asked the Minister of Food whether it is yet possible for expectant mothers to obtain orange juice, cod-liver oil and vitamin pills from chemists' shops instead of having to collect them from local food offices which usually entails a bus journey and loss of time.

There are difficulties in the way of distribution through chemists' shops but we are looking at the possibility. These welfare foods may, of course, be obtained not only from local food offices but also from most maternity and child welfare centres and clinics, through district nurses and from centres run by voluntary workers. Altogether there are more than 12,000 distribution points.

asked the Minister of Food why the rule against solicited food gifts from overseas is still maintained.

This rule has been kept to discourage begging letters to newspapers and charitable organisations, which have given rise to complaints from abroad.

asked the Minister of Food what quantity of potatoes has been purchased from Denmark during the past year; and whether all the potatoes so ordered have been delivered to this country.

About 40,000 tons, of which 22,400 tons were retained in this country. The balance went to Germany.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that farmers who responded to his appeal to plant additional acres of potatoes now find that in many cases licensed potato merchants, particularly in the southern counties, will not buy earlies now ready to dig; and whether he proposes to take any steps to ensure a market or that farmers will not suffer loss.

In some districts growers are wanting to sell more new potatoes than the market can readily absorb, but my right hon. Friend has made an order prohibiting the sale of second-early and main crop potatoes until specified dates in August so that growers of early varieties may have a good opportunity to clear their crops. Ware potatoes for which growers cannot find a market may be offered to the Ministry after 1st November, for purchase under the guarantee.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will make a statement about the steps he intends to take on the recommendations of the Bodinar Commitee concerning the sale of poultry and rabbits.

My right hon. Friend does not intend to modify the system of distribution of poultry and rabbits at present.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is yet in a position to announce any changes in the marketing of perishable foodstuffs.

If my hon. Friend is referring to major changes in the system of marketing fruit, vegetables and fish, the answer is "No."

asked the Minister of Transport what steps are being taken to speed up the turn-round of shipping at Hull in the light of the report of the Working Party on this subject; in particular as regards urgent war damage repairs to berths, sheds and quay surfaces; and when the first instalment of several of the 13 diesel electric quay cranes recommended is likely to be obtained.

The recommendations concerning Hull were referred to the interests concerned for consideration and action. Effect has already been given to some of them. Since the issue of the Report, I have authorised war damage repairs in the port expected to cost over £80,000 including the provision of new transit shed and other facilities. The cranes mentioned by the Working Party have proved not to be available, but the transfer of other cranes to Hull is being negotiated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the restrictions on British books in almost all foreign countries and also in Australia and New Zealand; and whether in view of the fact that 50 per cent. of books imported by British publishers must be re-exported, he is taking steps to increase the export trade in books.

I am well aware that the import restrictions imposed by many countries abroad are hampering the export of United Kingdom books and this fact is kept in view in the course of the negotiations undertaken with other Governments to obtain a relaxation. There are no restrictions on the import of United Kingdom books into Australia but those produced in non-sterling countries and sold from this country are subject to licence. The condition referred to in the second part of the Question that 50 per cent. of books imported by United Kingdom publishers must be re-exported, applies only to fiction in English and to children's books. I am most anxious that the export of books shall be increased. There is close co-operation between the Board of Trade and other interested Departments and the book trade which is making every effort to develop sales abroad.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will arrange for students about to take up residence in colleges or other educational establishments to be provided with coupons to enable them to purchase the necessary bed sheets required by the colleges whose stock of bed sheets are entirely worn out.

No. Coupons for sheets cannot be issued to students taking up residence at colleges or other educational establishments. Such students are expected to provide their own sheets either by using their personal coupons or by taking with them the sheets previously used in their own homes.

asked the Minister of Supply (1) if he is aware that the development of the television services in this country is being seriously affected by the shortage of steel for the production of transmission and ancillary equipment; and, in view of the necessity of an early expansion of the industry and its ultimate effect on the export market, if he will give consideration to the allocation of a greater quantity of steel for this purpose;(2) if he is aware that as a result of the extension of the television service to the Birmingham area in the near future, there will be an increased demand for television receivers; and, in view of the existing shortage of these receivers for reception in the London area, if he will give consideration to the allocation of a larger quantity of steel to the industry for this purpose.

