asked the Postmaster-General what are the separate total figures for the annual consumption of petrol by vehicles of his Department for the years 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1948.

The figures requested by the hon. Member are as follows:

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that a large number of postmarks on letters and parcels are illegible; and what steps he is taking to remedy this.

Yes. The standing instructions provide that as far as practicable all postmarks should be clear and legible in every particular, but perfection in this direction is impossible on many items because of their shape. Compliance with the standing instructions is under constant check with a view to improvement.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether he has yet received from the National Insurance Advisory Committee a report on the Provisional Overlapping Benefits Regulations in their application to persons in hospital.

Yes. Its recommendations, which I am accepting, are embodied in regulations which, together with the report, are being laid before the House immediately. This report completes the Committee's consideration of the question of overlapping benefits, and I should like to take this opportunity of paying tribute to them for the careful and thorough way in which they have dealt with a very difficult problem.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an estimate of the cost to the country of the recent London dock strike.

I have been asked to reply. It is not practicable to make such an estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will draw the attention of the War Graves Commission to the deplorable condition of the graves of two British soldiers who fell in World War I and who were buried in the local communal cemetery at Mecquignées Nord; and if he will take action to remedy this state of affairs.

I am making inquiries and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War what funds in respect of veterans of the South African War still exist; and to what use they are being put.

I would refer the hon. Member to the information given by my hon. Friend the Member for the Forest of Dean (Mr. Philips Price), as representing the Charity Commissioners, in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Mr. Palmer) on 13th December, 1945. The War Office is not responsible for the administration of these funds.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the complete list of all licensing districts in which an extension of permitted hours to 10.30 p.m. has been granted on week-days, either for the whole year or a lesser period, indicating where such extensions were newly granted at the last annual licensing meeting.

I am sending the hon. Member the information for which he asks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what modification he proposes to make in the conditions under which prisoners are allowed to communicate with Members of Parliament.

In July of last year, after consultation with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, I decided, as I announced to the House at the time, to issue instructions that prisoners might be permitted to use letters from their ordinary allowance to write to a Member pf Parliament of their choice, and that such letters might be permitted in certain circumstances.I am anxious to maintain this concession, which I think is right in principle, and in accordance with the wishes of the House, but experience of its working has shown that certain limitations are necessary in the interests of the maintenance of discipline and the proper management of prisons. Under the Prison Standing Orders a prisoner is not permitted to make complaints in his letters to friends and relatives about his treatment in prison, because there are appointed channels by which grievances of this kind can be considered and redressed. A prisoner can ask to see the Governor, and if dissatisfied with the Governor's decision, can ask to see the Visiting Committee or Board of Visitors, and he has the further remedy of petitioning the Secretary of State. He can also request an interview with one of the Prison Commissioners or Assistant Commissioners or in Scotland with an officer of the Secretary of State at his next visit to the prison. Moreover, if a prisoner makes, either to the visiting magistrates or in a petition, allegations against a prison officer, which are established to be false, and malicious, he is liable to be punished.Hon. Members will appreciate that if a prisoner is to be allowed to use a letter to a Member of Parliament for the purpose of making complaints about his treatment, which he would not be allowed to make in an ordinary letter, and which he has never made to the prison authorities, the result would be that a prisoner could by-pass the appointed channels for the investigation of such complaints, and could make with impunity the most malicious and unfounded allegations against particular officers. This seems to be most undesirable and likely eventually to undermine the authority of the Visiting Committee or Board of Visitors who are the independent check on prison administration for which Parliament has made provision. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I therefore propose to issue instructions that a prisoner shall not be allowed to make complaints about his prison treatment in a letter to a Member unless he has already exhausted his right of making the complaint through the proper channels in one or other of the ways I have mentioned.Under the Prison Standing Orders there are certain matters which may not be included in letters written by prisoners. These are:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that women are denied the municipal franchise in Cyprus; and whether he will take immediate steps to end this example of sex discrimination.

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second, I am advised that to enfranchise women would at present be contrary to the wishes of the majority of Cypriots of both sexes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to ratify the Brussels Copyright Convention, 1948; and what action is to be taken in connection with such ratification about the conditions on which the United Kingdom delegation accepted the provisions of Article 11 of that convention, and about the machinery to be established under Article 13 whereby a competent authority will have to be established to determine, in the absence of agreement, what is the just remuneration of authors in respect of the recording or public performance of their work.

