asked the Minister of Supply what allocations of fencing wire have been made to the County of Dumfries in the years 1946, 1947 and 1948.

No specific allocation of fencing wire is made in Scotland. To meet essential agricultural needs, the Department of Agriculture for Scotland, by arrangement with my Department, issue, at their local offices, permits for fencing wire and fencing wire manufacturers accept these permits as a first charge against their production.

asked the Minister of Supply to what extent more cars will be available to the home market in the near future.

I regret it is not at present possible to increase the supply of cars to the home market.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware of the shortage of light delivery vans for essential purposes in the home market; and what steps he proposes to take to alleviate this shortage.

Yes; but the supply of vans to the home market could only be increased at the cost of reducing exports and the economic situation makes this undesirable.

asked the Minister of Works how many married quarters, which were scheduled to be completed in the financial year 1948–49 for the War Department and the Air Ministry, respectively, will not be completed within the financial year; and for what reason.

During the financial year ending 31st March, 1949, it is hoped to put work in hand on 408 married quarters and to complete 290 quarters. The quarters are being provided as quickly as possible, but no undertaking has been given to complete a specific number within the financial year. Since the programme was started in 1946 some 402 houses or married quarters have been completed. These houses are all for the War Department: the Air Ministry have not sought my assistance.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that the newspaper "Polish Daily" was founded in 1940 by the Ministry of Information of the Polish Government in London: that it is Polish State property that has been alienated contrary to the provisions of the Potsdam Agreement; and whether he will take steps to restore this property to the Polish Government.

On 23rd June, 1945 (i.e. before His Majesty's Government withdrew their recognition of the Polish Government in London) the Polish Ministry of Information transferred the ownership of this newspaper by trust deed to a board of five private Polish individuals. His Majesty's Government, therefore, have never had control of the newspaper, nor possess status to intervene in its affairs.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when it is proposed to publish the despatches of His Majesty's Ambassador at Moscow during the year 1941.

No decision has been taken on the publication of documents relating to British Foreign Policy during the war years.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that Germans who had to take refuge in this country before the war by reason of their anti-Nazi activities are still unable to get their possessions in the Bizone of Germany restored to them; and when these arrangements will be completed in respect of the Bizone.

A draft Restitution Ordinance for the British zone has been prepared in Germany and has been considered in London. I hope that it will prove possible to promulgate this in the near future. In the British zone, claims have been investigated, property has been traced and we have completed administrative arrangements which will allow the law to operate as soon as it comes into effect.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reply he has made to the Polish Note of 8th November, 1948, concerning German revisionist activities in the British occupied zone of Germany.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to a Note dated 8th December. My right hon. Friend hopes very shortly to send a reply.

asked the Minister of Food what quantities of tinned fishballs he has purchased; what is the country of origin; and why he made such a purchase in view of the supplies of fresh fish that are generally available.

No tinned fishballs have been purchased by my Department since 1945. Some have been imported by private traders.

asked the Minister of Food what is the estimated amount of the Burma rice crop for the present season which he expects to procure; and how this compares with last year.

The Burmese authorities expect that 1,250,000 tons of rice will be available for export from Burma during 1949. This compares with 1,226,553 tons exported during 1948.

asked the Minister of Food if he will consider reducing the controlled price of horseflesh in order to discourage the slaughtering of sound working horses.

No. I doubt if such action would have the desired effect.

asked the Minister of Food what are the present arrangements for distributing food parcels which are sent to this country for the benefit of aged people; and what procedure there is under which aged people in any particular district can apply for consideration in this matter.

The gifts of food sent in bulk are distributed by the local authorities working in close conjunction with representatives of the churches and organisations concerned with welfare work like the Red Cross and W.V.S. The local mayors and councils take a great deal of trouble to see that the most needy people get these gifts. They are always ready to consider an individual case if details are submitted to them.

asked the Minister of Food whether he has considered the intention of the Penmaenmawr Urban District Food Control Committee to cease to function; what was the reason given by that committee for such decision; and what steps does he propose to take to safeguard consumer and distributive interests in Penmaenmawr in the absence of meetings of the committee.

