asked the Minister of Transport if he has considered reports on the fatal accidents that have recently occurred at Winnersh on the Reading Wokingham road; and what action he is taking to safeguard the lives of local residents.

Yes, and I am having the road and traffic conditions on the section of road concerned specially examined.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that many road haulage contractors are suffering considerable reduction in traffic as a result of the greatly increased issue of C licences; and what steps he proposes to take to protect their rights to adequate compensation when taken over by the Transport Commission.

A trader has always been and still is free to take out a C licence to carry his own goods in his own vehicles and the law gives no protection to road or rail carriers against any loss of traffic which they may suffer in consequence. I have no information as to the extent of any such losses by hauliers but if an undertaking to be acquired by the Commission has lost traffic in this way, I can see no reason why such losses should be disregarded in assessing compensation. This must be based on the facts as they are at the material time.

asked the Minister of Supply why he allowed a member of the Communist Party to occupy an important scientific post at the Atomic Energy Plant at Didcot.

I assume the hon. Member is referring to a temporary principal scientific officer at the Atomic Energy Establishment at Harwell, whose employment there has been terminated in accordance with the procedure outlined in the Prime Minister's statement of 15th March, 1948. This action was taken as soon as practicable. The officer left the Establishment on 20th April.

asked the Minister of Works when he expects the negotiations regarding the future of the British Restaurant building, Angus Drive, Ruislip, to be concluded.

I understand that the Middlesex County Council are negotiating for the purchase of the site. I have no definite information as to when the matter is likely to be concluded as the outcome of a compulsory purchase order is awaited.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many tons of petrol have been used for the Berlin air-lift to the last convenient date.

The consumption of petrol by United Kingdom machines (R.A.F. and civil) in the Berlin air lift from 28th June to 6th November inclusive was 30,000 tons.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why Huri Serdyukov, a Soviet child abducted by the Germans is still kept in Germany by the British Red Cross despite appeals by his mother, who is living in the U.S.S.R., for his return.

Yuri Serdyukov is a child of indeterminate nationality who was evacuated together with other children, mostly of Latvian origin, from a children's home near Riga in 1944 and is now in care of the International Refugee Organisation in Germany. The Soviet authorities have repeatedly claimed his return as a Soviet citizen but despite repeated requests by the British authorities, the Soviet authorities have not produced the birth certificate of the child nor any acceptable evidence that his mother is alive.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many Soviet children are still held in the British zone in Germany; and what efforts are being made by the Government to return them to the U.S.S.R.

In reply to the first part of the Question, there are at present in the British zone of Germany, 12 children who may be of Soviet citizenship. With regard to the second part of the Question, these children are at present under the care of the International Refugee Organisation who, in co-operation with the British and Soviet authorities, are engaged in endeavouring to establish their identity and nationality and to trace their parents.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now in a position to provide a report on the conditions prevailing at Spandau prison.

Since quadripartite discussions on this subject are in train I regret that I cannot at present provide a report. However, if my hon. Friend would put down a Question in three weeks' time, I should hope to be able to make a statement then.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the long delay that takes place in the Welsh Department of his Ministry in instituting legal proceedings against persons alleged to have infringed his Department's regulations; and whether, in view of the inconvenience caused, he will investigate into the reasons for the delay.

The need for avoiding undue delay in instituting legal proceedings is continually borne in mind by my Department. A careful watch is kept to see that cases are brought before the courts as quickly as possible. If my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of any case in Wales in which he considers that undue delay has occurred. I shall be glad to look into it.

asked the Minister of Food when he expects supplies of rice to be available.

asked the Minister of Food how be intends to distribute the stocks of rice held in this country; and whether any of it will be re-shipped abroad.

I hope it may be possible to make a statement in the near future.

asked the Minister of Food what was the result of the recent trials of the Shervik bush clearing machine; how many of these machines have been ordered for the Groundnut Scheme; and how soon will they he operating.

The responsibility for providing this information rests with the Overseas Food Corporation. I have, therefore, passed the hon. Member's inquiry to the Corporation, who will, I understand, communicate with him direct.

asked the Minister of Food what is the latest estimate of the capital cost of the East African Groundnut Scheme.

The Overseas Food Corporation are at present engaged in a thorough and comprehensive review of the scheme. Until their report is received I am not in a position to give the information for which the hon. Member asks

asked the Minister of Food what steps he is taking to remedy the unsatisfactory conditions at the abattoir at Winchester.

As stated in the letter I sent to my hon. Friend on 8th November, we have recently reduced slaughterings at these premises to a level below the limit that had previously been agreed with the Local Authority. This will remove congestion and should go a long way towards improving the general conditions.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that there is a shortage of flour for breadmaking in the Bromyard area, Herefordshire; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure the distribution of sufficient flour throughout the country.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No." As regards the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Dodds-Parker) on 1st November.

asked the Minister of Food if he has considered recent cases in which fines were imposed for selling, over a long period and on a large scale, diseased horse flesh for human consumption; and having regard to the danger to public health, is he satisfied that where large profits are made the imposition of a fine is sufficient to prevent convicted persons from continuing in business and to safeguard the public from a recurrence of such practices.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on Thursday, 11 th November.

asked the Minister of Food what is the quantity of onions for which firm sales have already been effected and which will be imported into this country from Holland; and what proportion of those onions will be landed in Boston, Lincs.