In reply to the first and second parts of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the hon. and gallant Member for Great Yarmouth (Squadron Leader Kinghorn). As regards that part of the Question which refers to Article 13 of the Convention, provision is already made in Section 19 (3), as amended, of the Copyright Act, 1911, fixing the rate of royalty to be paid, failing agreement, in respect of the making of gramophone records of a musical work under the conditions laid down in that Section. In the case of the public performance of a musical work by means of such records, however, no reservations or conditions have been imposed by the law of the United Kingdom on the author's exclusive right, and consequently the amount of royalty to be paid in respect of such performances must be settled by agreement between the parties.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can now furnish any information as to how far cinematograph exhibitors have fulfilled their quota obligations during the six months ended 31st March, 1949.

Returns from exhibitors generally do not have to be rendered till the Autumn, but in the meantime the Board of Trade has made a sample investigation which covered all the 152 cinemas in two London districts and nine other towns in Great Britain—viz., Birkenhead, Bournemouth, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Dundee, Hull, Inverness and Norwich.Many of the cinemas concerned are in highly competitive areas and have been granted under Section 4 of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1948, a measure of relief from the full statutory quota of 45 per cent. for British first feature films. As a result of this the average of the first feature quotas prescribed for the cinemas covered by the Survey was 31.4 per cent. The overall quota of British first features shown by these cinemas during the six months ended 31st March last was 35.7 per cent. of all their first feature films.The overall British percentage of "supporting" films (i.e. second features and shorts) achieved at these theatres in the same period was 24.5 per cent. This compares with the statutory requirement that not less than 25 per cent. of all the "supporting" films must be British.

asked the Minister of Education what is the present total number of children in the maintained schools; and how many children have applied for admission and been refused, for lack of accommodation, especially in the primary schools.

Provisional returns show that there were 5,550,000 children in maintained and assisted primary and secondary schools (other than special schools) in January, 1949. In reply to the second part of the Question, I have nothing to add to the answer given to the hon. Member for Mile End (Mr. Piratin) on 30th June.

asked the Minister of Defence if he has any statement to make about the charges made to cadets for their rations at annual camps.

Yes. Hitherto cadets have been required to pay for their rations while at camp at cost price which, at present, is about 2s. a day. I am glad to say that it has been decided to charge cadets only 1s. a day with effect from the beginning of the present financial year.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning how many new houses, other than those prefabricated houses built for building trade operatives employed to do the work on the site, have so far been built in the new town at Stevenage; and how many more are in the course of construction.

Though the answer to both parts of the Question is "None," the Corporation have submitted for my approval a proposal for the site development of the first large housing area in the new town. I understand, moreover, that a proposal for the erection of over 200 flats within this area will reach me shortly.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning what is the total amount which has so far been spent for all purposes on the new town at Stevenage, up to the most recent period for which these figures are available.

The expenditure of the Stevenage Development Corporation for the period to 31st March, 1948, is set out in the Paper (H.C.146) containing the accounts, and also in the Paper (H.C.113) containing a report of the operations of the Corporation up to that date, which under the provisions of the New Towns Act, 1946, must be prepared by the Corporation and laid before Parliament. Accounts for subsequent financial years will be published in due course and information about the total amount of the expenditure to date is not in my possession. The total amount issued to date to the Corporation to defray expenditure on capital and revenue account is £325,307.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning when the social organiser was engaged for the new town at Stevenage; for how long he has been receiving a salary; and how many people there are on this property for him to organise, other than those engaged on construction.

The answer to the first two parts of the hon. Member's Question is 18th August, 1947: the duties of the Social Development Officer do not include organising people; he is responsible for the Corporation's public relations work and for their social research work which in view of the nature, magnitude, and complexity of their task is necessarily continuous and substantial.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning if he has considered the memoranda sent to him by the Doncaster Civic Trust concerning the proposal to erect a power house at Crimpsall Ings, Doncaster; and if he will inform the Civic Trust of what action he proposes to take.

I understand that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Fuel and Power proposes to hold a local inquiry to give objectors an opportunity of being heard.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what were the circumstances under which it was possible for a 22-yearsold clerk at the Leeds regional petroleum office to have access to petrol coupons and steal 6,000; what length of time elapsed between the first theft and its discovery; what instructions he has issued about the daily or weekly balancing of petrol coupon accounts; and whether these were carried out on this occasion.

This clerk was in the section of the regional petroleum office which deals with motorists who, because they are changing their cars, have to return the balance of their supplementary coupons issued for the old car and apply for new coupons. By a complicated and carefully-planned device, the clerk, instead of cancelling all the returned coupons, was able to steal a proportion of them. The first theft took place in June, 1948, and was not discovered until April, 1949. Steps have now been taken to prevent this type of theft occurring again, but my hon. Friend will appreciate that it is extremely difficult to devise a system which will be complete proof against the ingenuity of a dishonest employee.As regards the last two parts of the Question, regional petroleum officers are instructed to balance stocks of coupons against authorised coupon issues each day, and this instruction is observed meticulously in all regional petroleum offices. But as I have explained, this clerk was not in the issuing section and the coupons stolen were those which had already been issued once, and if not reissued should have been destroyed.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding the increase in the number of foxes in Forestry Commission plantations and the use of poison to keep it in check; and what action he proposes to take.

