asked the Minister of Defence if the defence of Hong Kong is assured by the availability of British or Commonwealth Forces.

His Majesty's Government are watching the situation in the Far East carefully and will take all practicable measures for the defence of the Colony.

asked the Minister of Defence what was the purpose of the visit to Great Britain of Vice-Admiral Robert B Carney, Chief of United States Naval Operations.

Admiral Carney visited this country en route for other destinations.

asked the Minister of Defence what was the nature of the recent discussions between Field-Marshal Montgomery and the Netherlands Government

As my hon. Friend is aware, Field-Marshal Montgomery's visit to The Hague was made in his capacity as Chairman of the Commanders-in-Chief Committee, Western Europe. I understand that his visit was of a routine character

asked the Minister of Defence what is the cost of the maintenance, respectively, of British troops and of British missions in Greece from October, 1945, to the latest date for which statistics are available.

The cost to British public funds of maintaining the Military Mission in Greece, including the Naval and Air Force elements, from October, 1945, up to the end of 1948 was about £2,690,000, of which £620,000 was for the year 1948. I regret that in error I gave this last figure in an answer to the hon. Member for West Fife (Mr. Gallacher) on 26th January as £370,000. The Police Mission cost about £260,000 from October, 1945, to the end of 1948 It would be contrary to public policy to disclose similar information regarding British troops

asked the Minister of Defence what steps he is taking, in consultation with other Service Ministers, to encourage men on the Class Z Reserve to volunteer for the new registered Reserves

A considerable amount of publicity for these Reserves has been given in ministerial speeches in pamphlets and in other ways. We hope, however, that as many men as possible in Class Z and similar Reserves will volunteer to join the Reserve and Auxiliary Forces which undertake training. At present publicity is being concentrated to this end.

asked the Minister of Food how many additional licences have been granted during 1948 to fish friers to open new shops and mobile fish vans.

Nearly 3,000, of which a little over a third were for mobile vans.

asked the Minister of Food how much cornflour has been exported from this country to Holland during the past six months, how much custard powder has been imported from Holland during the same period and what percentage of cornflour it contained; and what is the maximum percentage of cornflour that home manufactured custard powder may contain.

During the past six months, no cornflour has been exported to Holland and about 3,000 tons of custard powder consisting of cornflour, with flavouring and colouring, has been imported from that country. The approved formula for custard powder manufactured in the United Kingdom for home consumption specifies a fixed 50 per cent. cornflour content. But I think the time has come when we may be able to allow more cornflour.

asked the Minister of Food (1) what was the total cost to the taxpayer of operation Octopus;(2) what arrests were made as the result of operation Octopus

An investigation was started by my Department in October last into a reported large-scale black market in food centering on Newcastle. It is, of course, part of the duties of the Department to investigate such reports as closely as possible, whenever these reports appear serious and circumstantial.Early in December, however, it became apparent that these particular inquiries were unlikely to be brought to a successful conclusion or to result in prosecutions or arrests. I decided that they should be abandoned at that point. I did so because to have continued them would have involved the further use of methods of inquiry of which I could not approve. These methods went beyond the use of test purchases, which are a procedure which must sometimes be used by enforcement officers of my Department. I have set on foot a thorough inquiry within my Department as to the circumstances of, and the responsibility for, the methods used in the investigation up to the time at which it was stopped.I am glad to say that the investigation before it was stopped had already established a

asked the Minister of Food how many breeding sows were slaughtered in November and December, 1948; and how many in the same months in 1947.

In November and December, 1948, 8,459 sows were slaughtered at bacon factories and Government slaughterhouses, compared with 1,303 in 1947. We do not know how many of these were suitable for breeding.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that under the revised system of allocating poultry and rabbits private butchers in Reading were left 1,000 turkeys short of their customers' requirements at Christmas while the shops of the Co-operative Society were able to offer turkeys freely to all comers; and what action he is taking to bring the allocation of poultry and rabbits more closely into line with customers' requirements.

As the House knows, we have decided to decontrol poultry next summer. This will end anomalies of distribution real or alleged. Many private butchers do not qualify for an allocation under the present system, based on 1938 trade, which was modified in order to give a somewhat fairer share to customers of the Co-operative Societies. We shall soon be discussing with the trade the future basis of distribution for rabbits.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will now make a statement on the derationing of cheaper sweets.

