asked the Minister of Labour how many persons in the county borough of West Hartlepool and the borough of Hartlepool, respectively, have registered under the Disabled Persons Act; how many of them are in employment; and how many were unemployed at the latest convenient date.

The number of registered disabled persons recorded at Hartlepool Employment Exchange on 16th January, 1950, was 391. Of this number, 65 were unemployed at 20th March, 1950, including 13 severely disabled persons classified as unlikely to obtain employment other than under sheltered conditions. The corresponding figures for West Hartlepool were 1,564 registered as disabled persons and 312 unemployed, including 20 severely disabled. There are no figures available of the number actually in employment, but these will be approximately 320 and 1,250 for Hartlepool and West Hartlepool respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, having regard to the difficulty experienced in obtaining adequate numbers of candidates for factory inspectorships, he will consider training suitable persons from among the unemployed and, more particularly, the disabled of younger age groups.

No. Recruitment to the Factory Inspectorate is by open competition under the regulations of the Civil Service Commission and all eligible and suitable persons may compete. The training, which is highly specialised, is given in the Factory Department after the successful candidates have taken up their appointments.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) what are the qualifications usually required for an applicant for the position of factory inspector;(2) what are the terms of engagement, including salary and other conditions of service, of factory inspectors.

As the reply to these Questions cannot be briefly given, I am sending to my hon. Friend a document giving details of the qualifications, terms of engagement, salary and other conditions of service of factory inspectors.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total number of wage and salary earners in receipt of earnings under £5 per week.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on what grounds the regional hospital boards have been instructed to increase the charges for board, lodging and laundry provided in hospital for medical, administrative, clerical and technical staffs and medical auxiliaries; and whether he is aware that in the case of Stracathro Hospital, Angus, the new charges represent an increase of about a 100 per cent. on those in operation prior to 1st April.

The regional hospital boards found that substantial anomalies existed, both between the charges at different hospitals and between the charge for different groups of staff at the same hospital. Accordingly for groups for which no standard scales had been fixed by Whitley Councils the regional boards themselves jointly drew up standard scales which are in some cases higher than those previously in operation. Charges to particular individuals have, however, been raised only where other conditions of service have also been revised, or where accommodation is occupied not as a condition of service but for personal convenience.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to set up a fact-finding committee for the purpose of ascertaining Scotland's income and expenditure from all sources for 1949.

I regret that I am unable to make a statement on this subject at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many chemist shops in Glasgow provide an all night service for the public and particularly in Tradeston division.

I understand that one chemist's shop provides an all night service; it is not in the Tradeston division of the city.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the evacuation, neutral and reception areas for Scotland referred to in the Department of Health Memorandum EV(S) 1 (1950) or Short-term plan for Evacuation.

I am sending the hon Member a list of these areas.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much we have received from the United States of America by way of loan and gift respectively since the conclusion of hostilities.

Up to 31st March, 1950, the U.K. received from the U.S.A. $4,073 million and $1,705 million by way of loan and gift respectively. The first figure includes $323 million notified by E.C.A. as loan, but excludes the Lend-Lease Settlement. The second figure is the grant element in E.R.P.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate of how much additional income a man having £4 a week in June, 1948, would require now to compensate him for the rise in the cost of living and the devaluation of the pound since then.

On the basis of the index of retail prices, which includes the effects of devaluation, about 2s. 2d. a week.

asked the Minister of Food if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the articles subject to Purchase Tax which are included in the Cost-of-Living Index, showing the approximate revenue from the tax thereon.

I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Summers) on 5th April, 1950. It is not possible to state the amount of revenue received from Purchase Tax on the articles mentioned because in most cases only a small part of a particular class of articles subject to the tax enters into the index.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give an approximate figure of the number of incomes of less than £5 per week.

The number of incomes in 1948 between £250 and the Income Tax exemption limit of £135 was about 9+ million. No information is available about the number of incomes below £135

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can estimate the number of persons and man-hours occupied annually in the unpaid collection of taxes through pay as you earn, Purchase Tax, entertainment tax, and other like demands, including National Insurance.

I am afraid that I am unable to make any estimate of these figures.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new industries have been introduced into Stoke-on-Trent since 1945; how many new factories have been built on account; and how many workers are employed in them, giving the figures of men and women.

Ten industrial firms new to the area have been introduced into Stoke-on-Trent since 1945. Two are occupying new factories and eight existing premises including a surplus munitions factory. Eight of the firms are now in production and are employing in total 1,331 men and 670 women.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of softwood is being purchased under present contracts from Yugoslavia and Finland; and whether any payment in dollars will be made by Britain to the International Bank in respect of these purchases.

It is not normal practice to reveal details of softwood contracts. Payments of 1.7 and 1.4 million dollars will be made by the United Kingdom to the International Bank against deliveries of timber of corresponding value out of the total softwood imports from Yugoslavia and Finland, respectively, during 1949 and 1950.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the serious position which is likely to arise in the near future through a shortage in the supply of softwood timber; what quantities of softwood timber he anticipates will be imported from Canada and the United States of America during the next six months; and what contracts have been entered into this year by Timber Control in relation to the importation of softwoods from Sweden, Poland and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

With regard to the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply I gave on 27th April to the hon. Member for Maidstone (Mr. Bossom). With regard to the rest of the Question, it would be contrary to normal practice to indicate during the course of a buying season the amount of softwood we have contracted, or expect, to buy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the relatively small export and import trade now being carried on by the port towns on the Firth of Forth; what is the extent of the trade now as compared with prewar; and what steps are being taken to increase the trade in the near future.

