asked the Minister of Labour if he has now considered the method adopted in recruiting disabled men into the Remploy factory at Porth, Rhondda; and whether he has decided that a change of policy is called for.

I have written to my hon. Friend explaining the position.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement on the dock strike at Middlesbrough; and whether any perishable cargoes are being left unhandled.

This dispute arises out of a recent decision of the National Joint Council for the port transport industry regarding the time of attendance at the call stand which the men concerned refuse to implement. The stoppage is unofficial and any grievances the men may have can be dealt with by the machinery of the industry when work is resumed. No perishable or other cargoes are being left unhandled.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that 23 farm workers have been discharged by Bluestone Farms, Limited, South Creake, Norfolk; and whether he will ensure that these men are not lost to agriculture permanently.

This firm has several farms in Norfolk. A total of 12 men and one woman discharged on 25th February by Bluestone Farms, Limited, have registered for employment. My local offices will make every effort to find them suitable agricultural work but failing this they will be given an opportunity of other suitable work. Five of them have already been placed for the time being in employment outside agriculture.

asked the Minister of Labour to state, in counties, the numbers of farm workers stood off from the farms, to the nearest convenient date.

The latest available information relates to 6th December, and the figures are now out of date. Another inquiry was made on 14th March, and I will send my hon. Friend the figures he requires as soon as they are available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that 88.6 per cent. of the Lancashire miners have voted in favour of a strike to commence on 26th March; and what steps does he propose to take to prevent the loss of coal production from this vital field.

I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member on 24th February.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the average wage paid in this country, giving the several classes separately for the years 1922, 1932, 1939 and 1948.

Statistics are not available for 1922, 1932 or 1939. The average weekly earnings of wage-earners in manufacturing industries and a number of the principal non-manufacturing industries, as ascertained by inquiries made by my Department in four weeks at quarterly intervals in 1924, were 47s. 9d. The averages ascertained by other similar inquiries were 53s. 3d. in October, 1938, and 114s. in April, 1948. Details of the average earnings in separate industries in 1924 were published in the Ministry of Labour Gazette for June, 1926, to March, 1927, and July, 1927. Those relating to October, 1938, were given in the August, 1944, issue and those for April, 1948, in the October, 1948, issue. Figures relating to October, 1948, will shortly be available. A similar inquiry was made in 1931, and although details in respect of the separate industries were published in the Gazette for January. February and March, 1933, no calculation was made of the average for all industries combined. In comparing the average earnings for the various dates it has to be borne in mind that they are affected by changes in the proportion of workers employed in the different industries, and in the proportions of men, women, boys and girls employed, as well as by changes in systems of payment and in the output of piece-workers.

asked the Minister of Labour the numbers unemployed at the employment exchanges at Aspull, Black-rod, Hindley, Horwich and Westhoughton at the last available date.

At 14th February, 1949, the figures were as follows: Aspull, 49; Hindley, 198; Horwich, 35; Westhoughton, 58. There is no employment exchange at Blackrod, which is within the area of Horwich employment exchange.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Aberdeen and in the whole of Scotland respectively have now registered under the new National Health Service.

The approximate numbers of persons who have registered with doctors in the City of Aberdeen and in Scotland respectively are 176,000 and 4,900,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has considered the resolution from the town council of the local burgh of Inverkeithing, of which a copy has been sent to him, calling for an increased subsidy for housing and the cancellation of loan charges for a period not exceeding 10 years; and what answer he has returned.

Yes. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of my reply to the town council.

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent British families in Germany are compelled to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes; and if he is aware of the poor quality and the high prices charged.

British families in Germany are not compelled to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from N.A.A.F.I. Vegetables, and in season fresh fruit, are included in the ration supplied by the Army. Families may if they wish buy extra vegetables and fresh fruit from N.A.A.F.I. when supplies are available. The fresh vegetables and fruit sold by N.A.A.F.I. are imported from the United Kingdom and from Holland. They are of good quality, but it is difficult to prevent deterioration in transit. I understand that the prices compare favourably with those in German shops.

asked the Secretary of State for War if, in view of the continuing discontent over the ration scales and the cost of food of British personnel in Germany, he will send a commission of inquiry or by other means investigate these grievances.

In the view of the medical authorities both of my Department and of the Ministry of Health, the ration scales authorised provide an adequate diet for British personnel and their families in Germany. The rations issued are of higher calorific value than the equivalent Service rations issued in the United Kingdom. The cost to British families of the complete ration bought from the Army is cheaper than if the ration were purchased retail in the United Kingdom. A few special items which can be bought from N.A.A.F.I. to supplement the ration are slightly dearer than at home owing to the higher cost of packing and transport. I see no need for any further inquiry into the matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider at the appropriate time the removal of Purchase Tax from the sale of gramophone records.