I am still in discussion with the industry but I hope to be able to make a statement soon.

asked the Minister of Food what quantity of jellied beef was imported from Holland during the calendar year 1948; what price per 1b. has been paid for this jellied beef; and at what price it is being retailed to the public.

200 tons were imported by private traders under licence at an approved c.i.f. value of 2s. 9½d. per 1b. Imported jellied beef is not price-controlled—current retail selling prices vary.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that food parcels containing scarce and rationed foods may be ordered in the U.S.A. to be sent to residents in Great Britain; that such parcels are made up in Great Britain by British firms from United Kingdom stocks; and what steps he is taking to prevent this remotely controlled black market.

The arrangement for authorised firms to send parcels of food from their export quota to people in this country provided that the parcel is ordered from abroad and paid for in hard currency, has my approval. There is nothing remotely resembling a black market about it. These transactions earn dollars for us as effectively as exports—and in addition the food is eaten here.

asked the Minister of Food if he will consider granting permits to officially recognised professional associations and societies to enable them to provide light refreshments at the regular meetings of their committees.

I have considered the hon. Member's suggestion carefully but I regret that I cannot allow rationed foods for this purpose.

asked the Minister of Food what was the date of his receipt of notice by the members of the Penmaenmawr Urban District Council that they had deferred the appointment of a Food Control Committee for 1949; from what date was such notice to become effective; and what reasons were given by that Council for their decision.

The Council have not notified me of this decision. The remainder of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Minister of Food what was the difference at the latest available date between the purchase price and the world market price of the undistributed stocks of purchases made by his Department; and what is the present value of those stocks.

I am unable to give the information requested in the first part of the Question. For most of the commodities concerned there are, under present conditions, no prices which could be regarded as world market prices. The value of stocks held by the Ministry in the United Kingdom, abroad or in transit to United Kingdom, on 31st March, 1948, the latest convenient date was £260,884,027.

asked the Minister of Food from what date the subsidy on purchased feedingstuffs is to be abolished.

The subsidy on feeding-stuffs is not to be abolished but, as my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture said in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Mr. G. Jeger), on 24th January, is to be reduced by increasing the prices of most feeding-stuffs. I have not yet fixed the date when the new prices will come into force. An announcement will be made in due course.

asked the Minister of Food what amount of suet is made available annually to butchers for distribution to their customers.

Suet is not supplied to butchers as a separate item but as a constituent part of carcase meat supplied to them for the ration and for manufacturing. The quantity of suet in a carcase or a joint varies for a number of reasons and a separate figure of the annual total is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, in view of the fact that the body of Pilot Officer Ronald Sayers who was shot down in Egyptian territory on 7th January has now been recovered and only temporarily buried, he will have the remains brought home to Brighton to be buried beside his mother; and who will bear the cost of this.

Pilot II Sayers was buried with military honours by the Egyptian authorities where his aircraft was shot down. In accordance with custom the Royal Air Force authorities in the Middle East are seeking to transfer the body to a military cemetery there, but if Mr. Sayers wishes it to be brought home instead my Department will be ready to give him every help. I am afraid that the cost cannot be met from public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many Poles now remain in the Polish Resettlement Corps, R.A.F., showing officers and other ranks separately.

There are 371 officers, 544 airmen and 64 airwomen, making a total of 979. Of these approximately 900 will be leaving the Corps during this month and next month.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many Swift training rifles he had during the war; and what he has done with them.

Eight thousand five hundred. They were obsolete and they have been disposed of as salvage.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that the Commanding Officer, R.A.F., Water-beach, Cambridge, has rebuked 723618 Corporal Drummond, a West Indian, for communicating with a Member of Parliament about a problem arising from an erroneous interpretation of the bounty scheme and has instructed him to apply for release from the Service; if he will remind this officer of the right of Service men to communicate with hon. Members; and if he will make a statement on the circumstances of this case.

I am making inquiries and will write to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many training flights have been carried out by photographic reconnaissance machines of Middle East Command in each of the months September, October, November and December, 1948; and over what areas.

It would not be in the public interest to give details of this kind about the training currently carried out by the R.A.F.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether Colonel Jones, who commanded the Aden Protectorate Levies at the time of the riots in Aden in December, 1947, and who, according to the Report of the Commission of Inquiry, restored the ammunition to squadrons of the Aden Levies from whom it had been taken by the senior air staff officer in view of the part they took in the riots, is still holding that post; and whether any steps have been taken against this officer.

