asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that anxiety is felt by doctors at the increasing tendency of Government Departments to disclose to lay persons the contents of confidential medical certificates furnished by practitioners in charge of patients; and, since the regulations in Statutory Instruments 506 and 507 require medical practitioners in the new Health Service to submit to a committee consisting predominantly of laymen, records of patients under their charge, if he will withdraw this requirement.

No, and I cannot accept the implications of the Question.

asked the Minister of Health why the statutory protection of secrecy for persons receiving treatment at venereal disease clinics has been withdrawn under the new regulations under the National Health Service Act, 1946; and whether, in view of the success which has attended the enforcement of that statutory provision during the past 20 years, he will take steps to restore it.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Leyton, West (Mr. Sorensen).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the names and qualifications of the persons who constitute the Probation Training Board.

The names and qualifications of the members of the Probation Training Board are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the 15 years-old boy recently sentenced at the Old Bailey to 15 months' imprisonment will be transferred to a Borstal Institution when he reaches the age of 16; and, in the meantime whether any special arrangements are being made for his care.

The lad will be detained in a Young Prisoners' Collecting Centre under the usual arrangements, and the possibility of transferring him to a Borstal Institution on reaching the age of 16 will be carefully considered in the meantime.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what institutions are being financed under the National Health Services (Scotland) Act, 1947, to carry out cancer research; and what is the estimated cost for the present half-year.

It is impossible to separate treatment from research in the case of cancer. Cancer research is being carried out at a number of Scottish hospitals. This is being continued. It will now be for the regional hospital boards to consider what further facilities may be required under the 1947 Act, but up to the present no specific allocation of Exchequer funds has been made.

asked the Secretary of State for Air by what date the Polish officers and other ranks who are being maintained by his Department and who have not volunteered for regular engagements in the Royal Air Force will have been discharged.

Members of the R.A.F. Wing of the Polish Resettlement Corps who fail to take reasonable opportunities of resettlement in civil life will be discharged forthwith. Those to whom it has not been possible to offer a reasonable opportunity of civilian work will be discharged on completion of the two years service which is the maximum period for which they enlisted. It is hoped that most will have been resettled by the end of the year but there may be some left over until about the end of March, 1949.

asked the Minister of Labour, to the nearest convenient date, the number of unemployed in Southampton classified in trades, together with the comparable figures for 1938.

The following Table gives the desired information:Numbers of insured persons registered as unemployed in Southampton at 14th June, 1948, and 13th June, 1938.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that the Fruit Products Division of his Department has refused to authorise licences to import from South Africa 101,000 dozen bottles of orange, lemon, raspberry, passion and other fruit cordials valued at £120,000 and in view of the shortage of home produced fruit juices will he review all the circumstances connected with the offer and afford the necessary facilities for the importation to be effected at an early date.

I am not aware that there is a shortage of soft drinks or of fruit juices at present. We cannot afford to import soft drinks or cordials from South Africa, but we are importing pure fruit juices from that country.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a communication sent to him from the Sarawak Dayak Association and the Malay National Union of Sarawak, following a National Conference on 1st July, 1948, appealing to the British Government to restore the independence of Sarawak under Brooke rule; and whether he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply. I would invite the hon. Member's attention to the reply given to the hon. Member the senior Burgess for Cambridge University (Mr. Pickthorn) on 15th July.