North Eastern	…	…	369	74,000	69	10,000
2. Scottish	…	…	440	68,000	83	13,000
3. West Cumberland	…	…	39	7,000	5	1,100
4. South Lancashire	…	…	55	6,000	13	900
5. Wrexham	…	…	9	500	2	30

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the amount of the reduction in capital expenditure on factory construction in each of the Development Areas; and if

—			Number of new factories and extensions (5,000 sq. ft. and over) approved up to 31st March, 1948.	Cost in £'000.	No. of projects deferred	Cost in £'000.
1. South Wales	…	…	300	37,000	58	7,800
2. North Eastern	…	…	369	31,000	69	8,300
3. Scottish	…	…	440	19,000	83	6,000
4. West Cumberland	…	…	39	1,600	5	220
5. South Lancashire	…	…	55	2,087	13	230
6. Wrexham	…	…	9	171	2	28

With regard to the last part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 4th May to my hon. Friend the Member for Abertillery (Mr. Daggar).

As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given him to a similar Question on 4th May. The answer to the first part of the Question is that in the case of South Wales the construction of 300 new factories and extensions of 5,000 square feet and over, representing estimated employment when in full production of about 67,000, had been approved up to 31st March, 1948, of which 58, representing estimated full employment of about 11,000, have had to be deferred. The following are the corresponding figures for the other Development Areas:he will give the corresponding figures for the non-development areas.

The following is the information asked for in the first part of the Question:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the 40 per cent. increase in prices of men's utility shirts, pyjamas, and underwear.

The 40 per cent. increase in shop prices of men's utility shirts, pyjamas and underwear is a maximum figure. In many cases the increase will be much less than this. These higher maximum prices arise almost entirely from the higher prices the garment manufacturers have to pay for utility cotton cloth now that the subsidy has been removed; the rest of the increase is due to wage increases agreed before 4th February. As regards the consequential adjustments to manufacturers' and distributors' profit margins I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Mile End (Mr. Piratin) on 4th May.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will initiate discussions with the tobacco trade, to arrange for suitable action to be taken to prevent the splitting of packets of cigarettes and then selling them, in excess of the standard prices; arid include in such discussions the suggestion that cigarettes shall be packed, in smaller numbers and so avoid the necessity for splitting packets, particularly the cheaper varieties.

I assume that what my hon. Friend has in mind is the practice of selling five cigarettes for 8d. instead of the advertised price of 7¾d. I have no evidence that this practice extends beyond a very few retailers, and I do not think that at present the steps necessary to prevent it would justify the time and labour involved. If it becomes more widespread I will bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind. As regards the second part of the Question, packing cigarettes in smaller numbers is very expensive in material, and its adoption is in any case limited by the machinery available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why it has been found necessary to table an Order in Council proposing to increase the charges for verifying and stamping of weights and measures.

The hon. Member has been misinformed; no such Order in Council has been tabled. I have, however, received representations from a number of local authorities that the statutory fees for the verification and stamping of weighing and measuring instruments should be increased. Proposals for the amendment of the existing Fees Orders have been circulated by my Department to the interested parties for comment, and their replies are now under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information to give the House in regard to the production of women's shoes of more varied sizes as a result of his negotiations with the shoe manufacturers.

Yes; additional materials have already been allocated to certain manufacturers who specialise in sizes and fittings outside the average range. I am also hopeful that the recent improvement in shoe supplies will result in more attention being given by distributors and manufacturers to the needs of individual customers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much was spent in 1938 on boots, shoes and women's clothing.

Estimates of personal expenditure in 1938 on various types of consumer goods are included in the White Paper on National Income and Expenditure for 1947—Cmd. 7371. Expenditure on footwear in 1938 is estimated at £73 million, and on women's, girls' and infants' wear £246 million; no separate information is available for women's clothing.

asked the President of the Board of Trade who are the members of the British Tourist and Holidays Board; and what authority do they possess.