During the last 12 months only five complaints have been received by the Forestry Commission regarding damage by foxes alleged to come from Forestry Commission lands. None of these, however, suggested that the number of foxes had increased. A suggestion that strychnine should be used in plantations has been received but its use is dangerous and illegal. The Forestry Commission and the Department of Agriculture for Scotland are, however, co-operating in trying out other poisons.The Forestry Commission employ trappers in all their forests and pay them a normal wage plus a bonus for foxes and cubs killed. In addition the Commission co-operate in organised schemes for the destruction of foxes by contributing to local clubs and associations. The numbers of foxes killed by the Commission in Scotland in 1947 was 940 and in 1948 was 1,207.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when the Herring Board cannery at Port Glasgow commenced operations; on how many days since then no herrings from the Clyde area have been received; and on how many days herrings from other areas have been received;(2) What are the total quantities of Clyde herrings and herrings from other areas received by the Herring Board cannery at Port Glasgow since it commenced operations; the average quantities processed each week; and the total amount of capital and revenue expenditure to the nearest convenient date.

The information desired is not immediately available. I am in communication with the Herring Industry Board on the matter and shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the Herring Industry Board's Report, covering the 1948 season, will not be available for debate in Parliament until the 1949 Scottish season is over.

In accordance with the Herring Industry Act, 1935, the Annual Report of the Herring Industry Board covers their financial year which ends on 31st March and a reasonable time is required for the preparation and publication of the Report which has to be accompanied by their audited accounts.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) the revenue expenditure incurred by the Herring Board since they became tenants of the Government cold store at Perth; and the income for the same period calculated at the rate paid for similar produce by the Ministry of Food in the provinces;(2) The date on which the Herring Board took over the Government cold store in Perth; the length of lease; the annual rental payable by the Board; and if it includes local rates;(3) How much capital expenditure the Herring Industry Board has incurred on the Government cold store at Perth.

The Herring Industry Board have not become tenants of the Government cold store at Perth.

asked the Minister of Works the capital cost of the Government

asked the Minister of Food what proportion of the subsidies to home-grown foods is in respect of livestock and livestock products.

77 per cent.

The capital cost of the Government cold store at Perth was approximately £124,500. The Herring Industry Board have not become tenants of any part of these premises; the second part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Food the total quantities of meat, bacon, cheese, butter, margarine and cooking fats consumed in Great Britain in any recent convenient period; and the respective quantities of each of these foodstuffs allocated to catering and manufacturing establishments.

Separate figures for Great Britain are not available. The quantities for the United Kingdom for the first quarter of 1949 are shown in the following table:

asked the Minister of Food what proportion of the total available feedingstuffs used to meet the ration of all classes of livestock is imported; and what proportion is home grown, giving protein and carbohydrate feeding-stuffs separately.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Ripon (Mr. York) on 26th April.

asked the Minister of Food what is the consumption per head of the staple non-rationed foods at the latest convenient date.

The following are the figures for the year ended 30th June, 1949:

asked the Minister of Food when the Queensland British Food Corporation, in which three-quarters of the capital is held by the British Government, is likely to issue a report; and if he will make a further statement on the results of the work to date.

asked the Minister of Food (I) whether he will issue a White Paper dealing with the plans of the Food Corporation's scheme to produce sorghum and meat in Queensland; and giving all relevant particulars;(2) whether he will give particulars of the Queensland meat and sorghum project, stating what capital expenditure is involved both in this country and in Australia; what area is covered; and how far the plans for this experiment have proceeded;(3) what expenditure by the United Kingdom Government is involved in the Queensland meat and sorghum scheme; when it is expected that supplies will be available; and in what quantity.