Manufacturers of television transmitting equipment have been allocated all the materials they need at present. The production of receivers is limited, not by a lack of steel, but by a shortage of cathode ray tubes, due to manufacturing difficulties, which are being gradually overcome.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will now say when the London Metal Exchange will be re-opened; and what are the factors that are preventing this re-opening.

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir J. Mellor) on 3rd May.

asked the Minister of Works whether priority is still given by his Department in the issue of building licences to all firms who desire to make good war damage which they have suffered; and to what extent this priority extends to the rebuilding on a new site of a factory which was completely demolished during the war.

The repair of war damage has always been treated sympathetically by my Department but it has not been possible recently to give schemes for rebuilding war damaged factories priority over other schemes for new factories. All such schemes must be judged according to their importance in the national economy, and in considering applications I am guided by the opinion of the appropriate Government Department.

asked the Minister of Works how many houses in Edinburgh are still requisitioned to provide office and other accommodation for Government Departments.

Twenty-six dwelling houses in Edinburgh are still held on requisition by my Ministry.

asked the Minister of Works why the pillbox in the vicinity of Mr. Clarke's garage near Horncastle has not yet been removed; and when action will be taken to remove it.

The county agricultural executive committee undertook removal but were unable to do the work following the withdrawal of prisoner-of-war labour. A contract is now about to be let by my Department.

asked the Prime Minister how many Dominions have accepted the invitation for the Commonwealth Conference in or about October; and whether the Prime Ministers of these Dominions will attend.

I have been asked to reply. The final replies from the other Prime Ministers are not yet complete, and, until they are, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister would prefer not to make a statement as to who will be coming.

asked the Minister of Agriculture for what reasons he has decided to use the powers of direction contained in the Agriculture Act. Section 95 (2) (d).

The reasons were given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Lowestoft (Mr. E. Evans) on 21st June. A further statement will be made when the Resolution to approve the Order is moved.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received a report from his representatives in Greece concerning the difficulties of the International Red Cross in obtaining permission from the Greek Government to visit the territory occupied by the forces of Markos, despite the invitations which have been issued; and what action he proposes to take.

No. I understand that, last March, the rebel radio broadcast a message from Markos to the International Red Cross but this did not contain an invitation to visit rebel territory. The answer to the last part of the Question is "None."

asked the Economic Secretary to the Treasury the number of companies which have received loans from the Development Areas Treasury Advisory Committee since the end of the war; what are the principal industrial categories into which these companies fall; what has been the average amount of the loans; and how many bad debts have so far been incurred.

At 1st July, 1948, the Treasury had contracted to make loans under S.4 of the Distribution of Industry Act to 16 companies amounting to £852,700. Of this, £531,450 has so far been advanced. The borrowers cover a wide variety of industry. No losses have yet been incurred.

asked the Minister of Health approximately how many dwelling-houses in the County of London were destroyed or damaged beyond repair by the action of the enemy; and of how many have the sites been occupied by temporary houses, huts or other structures.

The reply to the first part of the Question is 77,480. I regret that the information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give details of the Land Acquisition Bill recently introduced in Nyasaland.

I have arranged for a copy of the Bill to be sent to my hon. Friend. The Bill was read for the first time in December, 1947, but its further stages were deferred until the report of the Land Planning Committee had been published. It was published on 16th June and will be discussed at the next meeting of the Legislative Council which opens on 19th July.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that under present regulations civilian medical practitioners conscripted for 18 months or two years and sent to serve with the R.A.M.C. in the Far East are not allowed home leave, or free passage for their wives to join them, privileges enjoyed by Regular officers in the same service; and as dissatisfaction results, if he will remedy this matter.

The hon. Member is mistaken. There is no such distinction between Regular officers and non-Regular R.A.M.C. officers as suggested in the Question. Neither are now entitled to leave from the Far East to the United Kingdom during an overseas tour. Both can apply under the same conditions for passages for their families to join them.

asked the Secretary of State for War what rents are charged to each different rank for married quarters in the United Kingdom.