My hon. Friend will not expect me to anticipate my Budget statement.

asked the Economic Secretary to the Treasury whether his regulations permit the acceptance of postwar credit certificates as security for outstanding Income Tax or Sur-tax.

No.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is now in a position to make a statement about the remuneration of the non-medical staffs of universities.

Yes. I have accepted the view of the University Grants Committee that the increase of salaries which has become necessary in the Medical Faculties carries with it as a necessary consequence a revision of salaries in the other Faculties. The provision made for the universities in the Civil Estimates for 1949–50 will enable supplementary grants to be made for the purpose of readjusting non-medical salaries on the following basis as from the 1st October, 1949:—(a)

asked the Prime Minister whether he will introduce legislation to nationalise the insurance industry, and include provision that in the assessment of compensation for members of committees of management, no account shall be taken of salary increases voted in and after March, 1949, with a view to inflating such compensation.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No." The second part does not therefore arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why there is a shortage of sodium chlorate; and what he is doing to improve supplies.

The demand for sodium chlorate for agriculture and other essential purposes cannot be fully met from home production. We are doing our best to bridge the gap by encouraging imports wherever possible, but these have been difficult owing to electricity shortages in the producing countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the value of the decimal register and sterling register cash machines, respectively, assembled from parts imported from the United States of America, and exported from the United Kingdom by the National Cash Register Company during the past 12 months.

I regret that this information is not available. The export statistics do not distinguish either between cash registers assembled from imported parts and those assembled from United Kingdom produced parts, or between the products of different firms.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the quantity of coal exported from Cardiff during 1946, 1947 and 1948.

The quantities were 591,000 tons, 137,000 tons and 1,240,000 tons, in 1946, 1947 and 1948 respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to state the rate of production of British newsprint expressed as a percentage of 1938 production, in January, 1948, July, 1948, and February, 1949, respectively; and whether the present rate of production justifies any further increase in the allocations of newsprint.

Details of production for 1938 are not available but expressed as a percentage of 1939 the figures requested are 25, 32 and 54 respectively. In reply to the second part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for West Lewisham (Mr. Skeffington) on 8th March.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the shortage of timber for repairs in the Wallsend area; that a large number of houses in Wallsend are in need of repair and builders are having to put men on the unemployed list due to want of timber; that official information has been given that no more timber will be allocated until April; and what steps does he propose to take to fill a two months' gap in supplies of wood in Wallsend.

Softwood is generally scarce; but I have no reason to believe that Wallsend is not getting a fair share of timber for building repair jobs. Timber for this purpose is allocated quarterly to regions, and issues of timber against April/June allocations will begin within a few days.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of accommodation occupied by the Wool Control in Ilkley, giving the number of hotels and houses occupied and the amount of floor space used; and if the Wool Control have accommodation in any other place.

The Wool Control occupies 12,250 square feet of office space in one hotel at Ilkley. The Control also manages a Salvage Centre at Dewsbury comprising 2,000 square feet of office space in one mill and 22,000 square feet of warehouse space in another. Three of the Control's staff work from accommodation addresses at Stroud, Holywell and Edinburgh respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade by what amounts the retail selling price of footwear has been lowered as a result of the reduced profit margins which came into effect on 28th February last.

There are different margins for the various classes of footwear. The new margins for wholesalers and retailers that came into force on 28th February represented reductions in the maximum price of footwear ranging from nothing to 11d. in the £.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Kent County Council, as the planning authority, were consulted before timber-felling licences were issued in respect of Gatton's Plantation and Joyden's Wood, North Cray.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given him today on this subject.

asked the Minister of Health the average time taken to make up spectacles to a prescription.

About four months. The opticians and the manufacturers are making arrangements which should enable the most urgent cases to be dealt with first.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give the figures showing the number of children immunised against diphtheria in age grougs 0–4 and 5–14 during each of the years 1940 to 1946 in London, county boroughs, other urban districts, rural districts and all areas of England and Wales, respectively.

Figures in this form are not available, and I do not feel that the labour of getting them out would be justified.

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish a list showing the number of empty houses in each Metropolitan borough, disclosed by the recent survey undertaken at his request.

The survey has not yet been completed.

asked the Minister of Health how many Army huts at Piper's Wood the Amersham Rural District Council are taking over for housing; how many they are not taking over why they are rejecting these; and what he intends to do about them.

The local authority are taking over 40 huts at this camp. Sixty huts are not considered suitable for housing because of siting and inaccessibility to the drainage system; these huts are being disposed of by the Ministry of Works.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will now give an assurance that there will be no further delay in the choice of a site for the erection of new houses in the parish of Fownhope, Herefordshire.

I am making every effort to expedite the final choice of a site.

asked the Minister of Supply if he will give an assurance that manufacturers of tractors will continue to receive the same allocation of iron and steel even though there is a reduction in the export orders for agricultural tractors, in order to be able to maintain production at its present level with a view to satisfying demands at home.