Onions are imported by the trade and the Dutch authorities have estimated that the firm sales made for supplies to be shipped during the next fortnight will be about 10,000 tons. I cannot say what quantity will be shipped to any particular port.

asked the Minister of Food what is the extent of the partial importation of onions he is permitting between 15th and 30th November; and if he is satisfied that these importations at a price below the maximum wholesale price for English onions will not result in the English growers still being unable to dispose of their stocks.

The extent of the partial importation of onions cannot be reliably estimated but the arrangements made with the Dutch authorities will considerably reduce the quantities that would otherwise have been shipped during the next four weeks and will greatly assist English growers. Onion prices are not now controlled and there is no maximum wholesale price for English onions. Imported onions have, of course, to bear duty and freight charges.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the fact that no staff is employed solely on the production of "Food Facts" he will state approximately the number of part-time staff and man-hours devoted to this work.

Four officers are employed to varying extents on the production of "Food Facts," and they spend between them about 90 hours a week on it.

asked the Minister of Food what are the numbers and duties of the industrial staffs in his Department and their annual cost to the taxpayer; and if inspectors and enforcement officers are reckoned as part of the industrial staff.

There are at present 648 industrial staff employed in the Ministry as nightwatchmen in office premises and as general labourers and porters at egg depôts and potato sack stores. The annual cost is estimated at £149,300. Inspectors and enforcement officers are not reckoned as industrial staff.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in cases where householders lose coupons as a result of burglary, local food offices have discretion to replace the current month's coupons and to remit the fee of one shilling for replacement of other coupons.

No person who has lost food ration coupons through burglary is denied replacement for current and future needs. Food executive officers are empowered to waive fees for the replacement of coupons in all such cases.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make a concession in time for the Christmas season for a limited amount of flour or cake to be included in parcels sent to Germany.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Attercliffe (Mr. J. Hynd) on 8th November.

asked the Minister of Food whether it is intended to extend the importation of honey from Jamaica following trial shipments of honey in tins during the year; and whether he will receive a representative of the Jamaican Bee Farmers' Association.

Two licences have already been issued for the importation of Jamaican honey in tins of about 60 lb. capacity. If the trade want to import more in that type of pack we shall raise no objections. If there are other matters which the representative of the Jamaican Bee Farmers' Association wishes to discuss with my right hon. Friend, perhaps he would first write to me about them.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that although shop jam is now unrationed, many people from motives of economy and health prefer home-made jam; and whether he will therefore consider restoring the sugar ration previously available for jam making at home.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that those persons who regularly took sugar instead of jam when jam was rationed will be worse off than before when jam rationing ceases as they will have less sugar for jam making and other purposes; that the proposed rise in the sugar ration of 4 oz. per person per week will not make up the deficit particularly for those who always made their own jam; and what steps he can take to improve the situation.

The option to take sugar in lieu of Preserves will disappear when jam is completely de-rationed from 5th December next, but housewives will have the compensating advantage of the 25 per cent. increase in the sugar ration. In addition to this, it is my right hon. Friend's intention in 1949 to continue the system of special bonus issues of sugar for home preserving as circumstances permit.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what arrangements he has made to import some of the softwoods which British Columbia is unable to dispose of.

We hope in the near future, subject to price and specification, to be able to place orders for a further quantity of softwood from British Columbia, but we cannot afford all the timber we should like to have.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what loss of production in the textile industry he estimates will result from the 20 per cent. reduction in electricity power demands during peak hours.

As my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Labour explained on 8th July last, the object of load spreading arrangements to reduce electricity demand during peak hours is to minimise the risk of large scale cuts in the supply which would inevitably lead to loss of production over a wide field. The contribution which the textile industry is asked to make is fixed regionally in consultation with the industry and I have no information which would suggest that any appreciable loss of production will result.

asked the Prime Minister if he will make a comprehensive statement as to the quantity and value of goods bought in bulk from overseas by various Government Departments during 1947 together with a statement of the respective deliveries.

I have been asked to reply. I am in consultation with my right hon. Friends the Minister of Supply and the Minister of Food, and as soon as the desired information regarding bulk purchasing has been collated, it will be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what total acreage of linseed was grown in 1948 in England; and what was the average yield per acre.

The acreage of linseed sown in England for harvesting in 1948 is provisionally estimated to have been 84,294 acres, with a further 1,209 acres in Wales. The average yield per acre is estimated at 9.7 cwt.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what proportion of foreign labour employed in agriculture is housed in hostels; and what proportion has got accommodation with individual farmers; and whether he will provide separate figures showing the position in Bedfordshire.