The United Kingdom Government's financial interest in the Queensland sorghum and meat scheme is an indirect one through the Overseas Food Corporation. The Queensland British Food Corporation, which operates the scheme, is financed jointly by the Overseas Food Corporation and the Queensland Government, the former contributing three parts and the latter one part of the advances required, with a limit of £500,000 (Australian) as the maximum contribution from the Queensland Government. The ultimate size of the scheme will depend entirely on the results achieved. Advances from the Overseas Food Corporation to date amount to £371,649 (sterling).The Queensland British Food Corporation, which was established on the 8th April, 1948, has purchased, or is in process of purchasing, some 490,000 acres of land, of which approximately 58 per cent. is arable. For the latest information about the first year's sorghum harvest, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham (Mr. Crawley) on 25th July. It will, of course, be necessary to retain part of the harvest in Australia for reserve stock and for seed, but I am informed that approximately 5,000 tons will be available for export to the United Kingdom by the end of this year. Several thousand head of cattle have been purchased for grazing on the sorghum stubble and on land not suitable for cultivation, and experiments in pig breeding have already begun. If these pilot pig rearing projects prove successful they will be expanded into large-scale units, the agricultural side of the project providing the necessary feedingstuffs. Meat should be available for export next year, 1950, but it is not possible at this stage to estimate the quantity likely to be available.The Report and Accounts of the Queensland British Food Corporation will be included in the Report and Accounts of the Overseas Food Corporation which will be laid before the House later this year. Since this will give hon. Members full information on the progress of the scheme and the opportunity to discuss it, I do not consider the publication of a White Paper on the subject to be necessary. I am sending him a copy of the original document of the scheme and other relevant papers.

asked the Minister of Food why he does not make fuller use of road transport for fat stock from Carlisle to Lancashire towns, when the cost of such transport is much cheaper than transport by rail.

The class and condition of livestock, the numbers to be moved, the distances involved, and the regulation of the slaughtering programme normally dictate the allocation of livestock traffic to the transport facilities available. Cost cannot be the primary consideration. But in any case, as I explained in my reply to the hon. Member on 6th July, the calculations in respect of a particular movement are not strictly comparable, since road charges are related to the class of stock carried and the distance involved, whereas the railway charge to the Ministry is calculated at a flat rate per head over the whole country irrespective of the class of livestock and of the distance. It does not follow from the figures quoted, therefore, that one method of transport is cheaper than another.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that a state of emergency exists in large parts of East Suffolk owing to absence of supplies of water to drink for local inhabitants; and if he will confer with the Minister of Agriculture and the Secretary of State for War to enable special steps to be taken to supply water during the present drought.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on 23rd May. I have had no requests for assistance from the local authorities who are responsible for the temporary measures for dealing with shortages.

asked the Minister of Health what sums have been recovered from members of the Rowley Regis Borough Council as a result of the district auditor's examination of that borough's accounts for the three years ended 31st March, 1949.

Although items of expenditure have been surcharged on certain members of the council no recoveries have yet been made. An appeal against the surcharges has been received and is now under consideration.

asked the Minister of Health why he directed that an extraordinary audit of the accounts of the Borough of Rowley Regis for the period 1st April, 1948, to 9th March, 1949, should be carried out by the district auditor.

At the audit of the accounts of this local authority for the year ended 31st March, 1948, objection to certain legal expenses was raised by two members of the council and upon consideration of the circumstances the auditor decided that he would have no alternative but to make a surcharge in respect of them. It was ascertained that further similar expenses had been incurred in the year ended 31st March, 1949, and for the convenience of the local authority and the members concerned it was desirable that the two items of expenditure should be dealt with at the same time. In these circumstances an extraordinary audit relating to the latter of the two items was authorised.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that local concern has been caused by the decision of the North-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board to convert the Victoria Hospital, Barnet, into a maternity department for the Wellhouse Hospital, Barnet; and whether he will consider a petition against this decision signed by a number of local residents, as the regional board has refused to vary or suspend its decision.

If a petition is sent to me I will certainly consider it. But I think it would be more appropriate if, in the first place, it was addressed to the regional hospital board, who have delegated powers for the planning and development of hospital services in their area, which do not require them to obtain my approval before they make changes in the use of particular hospitals.

asked the Minister of Transport what additional period he has allowed to the Transport Commission to complete the draft of charges scheme relating to the services and facilities provided by the Commission as required under Section 76 of the Transport Act. 1947.

In exercise of my powers under Section 76 of the Transport Act, 1947, I have this week allowed the Commission a period of four years from the passing of the Act, i.e., an additional period of two years, for the preparation and submission to the Transport Tribunal of their draft charges schemes.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will confer with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to secure an increased allocation of funds for road maintenance and repair in view of the fact that road accidents are increasing at a disturbing rate, in spite of the intense and skilfully conducted Safety First activities, due to the prevalence of extensive areas of distorted and dangerous road surfaces that have accumulated from the enforced neglect of road maintenance during the last 10 years.

I sympathise with my hon. Friend's desire to see more money spent on road maintenance but I have no evidence yet that the number of accidents attributed to road conditions is increasing.