The British Tourist and Holidays Board have no specific statutory powers. They are an advisory body representative of the tourist, hotel, catering and holiday industries. They include members from Scotland, and Wales, two representatives of the T.U.C. and two members to watch the interests of the consumer. The Board is also a clearing house for the views and requirements of the industries concerned, and when necessary they make representations to my Department on matters requiring Government action. Following is a list of the members of the Board:

• Sir Alexander Maxwell (Chairman).
• Mr. R. Brook (Deputy-Chairman).
• The Lord Dukeston.
• Mr. W. Ferris.
• The Lord Hacking.
• Dame Caroline Haslett.
• Mr. F. G. Hole.
• Rt. Hon. Tom Johnston.
• Mrs. K. W. Jones-Roberts.
• Mr. B. H. Russell.
• Mr. H. Salmon
• Mr. E. W. Wimble.
• Mr. N. Wood.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how soon he expects to be able to announce the composition of the Development Council for the pottery industry; and whether he will expedite its introduction.

At a meeting with representatives of the British Pottery Manufacturers' Federation last month they advanced certain proposals, as an alternative to those which I had put forward to them, on which they considered that agreement with both sides of the industry could be reached. Though I remain of the opinion that a Development Council is desirable in this industry, I agreed that the employers should discuss their new proposals with the union concerned, and I arranged that they should report the result of these discussions to me at a joint meeting with representatives of the union to be held soon after Whitsun.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take in connection with the proposal of certain insurance companies to revise the premium for motor vehicle insurance in view of the Government's statement on personal incomes, costs and prices.

I am informed that the proposed increase in the premiums for motor vehicle insurance is due to the heavy increase in the cost of claims in this class of business, which has continued for some considerable time. An increase of premium was contemplated before the date of the statement referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has considered a pamphlet, occupying 26 quarto pages of expensive paper circularised by a utility undertaking, details of which have been submitted to him, for propaganda purposes and serving no immediate essential need; and whether, in view of the restriction of paper for educational books which is crippling teaching in the schools, he will seek powers to prohibit waste of this nature.

According to the records of the Paper Control, no paper has been specifically licensed for the production of the pamphlet to which the hon. Member refers. It has apparently been printed on paper obtained from supplies for which no specific licence is required. It would be impracticable to prohibit the use of paper in pamphlets generally and I could not undertake to set up a system of licensing paper for individual pamphlets where the quantity involved is small.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the increasing need for the salvage of waste paper, he will consider the advisability of providing incentives to housewives and others, especially in the case of those who are prepared to take their salvage to collecting centres.

Experience has shown that the best incentive to housewives lies in the convenience of regular collection at frequent intervals direct from houses, such as is provided for by most local authorities for the urban areas. As a wartime expedient to overcome labour and transport shortages a number of local authorities, particularly in the rural areas, set up salvage collection depots, but it was found difficult to maintain them in a satisfactory condition and they gradually disappeared through lack of support.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will arrange for blister copper from Northern Rhodesia to be sent to the United Kingdom for processing and resale to the U.S.A. as wire products instead of being shipped direct so earning fewer dollars per ton.

No blister copper from Northern Rhodesia is sold to the U.S.A Limited quantities are shipped to the U.S.A. for electrolytic refining and return to the United Kingdom for further manufacture.

asked the Attorney-General if he is aware of the inconvenience and hardship caused to applicants, particularly elderly ladies, by having to travel to London to attend pensions appeal tribunals and special review tribunals; and if he will agree as far as possible to hold all such tribunals at some central point within each region of his Department.

Every effort is made to reduce the inconvenience caused to applicants in these cases by the tribunals sitting at centres where there are a sufficient number of cases to justify sittings. Appellants who are too infirm to travel to a centre can be visited at their own homes

asked the Attorney General if it is proposed to introduce the Statute Law Revision Bill which was in draft before the recent war.

Yes. It is hoped shortly to introduce this Bill which covers the period down to 1800.

asked the Attorney-General if he will consider the introduction of legislation making it illegal on the part of any lessor or landlord to refuse a lease or tenancy to anyone because of their colour; and to make void any restriction of that character in existing contracts or agreements.

I hope that public opinion will soon be strong enough to prevent this deplorable kind of racial discrimination, for this would be more effective than any legislation that could be devised. Meanwhile, however, the question whether anything can be done by legislation on the lines suggested by the hon. Member is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish the terms of the letter which was sent by His Majesty's Government to the U.S. Government as the preliminary to the bilateral pact required from the countries accepting Marshall Aid.