No precise figures are available, but it is estimated that both in Bedfordshire and in England and Wales as a whole, about 60 per cent. of the foreign workers are living in hostels, and about 40 per cent. are accommodated on farms or in lodgings.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the difficulty experienced by individual farmers in Bedfordshire in obtaining Cockshutt plough breasts; and whether he will make a statement about the prospect of purchasing these spares as they are needed.

No, but if my hon. Friend will let me have particulars of any such cases, I will gladly have inquiries made. Out of seven different types of breast that are fitted to the Canadian Cockshutt ploughs used in this country, six are available—five from stock and one from a consignment that has just arrived from Canada; the seventh is only used to a very small extent, mainly in the North of England.

asked the Minister of Agriculture to what extent glasshouses are being exported from this country; and what is the approximate time for the fulfilment of orders placed by growers in such horticultural districts as Bedfordshire.

The information desired in the first part of the Question is not available as exports of glasshouses are not shown separately in the Trade Returns. I am informed that glasshouse erectors can usually start work within two or three weeks of the issue of building and materials licences, but the time taken to fulfil orders is not known. No complaints of undue delay have been received by the Department, but I shall be glad to investigate any particular case my hon. Friend has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a further statement on the deportation of Erwin Scholz; if he will now state the name of the British subject associated with him in the incident at the spiritualist conference; and if any action has been or is to be taken against this British subject in respect of his assistance to Scholz in varying the purpose of his continued stay in this country, or otherwise.

As regards the deportation of Scholz, I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Finsbury (Mr. Platts-Mills) on 4th November. The man associated with him in the incident at the spiritualist conference was a British subject, named Gaster. I am not aware of any grounds for action on my part against him.

asked the Minister of Health what recommendations he has received from the Central Medical Practices Committee on the question of maldistribution of medical practitioners; and if he will give this matter his consideration.

None, so far. The Medical Practices Committee are obtaining comprehensive reports on the adequacy of the medical services throughout England and Wales by 31st December. I shall naturally give most careful consideration to any recommendations the Committee may see fit to make to me in the light of these reports.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many West Indians have arrived in this country seeking employment during the last 12 months; how many have been placed in employment; and how many have returned to the West Indies.

I can give my hon. Friend approximate figures only. West Indians coming to the United Kingdom to seek employment do so privately and at their own expense. It is only when a large contingent has arrived that my attention has been drawn to them. Large parties arrived in December, 1947 (about 150), June, 1948 (about 500) and October, 1948 (about 180), making a total of 830. Over half of these immigrants had friends in the United Kingdom and became scattered immediately on arrival. Any of these men who registered at employment exchanges will have been dealt with in the normal way and no statistical information about them is available. Of those arriving in June and October, 300 had nowhere to go: 250 were placed in employment within three weeks of arrival. The remaining 50 have become merged in the general population and I have no information about them. West Indians who wish to return home make their own arrangements through the shipping companies and I have no information as to how many have returned to the West Indies.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will publish a list of the reforms instituted in the Royal Dockyards since the end of the war, affecting the pay, status and other conditions of employment of Royal Dockyard personnel.

A considerable number of reforms have been instituted in the Royal Dockyards since the end of the war. The most important are as follow:

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what arrangements are being made for displaying draft maps showing the boundaries proposed for the Area Gas Boards.

As promised during the passage of the Gas Bill through this House, I am arranging for the maps showing the boundaries proposed for the areas of the Area Gas Boards to be available in draft form to the public for a period before I sign the Order defining the areas under Section 6 of the Gas Act, 1948. As announced in the Press, the maps are on display, for a fortnight from today, at the Headquarters and at regional offices of the Ministry of Fuel and Power. For the convenience of hon. Members, arrangements have also been made for copies of the maps to be displayed in the Reference Room of the Library.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of persons under 19 years of age who entered the Civil Service by open examination since the White Paper of 1945 as compared with a similar period before 1938, exclusive of ex-Service personnel who entered by reconstruction examinations.

The numbers of recruits under the age of 19 years to the original general Service classes of the established Civil Service in comparable periods were:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer where declarations regarding the same goods for export are supplied from two or more sources, as, for example, from manufacturer, decorator and exporter, what steps are taken to ensure that there is no repetition in the statistics.

I assume that the hon. Member refers to the statistics of exports in the monthly Trade and Navigation Accounts and the Annual Statement of Trade of the United Kingdom. Adequate precautions are taken to guard against repetition in these statistics.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the policy of his Department in reference to new capital issues sanctioned under Section 1 of the Borrowing (Control and Guarantees) Act, 1946, takes into consideration the recent profits of applicant companies.

Where such information is relevant, it is one of the factors which the Capital Issues Committee would consider.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what sum he estimates it would be necessary to increase the Income Tax, assuming existing conditions as to allowances and exemptions, to obtain the additional amount of £60 million, estimated to be required to raise the present old age and contributory pensions from the present level to £2 per person per week.

About 5d. My hon. Friend will not have overlooked the fact that the sum which he mentions would not be sufficient, even initially, unless national insurance contributions were also very substantially increased.