No disciplinary action has been taken against this officer, nor in my view is any required. Colonel Jones is still in command of the Aden Protectorate Levies. I should add that the report does not state that ammunition was withdrawn from the squadrons by the senior air staff officer.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will permit firms which are regular purchasers of non-ferrous metals to ascertain the daily price and book contracts for such metals by telephone to the Directorate of Non-ferrous Metals at Rugby in place of the existing system under which all orders have to be submitted in writing by post.

Metal prices in the United Kingdom are not subject to daily fluctuations and such infrequent changes as have been made during the 3½ years since the war were announced in the Press on the day the alteration became effective. Consequently, the need for inquiring the daily price and for booking orders by telephone does not arise.

asked the Minister of Education what is the total amount spent on visual aids to primary and secondary schools; what disparity of treatment exists as between the two types; and what steps he proposes to take to remove it.

Expenditure by local education authorities on the provision of visual aids and allied material is not separated in their returns from that on other apparatus and equipment. I understand that at present there is a greater shortage of films suitable for primary than for secondary schools, but steps are being taken to rectify this disparity by the production of new films as soon as possible. The National Committee for Visual Aids in Education and the Educational Foundation for Visual Aids have recently been established and part of their functions will be to ensure that a satisfactory supply of suitable visual material for the different stages of school life is available for purchase by local authorities and others.

asked the Minister of Education for what reason the grant of the Awards Branch of his Department to ex-Service men at Oxford has been reduced by £20 for their final year of study, in view of the hardship caused by this reduction.

There has been no reduction in the rate of grant to students. Since the beginning of the scheme maintenance grants have been offered for the period of the approved course only, and this has been made clear to every student at the beginning of his course. The purpose of the letter which has recently received some publicity was merely to remind students that maintenance grants are not payable in respect of any period after the end of the course.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what revision he has to make in regard to the salaries paid to certain members of the Board of the British European Airways Corporation as given in the list published on 15th December.

I am glad to have this opportunity of stating that Mr. J. H. Keeling (Deputy Chairman) and Mr. W. A. Edmenson, C.B.E. (member), have asked to forgo their salaries as from 1st April, 1948, and that my noble Friend has accepted this public-spirited offer.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has yet constituted the 12 Area Gas Boards under Section 5 of the Gas Act, 1948.

Yes. These Boards were constituted at various dates in January. I have already announced the names of many of the members and I hope to announce further names shortly.

asked the Minister of Works if he will publish a schedule of the building materials which have been reduced in price, and the reduction in each case, since the discussion began on distributors' margins following the report of the Committee on the Distribution of Building Materials; and if he will also publish a schedule of the building materials which have risen in price, and the rise in each case, since these discussions began.

As the list is rather long, I am sending it to my hon. Friend, and I will send any hon. Member a copy on request.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the nature of the road operations now being undertaken at Shillingstone on the main Blandford-Sturminster Newton road; when they are likely to be completed; and when the road is likely to be open for traffic.

They are sewerage works which are being carried out by the Sturminster Newton Rural District Council. I understand that the works will extend throughout the village of Shillingstone and are likely to continue until the latter part of August, when it is hoped to re-open the road to traffic.

asked the Minister of Transport if his attention has been drawn to the suggestion made by the Lord Chief Justice in a recent case in the Court of Appeal that when a motor car is on hire purchase, the registration book should contain some reference to this fact so as to give the public some protection against fraudulent selling; and whether he will now introduce legislation to put this suggestion into effect.

My attention has been drawn to the Lord Chief Justice's suggestion, but I am afraid I am unable to recommend the introduction of the legislation necessary to implement it. The additions and complications involved would render the present registration and licensing system largely unworkable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has had on establishments in the London area at which it is possible to obtain alcoholic liquors at any time of the night; and how many such establishments there are.

So far as I am aware, the only establishments of this kind are bottle parties, of which there are at present 16 Clause 19 of the Licensing Bill proposes to put an end to this practice.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he will inquire into the case, details of which have been submitted to him, in which a clerk in one of the local insurance offices telephoned to a doctor stating that unless he would give information regarding a patient whom he has certified as medically unfit for work and requiring sick pay the patient would not receive sick benefit; and if he will instruct his clerical staff not to use the telephone in asking doctors for medical details of their patients.

I have had inquiries made, but I have been unable to identify the case. If the hon. Member will supply the details suggested in the letter which I have sent him, I will have further investigations made.