The letters exchanged between the United States Government and the British Embassy, Washington in accordance with the terms of Section 115(c) of the United States Economic Co-operation Act were released to the Press on 8th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has further information respecting measures that may be taken in respect of the claims of German women on behalf of themselves and the children they have had by British soldiers.

My right hon. Friend is awaiting proposals from the Military Governor of which the general effect will be that affiliation cases in which British subjects are concerned in Germany shall be heard in Control Commission Courts.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the recent order by his Department concerning the reduction in the population of rooks took into account the investigations carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology on behalf of the Agricultural Research Council; and whether he will give an assurance that there is no intention on the part of his Department to encourage the indiscriminate slaughter of rooks.

Yes. I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the statement my right hon. Friend made to the House yesterday about this matter.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the number of new licences granted for hire-cars in Cardiff since the basic allowance of petrol was withheld; and the number of such licences granted in Cardiff to ex-Service men.

Supplementary allowances for new hire-car services have been granted to 23 applicants in Cardiff since the withdrawal of the basic ration. All these were granted under the resettlement scheme for disabled persons, after consultation with the Ministry of Labour and National Service, but information is not available as to how many were ex-Service men.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the estimated increase of fuel oil for firing boilers and operating prime movers as a result of the shortage of coal for industrial and domestic purposes since 1st January, 1947; what does this represent as regards additional tanker tonnage; and to what extent does this increase in heavy oil stocks reduce the quantity of motor spirit available to the public through the shortage of tankers to convey refined spirit.

The total increase in deliveries of fuel oil for burning and power usage in the United Kingdom since 1st January, 1947, has been approximately two million tons. The greater part of this increase can be attributed to shortage of coal. Carriage of this quantity of oil represents the use of about 20 T.2-type tankers in continuous service on a Persian Gulf-U.K. voyage basis or about 14 ships on Caribbean-U.K. voyage basis. The quantity of motor spirit available to the public has not been affected as a result of this increased fuel oil requirement.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the present consumption of motor spirit by Government Departments, including Service requirements; and how does this compare with similar usage in May, 1946.

It is estimated that the consumption of motor spirit by Government Departments, including the Service requirements, in the United Kingdom is at present 222,000 tons a year as compared with 374,000 tons a year in May, 1946.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that a man who bought a second-hand motor cycle with some petrol in the tank was held at Hull to have acquired the petrol unlawfully and was fined; and whether he will amend the regulations to avoid similar court proceedings being possible in such cases.

I think that my hon. Friend has been misinformed. I understand that in the case in question the defendant was charged not with acquiring the motor fuel in the tank of the cycle he purchased, which is not illegal, but for using that fuel without a permit, which, under Article 8 of the present Order, is illegal. It is proposed to vary the provisions of Article 8 in the forthcoming amending Order.

asked the Minister of Works the number of building trade operatives employed on the direct labour scheme at its highest point; and how many are employed today.

I assume that the Question relates to the Mobile Labour Force directly employed by my Department. The figures are 7,047 and 7,005 respectively.

asked the Minister of Works what steps he is taking to ensure adequate supplies of cement for building work in progress at Sunderland.

The extra supplies, to which I referred in the reply I gave to the hon. and gallant Members for Berwick-on-Tweed (Brigadier Thorp) and North Newcastle-on-Tyne (Sir C. Headlam) on 26th April, have been still further increased and there should now be sufficient cement for essential building work at Sunderland and elsewhere in the Northern Region.

asked the Lord President of the Council how many official warnings were given during the war to the General News Service, the proprietor of which is Mr. Eric Cook, regarding the nature of the material being circulated by that service.

It was not the practice of the Press Censorship to give warnings, but many cuts were made in articles sent overseas by the General News Service.

asked the Minister of Pensions to what extent rates of pensions differ between personnel of the R.A.F. and the W.A.A.F., the Army and the Women's Army Corps and the Navy and the W.R.N.S., respectively; and if he will publish a table giving the figures for the corresponding ranks and the respective disability rates.

Men and women in the basic grades of the Services receive the same compensation but the additions for rank are higher for men than for women. Tables showing the figures for the various ranks and degrees of disablement are published in the Pensions Instruments, of which I am sending the hon. Member copies.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of contracts for furnished lettings have been reported to each of the tribunals under the provisions of the Furnished Houses (Rent Control) Act, 1946; in what number of these cases at each tribunal has the rent payable by the tenants been reduced; and by what approximate percentages.