I understand that Penmaenmawr Urban District Council have deferred the appointment of a Food Control Committee for 1949. Under Article 7 of the Food Control Committees (Constitution) Order, 1943, the present Committee remain in office until their successors are appointed. They have not informed me that they wish to resign.

asked the Minister of Food what was the average weekly expenditure during 1948 on food by the average urban working class family.

The average expenditure on food consumed in the home only in 1948 by urban working class families as shown by the Ministry's Family Food Survey, covering all calendar months except February, March and December, was £2 7s. per week. This represented 13s. 2d. per head per week.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware of the difficulty met with by retailers in selling bitter oranges owing to purchasers not having sufficient sugar with which to make marmalade; and whether he will devise some scheme whereby people wishing to make marmalade may surrender entitlement to some other foodstuff in favour of additional sugar.

I am afraid we could not in any case arrange such a scheme in time to help people who want more sugar than they can save from their ration to use with the Seville oranges now in the shops. But I am considering the whole problem of home jam-making and will bear the hon. Member's suggestion in mind.

asked the Minister of Food how many restaurants and eating houses in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively, have been licensed since June, 1945.

Separate figures for restaurants and eating houses alone are not available, but the numbers of licences granted to all commercial catering establishments (that is, excluding industrial canteens and institutions), and the numbers surrendered on closure of business between 16th July, 1945 and 15th September, 1948, are as follow:

Country	Licences granted	Licences surrendered	Net increase
England	59,169	16,160	43,009
Wales	4,170	1,007	3,163
Scotland	4,529	1,002	3,527
Total	67,868	18,169	49,699

asked the Prime Minister if the Government has considered the question of equal pay for equal work when the same is performed by women in industry; and the possibility of applying this principle in Government controlled industries.

Terms and conditions of employment in private industry are a matter for settlement by the two sides through the established machinery, though the Government have asked that all questions of remuneration should be considered against the background of the White Paper on Personal Incomes, Costs and Prices. This applies equally to socialised industries to which I presume my hon. Friend is referring in the latter part of his Question.

asked the Attorney-General for how many hours a day it is laid down that pensions appeal tribunals should sit.

There are no hours of sitting laid down in the Rules for the pensions appeal tribunals. Generally speaking the tribunals sit at 10 a.m., and seven cases a day are normally listed for hearing by each tribunal—five in the morning and two in the afternoon. The tribunal usually sits until all the cases are heard. This, however, is not always possible; although a tribunal often sits till 5.30, it is not expected to start a fresh case after four o'clock.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that a substantial number of farm horses are being exported from this country for slaughter in Belgium and Holland although they are young and fully capable of work; whether he is satisfied that there is a surplus of horses in this country; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter.

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Acton (Mr. Sparks) on 24th January. In addition to the figures there given for Belgium, an average of about 26 horses per week went to Holland in the last quarter of 1948, and a total of eight in the preceding nine months. Licences for the export of horses are only issued within limits which are settled from time to time after consultation with the Farmers' Unions of Great Britain and are designed to ensure that the requirements of British agriculture are not prejudiced.

asked the Minister Of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the increasing number of British working horses exported to the Continent for food; and whether he is satisfied that this drain on our best horses is in the interest of British agriculture in time of emergency when fuel supplies may be difficult to obtain for tractors, etc.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply that I have given today to a Question by the hon. and gallant Member for Tonbridge (Mr. G. Williams).

asked the Minister of Agriculture when he proposes to bring into force Part IV of the Agriculture Act, 1947, dealing with smallholdings.

Until I have received the Report of the Smallholdings Advisory Council, which I hope will be available very shortly, and have studied its recommendations, I shall not be in a position to say when Part IV of the Agriculture Act can be brought into force.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many people are employed approving calves for subsidy payments; and what are the costs of administration incurred in the last four months.

The number of certifying officers in England and Wales appointed to approve calves for subsidy payments is 3,013. In the last four months the cost of administration is estimated to be £115,200, of which £110,000 are the fees of the certifying officers and £5,200 the cost of the executive and clerical staff.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give an estimate of the annual agricultural production of the area on which it is proposed to build the new town at Bracknell, and of the alternative area or areas suggested by the local agricultural interests.