The scale of charges for Army quarters in the United Kingdom (and abroad) appropriate to the various ranks is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps are taken to prevent unauthorised persons entering 18, Grosvenor Gardens, after office hours; and whether, in view of the difficulties now arising caused by the Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Association of the County of Middlesex using these premises after 6 p.m., he will arrange an inspection of identity cards to prevent unauthorised persons from entering the building.

Only part of this building is occupied by the Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Association of the County of Middlesex. The door of the building is shut at 5.30 p.m. after which admission can be obtained only by ringing the appropriate door-bell. Conferences are held by the Association after 5.30 p.m. which members of the Association and officers of the Territorial Army and the Army Cadet Force attend. Unauthorised persons do not attend these conferences and it is not considered to be necessary to inspect the identity cards of those attending as they are known personally to the members of the staff of the Association who are on duty at the conferences. The Association is not concerned with visitors to the other occupants of the building.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it was as a result of consideration of a petition submitted by Mr. H. R. Sandford against the finding and sentence of his court martial in 1934, that the Army Council awarded him retired pay and that four of the five charges were quashed; and why this award was subsequently cancelled.

The four charges were not quashed as the direct result of Mr. Sandford's petition. The Judge Advocate General in his final review of the proceedings recommended that the convictions on four of the charges could not be upheld and should be quashed. Neither was retired pay awarded as the result of consideration of the petition. By Article 533 (at that time 548) of the Royal Warrant a dismissed officer is not precluded from a grant of retired pay if the Army Council are of the opinion that the circumstances of his dismissal do not so preclude him. In the case of Mr. Sandford the Army Council decided that an award of retired pay at the rate of 50 per cent. of the normal should be given to him. The award to Mr. Sandford is still in payment in the form of an Indian Army award. The transfer of responsibility for payment from the War Office to the India Office in 1934 was made for administrative reasons and has no other significance.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the King's Regulations in force at the time of Mr. H. R. Sandford's trial by court martial in 1934 provided that when the accused is convicted of two or more charges the sentence should be that which is adequate for the gravest with some addition for each of the remainder.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for War by what date all the members of the Polish Land Forces who have chosen neither to be repatriated nor to join the Resettlement Corps will have been discharged.

I hope that all members of the Polish Land Forces, who have chosen neither to be repatriated nor to join the Polish Resettlement Corps, except for a small number in medical category "E," will be discharged by 31st July. Those in category "E" cannot be discharged until their entitlement to pensions has been assessed by the Ministry of Pensions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated child population of Scotland under five years of age; and between five and 15 years.

The estimated number of children in Scotland under five years of age is 456,000 and between five and 15 years, 802,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children under five and from five to 15 were immunised against diphtheria in each of the years 1941 to 1947; and what is the estimated percentage of immunised children at the end of 1947.

The number of children under five and from five to 15 who were immunised against diphtheria in each of the years 1941 to 1947 was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many fatal cases of diphtheria occurred in each of the years 1938 to 1947; and what were the ages of the fatal cases.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many infants were born in each of the years 1938 to 1947; how many died before reaching vaccination age; how many were vaccinated; how many were exempted by statutory declaration; how many remained unvaccinated

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths from smallpox occurred in each of the years 1938 to 1947; and what were the ages of these fatal cases.

The following table gives the information desired:without statutory exemption; and what was the percentage vaccinated of the available births.

The following table gives the information desired for the years 1938 to 1946. Vaccination statistics for 1947 are not yet available.

In none of these years were there any deaths from smallpox except in 1942, when there were 25, the ages of the deceased being as follow: 3, 12,13, 20 (2), 21, 22 (3), 23 (2), 25, 26, 30, 37, 39, 40, 42, 50, 56, 57, 58, 59, 67 and 71.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning when the Town and Country (Advertisement) Regulations will be laid before the House.

I expect to lay the regulations before the House within the next few days.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning when it is the intention to announce the Government's policy for the development and security of national parks.

I regret I am not in a position to make any statement on this matter.