Agricultural tractors are already freely available in the home market, and any revision of steel allocations to manufacturers because of reduced export orders will not affect the supply.

asked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations whether arrangements have now been completed for the future maintenance of British military and civil cemeteries in India and Pakistan.

Yes. Arrangements have now been made for the care of European cemeteries in India and Pakistan. As a result of the transfer of power, European cemeteries maintained in the past by the Government of India have become since April last the responsibility of the United Kingdom Government. Since that date they have been maintained largely at the expense of United Kingdom revenues. The following outlines briefly the arrangements proposed for their future maintenance.

asked the Minister of Works what are the precise difficulties which have so far prevented the Disabled Persons Employment Corporation from securing a suitable site for the erection of a second Remploy factory in New-castle-upon-Tyne as previously agreed; what is the area of the site required; whether the co-operation of the city council has been sought in securing a suitable site; and what are the prospects for the future.

The second Remploy factory in Newcastle-upon-Tyne is now required for tuberculous persons and the difficulty in finding a suitable site arises mainly from this fact. The site must be in an area free from smoke, on a regular transport route, not more than five miles from the centre of the city and not close to food-producing premises. The co-operation of the city council will be sought, but until a suitable site is found it is impossible to forecast when the factory will be completed. The area required is 25,000 sq. ft.

asked the Minister of Works whether the Victoria and Metropole Hotels in Northumberland Avenue can be derequisitioned so as to relieve the hotel shortage in the centre of London.

No, I cannot derequisition the Hotel Victoria as it is required for War Office headquarters staff. My Ministry is at present negotiating its purchase in view of the continuing need for offices in the Whitehall area for headquarters' staffs. The former Metropole Hotel is not requisitioned, but has been held on lease by my Ministry since 1936 when it was converted into offices.

asked the Minister of Works how long Middleton Hall, Middleton, Lancashire, has been unoccupied; and when it will be made available for housing purposes.

Middleton Hall has been unoccupied since 22nd November last. The local authority have been informed that the house is no longer required for Government purposes and they are considering the possibility of using it for housing.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he is satisfied with the shuttle card service between Dorset and Newcastle; and whether he will give an assurance that no delay is occurring in first payments of benefits.

I have made inquiries into the operation of the shuttle card service between our Dorset offices and Newcastle. Although many claimants still fail to quote their National Insurance number the service is working reasonably well and, in general, no delay is occurring in the first payment of benefits. We are, however, always seeking ways and means to improve the service as a whole.

asked the Minister of Education how many emergency trained teachers passed out in 1946; and of these, how many are still on probation.

Nine hundred and sixty-five students completed their period of training under the emergency training scheme in 1946. It is to be assumed that most of them have now completed their two-year period of probation, but precise information on this point is not available.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total cost of the road safety campaign for the years 1946–47 and 1947–48 under the headings, advertising, outdoor publicity and films, subsidies to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents on the basis of excess of expenditure over receipts, grants made by his Department to local authorities, and approved expenditure by local authorities, respectively.

The payments made from the Road Fund in the years 1946–47 and 1947–48 in respect of the road safety campaign were as follow:

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that for many months past consumers in Nottingham and Newark have been unable to obtain supplies of anthracite; and what steps does he propose to take to make a supply available.

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Joynson-Hicks) on 10th February. My regional officers and the local fuel overseers for Nottingham and Newark do not know of any householder who has an appliance unsuitable for burning coke and who cannot obtain supplies of anthracite.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is now able to state when a telephone exchange will be established in the village of Longtown, Herefordshire.

A site has now been obtained for the telephone exchange at Longtown, and erection of the building and installation of equipment will proceed as soon as possible. I hope the exchange will be in service within 12 months.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when and where it is proposed to open the three Civil Defence schools and the Civil Defence staff college; and from what sources and in what way students will be selected.

The three technical training schools will be situated at Falfield in Gloucestershire, Easingwold in Yorkshire and Taymouth Castle, near Aberfeldy, Perthshire. The Civil Defence staff college will be at Sunninghill, Berkshire. It is hoped that all schools will be fully open by mid-summer. Vacancies will be allotted by the Home Office to local authorities, industrial and public utility undertakings, voluntary aid societies, police and fire services, and the Armed Forces. It is hoped to have representatives from the Dominions and Colonies in due course

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many British subjects, whose usual place of residence is in the United Kingdom, receive immunity from taxation and other privileges under the Diplomatic Privileges (World Health Organisation) Order in Council No. 136, the International Labour Organisation Order in Council No. 133 and the International Civil Aviation Organisation Order in Council No. 134; what are the nature of these privileges; and why it is necessary to confer privileges which are not granted by the Diplomatic Privileges (International Refugee Organisation) Order in Council, 1949, No. 135

As regards the first part of the Question. I am making inquiries and will send the information to the hon. Member as soon as it is available. In any case the number affected is likely to be extremely small.