The areas suggested as alternative sites for the proposed new town have not been clearly defined, and it is not practicable to give reliable estimates of the agricultural production from the various sites. The local public inquiry will afford the appropriate opportunity for the suggested comparison to be made and argued.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if, in the February review of agricultural prices, account will be taken of the urgent need for securing in the coming year a substantially increased output of pork and bacon.

The production targets for the various commodities are included among the many factors which are taken into account in fixing prices after a February review. The target for pigmeat (pork and bacon together) envisages a substantial increase in output.

asked the Minister of Agriculture in which English counties hill farms are eligible for improvement grants under the Hill Farming Act; and if he intends to bring forward a scheme for assistance to marginal agricultural production in England on the lines of the scheme which has been in operation in Scotland since 1943.

The counties in England which contain farms of the type regarded as eligible for improvement grant under the Hill Farming Act, are: Chester, Cornwall, Cumberland, Derby, Devon, Durham, Hereford, Lancaster, Monmouth, Northumberland, Salop, Somerset, Stafford, Westmorland, Worcester, York (North Riding), and York (West Riding). As regards the second point, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Clitheroe (Mr. Randall) on and on 24th January.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the potato acreage which it is hoped United Kingdom farmers will plant in the forthcoming season; what is taken as the minimum yield per acre; and what steps he proposes taking to ensure the target is reached.

The Government hopes that United Kingdom farmers will in 1949 grow not less than 1,400,000 acres of potatoes. The lowest average yield recorded in recent years was 5.8 tons per acre in 1947, when weather conditions were wholly exceptional throughout the season: for most purposes the average yield over the last ten years is used as a basis of calculation, the 1939–48 average being 7.1 tons per acre. The prices fixed and announced a year ago and the guidance given by C.A.E.C.s are designed to secure the co-operation of farmers in the attainment of this target.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider changing the regulations whereby certain classes of utility vehicles are limited to a maximum speed of 30 m.p.h., since an increase in this speed limit will not result in any diminution of road safety.

No. I have so far found it impracticable to devise a definition which would enable these vehicles to be treated as a separate class or description for the purposes of Section 10 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will communicate with the Berkshire County Council with regard to the Swinford Toll Bridge, following on his letter of 25th March, 1948, with a view to expediting a decision on this matter.

No. As I told the hon. and gallant Member on 24th January, negotiations with the bridge owners are still proceeding.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that coal and in particular Welsh steam coal, for agricultural purposes has to be taken, according to present arrangements, in the house coal scheme provided by the regional house coal officer; that this officer is unable to supply Welsh coal to farmers in North-West Hampshire because no allocation from this coalfield has been made for agricultural purposes; and whether he will take measures to ensure in Hampshire Welsh coal for threshing.

Coal for agricultural purposes in this area is included, as a matter of administrative convenience, in the merchants' allocations under the house coal scheme. There is a shortage of Welsh steam coal arising from the need for increased exports and, in fact, Welsh steam coal has not been supplied in Hampshire since 1944.

asked the Minister of Health whether in view of the need for further accommodation at the Athletic Ground, Hereford, he is prepared to give the necessary permit for the proposed extensions to the grandstand.

As the cost of the work in question does not exceed £1,000, no authorisation on my part to carry it out is required. I could not, however, agree to the release of substantial quantities of steel for such a purpose at present.

asked the Minister of Health what percentage of houses in Norfolk, built by local authorities, including the county council, since 1st January, 1946, or the nearest convenient date, have been let to agricultural workers.

I regret I cannot add to the figures published in the Housing Return.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether advertisements are placed by Government Departments and bodies in all national daily newspapers without differentiation; and on what principles these advertisements are so placed.

No. Subject to space being available, advertisements are placed in whatever way seems likely to achieve the best results, having regard to circulation, type of readership and cost.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the transfer under the Local Government Act, 1948, of the duty of valuation for rating to the Board of Inland Revenue and the fact that this duty must be performed by valuation officers, who will be largely recruited by former officers of local authorities, the great majority of whom are members of the Incorporated Association of Rating and Valuation Officers, the Board of Inland Revenue will give permanent recognition to that association.

As I explained in the reply I gave on 25th January to the hon. and gallant Member for Middleton and Prestwich (Major Gates) the Association has been given certain assurances, which are considered reasonable and sufficient. I am afraid that it is undesirable that permanent recognition should be given to the Association's examinations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the assumption that the pound sterling had 20s. purchasing power in June, 1914, if he will give an estimate of the purchasing power of the pound sterling in June, 1939, June, 1945 and June, 1948, exclusive of the benefits of food subsidies; and a further estimate of the purchasing power if all subsidies had been withdrawn as at June, 1948.

Reckoned over the whole field of personal expenditure the purchasing power of the pound was approximately as follows in the years in question:

Average for year 1914	100
Average for year 1939	63
Average for year 1945	42
June, 1948	36

As has been explained on previous occasions, figures which ignored the cost of living subsidies would have no real meaning.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to make a statement regarding his proposals for the financial assistance and supervision of Marriage Guidance Councils.

The recommendations recently made by the Departmental Committee on grants for the development of marriage guidance are still under consideration. Meanwhile, some immediate financial help towards their headquarters expenditure is required by the National Marriage Guidance Council, the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council and the Family Welfare Association for whom the Committee recommended grants from public funds, and I therefore propose to ask the House to authorise grants to them for the present financial year.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning (1) how much land in the County of Northamptonshire, and in which parishes or rural districts has been worked for iron-ore and left without being restored to fitness for its former use; and how much has been so worked and left after restoration;(2) how much land in the County of Northamptonshire and in which parishes or rural districts is now being worked under obligation to restore to its former use; what is the form and what are the terms of each such obligation; and how much of the land is being so worked without obligation to restore(3) on how much land in the County of Northamptonshire and in which parishes or rural districts is he considering applications for the working of iron-ore; and whether it is his intention in each such case to impose an obligation to restore the land to fitness for its former use.

I am not able without considerable research to give up-to-date figures of the amount of land already restored and the amount left unrestored. I would, however, refer my hon. and learned Friend to the summary of Mr. Water's Report (Cmd. 6906), published in 1946, paragraph 10 of which gives estimates for the whole Midland ironstone field. Further details are being compiled but may not be-available for some little time.Applications are now before me for permission to work 60,137 acres in the County of Northampton, partly opencast and partly by underground mining, as follow:

County District	Acreage
Brixworth Urban District	4,415
Daventry Rural District	927
Kettering Rural District	23,054
Corby Urban District	328
Rothwell Urban District	542
Desborough Urban District	268
Irthlingborough Urban District	107
Oundle and Thrapston Rural District	25,799
Towcester Rural District	1,434
Wellingborough Rural District	2,654
Wellingborough Urban District	600
Burton Latimer Urban District	9
Total	60,137

Additional applications made to the county council, but not yet before me, are believed to cover an additional 8,000 acres.In only two cases (covering 529 acres) have individual permissions been granted, and in both cases full restoration to agriculture is required or has been undertaken. Decision on the remainder, including any conditions to be imposed regarding restoration, are awaiting the results of an investigation which is being carried out into certain technical problems, the operators being allowed meantime temporarily to continue existing workings without any legal obligation under the Planning Acts to restore the land. In many cases, however, restoration is in fact being carried out either voluntarily or in pursuance of the terms of the relevant lease.It is my intention to impose conditions in all suitable cases requiring the carrying out of such after treatment as may be needed to enable the land to be brought back into some form of beneficial use. The extent to which this is possible and the form which after treatment should take are questions now being examined by a Standing Conference which I appointed last September, on which the county councils concerned, the ironstone producers, the Ministry of Agriculture and other interested Departments are all represented. Mr. A. H. S. Waters also kindly consented to serve on the Conference in an independent capacity.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware of the difficulties caused in schools by the shortage of steel pen nibs; and whether he will take steps to have increased supplies available.

Yes, and following consultations between my Department and the Board of Trade action has been taken which should result in bigger supplies of nibs being available for the home market, including the schools.