I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a statement showing the position on the 31st March, 1948.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware that the Northumberland Education Committee is withholding increments due to teachers under the Burnham scale for salaries causing them hardship on the ground that he has not issued full reports and details of the application of the Burnham scale; and if he will rectify the position.

In a Memorandum dated 24th March, 1948, local education authorities were informed that I had made an order for the purpose of securing that the remuneration of teachers employed by them for full-time service in primary and secondary schools and in establishments for further education would, as from 1st April, 1948, be in accordance with scales recently submitted by the Burnham Committee and approved by me. At the same time it was explained that some unavoidable delay had occurred in distributing copies of the full reports containing the detailed conditions for applying scales. Copies of the Burnham Reports should be in the hands of authorities in the early part of this week.

asked the Minister of Food it he is aware that independent dairies are unable to take on new customers who are outside their zone; and whether in view of his Department's order that the old zoning scheme is no longer in force and housewives may change to the retailer of their choice, he will take the necessary steps to make the new order effective.

I am aware that certain dairymen are unable to accept new customers at the present time. With regard to the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Lipson) on 24th March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the hon. Member for Hornsey may expect to get a reply to his letter of 7th October, 1947, regarding the petition dated 30th September, 1947, from the Government Pensioners' Society, Penang.

The petition referred to by the hon. Member requested an increase in the cost of living allowances granted to the pensioners and the refund of deductions made from arrears of pension on account of payments made to the pensioners by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. The second of these points raised a difficult legal issue, but I hope to notify the decision shortly. As regards the first request, the question of cost of living allowances has been under general review in Malaya, but as an interim measure the position of pensioners has been improved by the introduction of cost, of living allowances on pensions. These allowances in all grades are almost identical, dollars for pounds, with the increase granted under the United Kingdom Pensions Increased Act of 1947.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is yet able to make a statement regarding constitutional proposals for Cyprus.

Yes. The Constitutional proposals of His Majesty's Government embodied in a despatch to the Governor, are being communicated to members of the Consultative Assembly today and will subsequently be released for general publication. The despatch will be published here as a non-Parliamentary Paper as soon as arrangements can be made: meanwhile a copy has been placed in the Library of this House for Members' information.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the debate on constitutional reform has yet taken place in the Trinidad Legislative Council; what were the decisions reached; and whether he is aware that in spite of the Majority Report of the Committee there is a strong feeling in Trinidad for a large measure of responsible government.

The Legislative Council of Trinidad have adopted the Majority Report of the Constitution Reform Committee with certain amendments and I am awaiting a full account of the debate and the Governor's comments thereon.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to state, to the nearest convenient date, the number of land plane accidents to aircraft of the three Corporations which were due to human error of judgment, mechanical failure and navigational failure, respectively; similar information in respect of charter operators; the number of accidents in which all the occupants of the aircraft, both passengers and crew, had lost their lives; and the number of

NOTIFIABLE ACCIDENTS TO LANDPLANES UNDER THE AIR NAVIGATION (INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENTS) REGULATIONS, 1922, FROM 1ST JANUARY, 1946, TO 30TH APRIL, 1948.
Operator.	Year.	Scheduled Flight.	Non-Scheduled Flight.	Principal Cause.
				Error of Judgment	Mechanical Failure.	Navigational Failure.*
British Overseas Airways Corporation.	1946	8	2	7†	—	—
	1947	2	4	6‡	—	—
	1948	—	—	—	—	—
British European Airways Corporation.	1946	1	—	1	—	—
	1947	5	—	2‡	2	—
	1948	3¶	—	—	—	—
British South American Airways Corporation.	1946	2	—	2	—	—
	1947	4	1	4	—	—
	1948	1	—	(Details not yet known, still under investigation).
Charter (passenger)	1946	7		7	—	—
	1947	14		8§	3	—
Charter (non-passenger)	1946	4		3	—	—
	1947	15		11	3	—
* Navigational Failure: Failure of ground or airborne navigational equipment.
† Includes one non-scheduled flight also involving mechanical failure.
‡ Includes one caused either wholly or in part by error of judgment in navigation.
§ Includes three caused either wholly or in part by error of judgment in navigation.
¶ Collision with Russian fighter accounts for one of these. The remaining two are still under investigation.

Following is the information: