asked the Secretary of State for War the number of members of His Majesty's Forces who were killed during the recent exercises in Germany.

I regret to say that one officer and two other ranks of the British Army were fatally injured as a result of three unfortunate accidents with vehicles during the recent exercises in Germany. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my sympathy with the relatives of the officer and men.

asked the Secretary of State for War what was the number of boys serving in the Army on 30th September last; and what numbers signed on for adult service when Joining, and for what periods.

On 30th September. 1949, there were 3,433 boys serving in the Army. All boys sign on for adult service when joining, the terms of service being that they serve with the Colours until reaching the age of 18 years, and thereafter serve either for a period of eight years with the Colours and four years in the Royal Army Reserve, or for a period of 12 years with the Colours. Exact figures are not available, but the majority of boys enlist for the former period.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the fact that 185 members of the plumbing trade union employed as gasfitters in the Glasgow Corporation Gas Department are now on strike; if he will inquire into the causes of the dispute; and state what steps he proposes to take to bring about a settlement.

Yes. This dispute was reported to me on 11th November by the Scottish Gas Board under the Conditions of Employment and National Arbitration Order and the report is now under consideration.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons, at the most recent convenient date, were registered as unemployed in the Borough of Darwin.

At 14th November there were 49 persons registered as unemployed at the Darwen employment exchange.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes to review his decision to increase the tax on agricultural tractors attached to trailers or link boxes on the public road.

I would refer the Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Bartlett) on 8th November and to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport to the hon. Member for Tiverton (Mr. Amory) on 21st November, copies of which I am sending him.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why a Purchase Tax of 33⅓ per cent. is charged by His Majesty's Stationery Office on stationery supplied to hon. Members for the furtherance of their official duties; if he will consider abolishing this; and to what extent Government Departments are subject, in respect of their stationery, to a similar impost.

Stationery is supplied by the Stationery Office free of charge for use in Government Departments and in both Houses of Parliament. But the stationery which hon. Members purchase from the Stationery Office for use elsewhere is not exempt from the Purchase Tax which is chargeable on all bought stationery.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sums have been paid in taxes by greyhound racing businesses during the last six-months period for which figures are available.

During the six months ending 30th September last, Pool Betting Duty amounting to £4,717,373 was paid on bets with greyhound totalisators, and £1,426,267 was paid by bookmakers in licence duty. The amount of Entertainments Duty paid in respect of admission to greyhound racing was approximately £904,500.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sums in subsidies and subventions were made available, for the latest convenient period, to Northern Ireland; and what contribution is made by its Government to Imperial expenditure to offset the burden on British taxpayers.

It is not possible to allocate between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom expenditure on Imperial Services. For 1948–49, however, it is provisionally estimated that the gross Northern Ireland residuary share of reserved taxes will be £48,500,000 from which will fall to be deducted £4 million representing the cost of reserved services, and £21,500,000 representing Northern Ireland's contribution to the cost of Imperial Services. In the same period payments to Northern Ireland under Social Services Agreements were £2,800,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what terms the proposed payments to informers will be made; whether payments will be made contingent on the results of proceedings; and whether he will inform persons against whom it is proposed to bring charges that the evidence upon which it is sought to procure conviction will be that of hired witnesses.

If an offer, conditional upon payment of a reward, is made of information of an offence against the Exchange Control Act, the Treasury may reject it on the ground that the national interest is unlikely to be served by accepting it. Should they decide that there are prima facie grounds for believing its acceptance to be in the national interest, the informant would be told that if the information proves to be of value in preventing or detecting an offence a reward will be paid; but that the question whether a reward will be paid, and if so its amount, remains at the sole discretion of the Treasury. The decision will not necessarily depend upon the result of proceedings. The last part of the Question does not therefore arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of his repeated assurances during the past two years that he would take action in regard to financial devices designed to take advantage of the present economic situation and thus to enrich individuals and avoid any sharing of burdens, he will now introduce retrospective legislation to stop the widespread and profitable practice of company reconstructions and similar devices under which large tax-free sums are made available to individuals.

As far as company reconstructions are concerned, I do not, as at present advised, contemplate such legislation. With regard to similar devices, I am looking into this matter, as my right hon. Friend explained last Thursday, but I cannot anticipate my Budget statement.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many distraints for recovery of Income Tax were carried out by or on behalf of collectors of taxes during the last convenient year; and how many cases of summary proceedings for recovery of Income Tax, and of proceedings in higher courts for recovery of Income Tax and Surtax have been taken during the same period.

In the year to 31st July, 1949, 6,800 distraints were carried out in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Magistrates' orders for payment were obtained in about 4,200 cases where summary proceedings had been taken, and judgment was obtained in the High Court in about 700 cases.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will now permit the resumption of advertising in the Patent Office Journal.

I am looking into the matter and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of the approximate amount which would be involved in paying post-war credits to all widows at the present time.

I regret that this information is not" available.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to state the income, both gross and net true, which accrues by way of profit from distribution and amusement, respectively, which are shown combined with other sources of profit in Table 25 of the Ninety-first Report of the Inland Revenue Commissioners, Command Paper No. 7738.

I must ask my hon. Friend to await the publication next year of the Inland Revenue Profits Statistics which will appear in about 40 main trade groups.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on what basis Income Tax is charged on Poles, Czechs and other European nationals resident and working in this country.

They are assessed to Income Tax on the same basis as a British subject resident and working in this country.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many established non-industrial civil servants there were on 1st January and 1st October. 1949, respectively.

382,308 and 411,762.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will give an analysis by staff groups of the total number of non-industrial civil servants at 1st October, 1949.

The analysis is as follows:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what was the total number of temporary civil servants who left the service on the ground of redundancy during the period of 12 months to the latest convenient date; what proportion of such redundant civil servants were ex-Service men suffering from some pensionable disability; and how far preference is given to disabled ex-Service men to remain in the Service when reductions are made on the ground of redundancy.

I regret that the information asked for in the first and second parts of the Question is not available. Severely disabled temporary officers (including ex-Service men) who would have substantial difficulty in getting other work may receive preference in the order of discharge on redundancy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the total earnings of American films in Britain since the coming into force in June, 1948, of the Anglo-American film agreement; and what is the balance of such earnings which, under the terms of that agreement, remains unremitted, at the latest convenient date.

The producers' share of the total earnings of American films in this country from the 14th June, 1948, to the 30th September, 1949, is estimated to amount to about £14½ million. After deduction of the dollar remittances, which absorbed about £5½ million, and the amounts disbursed under the agreement in sterling, the balance which at that date remained unremitted was approximately £2½ million.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the amount of unremitted earnings of American films in Britain which has so far been expended by American interests upon the production of films in this country; how many such films have been completed; and how many are at present in production.

At the end of September, 1949, the amount of unremittable sterling so far spent in the sterling area on film production by American interests was about £ 2½ million. Not counting certain films which were partly financed with British-owned funds, three films financed by American interests have been completed and released in this country in the period since the conclusion of the Anglo-American Film Agreement; four have left the studio floor and are now in process of cutting and editing; and one is now in production in the studio.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, when making trade agreements with the Soviet Union, he will take into consideration their debts to Great Britain.

Yes, but I could not promise that any short-term trade agreement which was reached would include provision for the repayment of long outstanding debts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade upon what occasions during the past four months has a distribution officer or officers of his Department called upon the municipal authorities at Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Southport and Eastbourne, to inquire for particulars of the receipts from public conveniences at those places; for what purpose was such information sought; and what was the cost of such inquiries.

The municipal authorities mentioned were each asked for this information on one occasion, at the end of the holiday season. The inquiry was made in the course of a general survey of holiday trade, the statistics in question being regarded by many local authorities as one of the best guides to the number of visitors, particularly day-trippers, to holiday resorts. The cost involved in asking for this information was negligible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of our exports of manufactured goods to the dollar area have maintained their dollar prices since devaluation; and what is the extent of dollar price reductions of the remainder, both overall and in general categories.

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has anything yet to report on the negotiations for a long-term trade agreement with Yugoslavia.

Negotiations are still in progress and I am not yet in a position to make any statement.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is his estimate of the number of people on Merseyside likely to be found employment in 1950 as a result of the steps which his Department have taken since Merseyside was scheduled as a Development Area on 4th March, 1949; and what percentage of this figure will be males.

I cannot forecast the position in 1950 with any accuracy; but, since Merseyside was scheduled as a Development Area on the 4th March, 1949, approval has been given to 48 new factories and extensions (including six which will be built under the provisions of the Distribution of Industry Act) capable of giving employment eventually to 4,300 persons, 52 per cent. of whom are likely to be men. Additional employment will also result from schemes for factory building and the leasing of surplus Government factories to industries started before the area was scheduled.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many official inquiries there have been into the working of the film industry in this country during the last five years; what were the dates of the resulting reports; and what action has been taken.

A report on "Monopolistic Tendencies in the Cinematograph Film Industry" was made by the Cinematograph Films Council on 18th July, 1944, and was published as a non-Parliamentary publication. One sequel to this report was the incorporation of certain provisions in Section 5 of the Cinematograph Films Act. 1948. The Board of Trade are empowered by this Section to restrict the expansion of circuits with more than 200 cinemas and to require each of any such circuits to show up to six British films a year on the recommendation of a Selection Committee.Sir George Gater's Film Studio Committee reported on 22nd October, 1948. The decisions reached on this Report were announced in the House on 18th November, 1948, in the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Aston (Mr. Wyatt).Sir George Gater's Working Party on Film Production Costs reported on 24th October 1949; and the Committee on Distribution and Exhibition of Films, whose original Chairman, the late Lord Portal, was replaced by Sir Arnold Plant, reported on 28th November, 1949. Both of these Reports will be published very shortly, but before any action can be taken on them, consultations will have to be held with the various interested sections of the industry.

asked the Minister of Works what, at the most recent convenient date, was the total authorised capital expenditure on new Government offices; of such total, what proportion is in Lancashire; and what reductions are now proposed.

The annual expenditure approved in the Estimates for the current year for the erection of new offices is approximately £5 million, of which approximately £200,000 is for buildings in Lancashire. The reductions in next year's Estimates will affect all sections of the Ministry's activities and not only office building. The details are now being worked out.

asked the Minister of Works the number of cases in which settlements of discretionary rehabilitation

I regret that this information is not available as no record is kept by my Department, but the number of cases is small.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will arrange with the Regional Board to make available to the Governors of Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospitals a part of St. Luke's Hospital for teaching purposes.

I am aware of the need for additional accommodation at the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospitals. It will probably be impossible to make any part of St. Luke's Hospital available for this purpose, but I am considering other possibilities.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the latest time letters must be posted at the main post offices in Nottingham and Newark, respectively, to ensure delivery first post on the following morning in London, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and Bristol.

Following recent re-arrangements, the required posting times are:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the announcement that inoculation and vaccination are still on a voluntary basis for all Navy personnel, made by the Medical Director of the Medical Department of the Navy on 13th June, 1942, has his approval.

Yes. The Regulations provide that no punishment or penalty is to be incurred for declining vaccination and that voluntary inoculation only can be performed. I must add, however, that while refusal is not followed by any disciplinary measures it is not without certain disabilities. An objector cannot be allowed to land in ports where there is any danger of infection; he is not accepted for a further engagement after his current engagement expires; and he will not be enrolled in the Royal Fleet Reserve after he leaves the regular Service. These disabilities are of long standing and are now under review.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why, by letter dated 11th July, reference E.S.279/1/6, to a Birmingham firm, he refused to examine complaints against the National Coal Board as his agents for the marketing of opencast coal; and why, by letter, dated 11th November, to the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield, he repudiated responsibility for the National Coal Board even when acting as his agents.

(pursuant to his reply of 28th November, 1949) [c. 767–8, v. 470] circulated the following correspondence:11

asked the Minister of Health to state in quantity surveyors' terms the amount of building material for which he has issued licences to the London County Council for the erection of the river wall and concert hall on the South Bank Festival of Britain site.

Steel—4,751.59 tons; softwood—279.31 standards; plywood—38,822 square feet; secondhand timber—300 standards; hardwood—200 cubic feet. A substantial proportion of the steel is recoverable.