Yes. Import trade of the Firth of Forth ports was 2.3 per cent. by value of the total import trade of the United Kingdom in 1934 to 1938 and 1.7 per cent. in 1947 to 1948 the latest years for which figures are available. For United Kingdom exports and re-exports the corresponding figures were 1.6 per cent. and 1.0 per cent. respectively.It is not the policy of the Government to encourage traders to use one port rather than another, but I hope that improvements in the facilities at these ' ports and the industrial developments which are taking place in the surrounding areas will increase the traffic.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet received a report from the Cinematograph Film Council on the implications of the Plant Report.

No.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the terms of the directive he has issued to the J. Arthur Rank organisation in regard to the showing of the film "Chance of a Lifetime."

The direction was issued in accordance with Section 5 of the Cinematograph Films Act, 1948. It requires the Circuits Management Association Ltd. to exhibit the film " Chance of a Lifetime " as a first feature film in 328 theatres under their control and specifies the occasions on which the film is to be so exhibited.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the increased cost of distribution resulting from the recent increase in the cost of petrol and commercial vehicles; and whether he will provide statistics relating to this matter.

I am not in a position to make such an estimate in relation to consumer goods generally. The effect of an increase in road transport costs on the cost of distribution would vary from trade to trade.

asked the President of of the Board of Trade what proportion of the moquettes manufactured in this country find their way to the British furniture industry; and if he will consider increasing the supply in view of the public demand for this type of furniture covering.

I regret that the information asked for by my hon. Friend is not available. These materials are in good demand for exports, and supplies of British moquettes to furniture manufacturers will increase as production increases. There are plentiful supplies of alternative materials.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that certain firms have refused to supply goods to co-operative societies; and what action he will take to end such discriminatory restrictions against cooperative societies.

I am aware of instances of this practice, which is usually connected with the operation of resale price maintenance. As I said in the Debate on the Budget proposals on 20th April, we are now considering what proposals it will be necessary to bring forward in regard to resale price maintenance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that shipbuilding contracts are being lost to other countries through shortage of teak; and what steps he proposes to take to secure larger supplies of teak.

I am not aware that any orders have been lost to British shipbuilders because of the shortage of teak. Teak is imported by private traders, but world supplies are very limited and are likely to remain so until general conditions in some of the main producing areas are more settled.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the shortage of hessian, economies in its use can be effected or substitutes found; and what progress is being made in these directions.

Stringent economies are already being enforced by a reduction in allocations of new hessian. The use of substitutes such as second-hand bags and paper sacks is being pressed as far as possible. In the particular case of furniture, the Board of Trade specification now permits the use of millboard in certain places where hessian would normally be used, while permission will be granted for the use of any other material provided that it is considered a satisfactory substitute for hessian. Certain types of linen fabric have already been accepted and other materials are being investigated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now increase the allocation of tin plate to the fruit canning industry.

I have been asked to reply. I am sorry that I can see no prospect of being able to do this at present.

asked the Minister of Pensions what are the facts that must be established by an applicant for a Service disability pension, medically classified as A.1 on enlistment, and discharged suffering from grave and chronic disease of medically unknown origin.

In such a case the disablement must be presumed to be due to service unless the evidence shows to the contrary. In addition there is no onus on the applicant to prove his claim and he is to be given the benefit of any reasonable doubt. Where the cause of a disease is unknown, the question is whether the known circumstances in which the disease arises and develops are sufficient to rebut the presumption. As the hon. Member is aware, the kind of evidence required to rebut the presumption has been clearly defined by judgments given in the High Court and the Court of Session.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware that the increased price of petrol will cause hardship to disabled ex-Service men who use motor vehicles; and if he proposes any measures to help them to meet this difficulty.

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser) and others, in the House on 25th April.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will provide a list of the dead and injured in the two destroyers mined in the Corfu Channel showing name, rank or rating, length of service, sum paid or being paid to dependent relatives in each case, or pension being paid on account of injuries; and whether any of the families concerned are in receipt of public assistance.

Extensive inquiries have been necessary and I am writing to the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will reconsider his refusal to grant a pension to Mr. Howard Eater of 106A Barley Cop Lane, Lancaster, who, after being passed into the Army as Al on 1st July, 1943, was discharged on medical grounds in 1947.

Mr. Eater appealed against my decision to the independent statutory Pensions Appeal Tribunal. The Tribunal disallowed the appeal on 29th March last, finding that the disablement was not attributable to service and had not been aggravated thereby. I am therefore unable to grant a pension.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to make any statement regarding the continuation of the scheme for assisting relatives to visit war graves.

asked the Secretary of State for War what action his Department are taking this year to assist visits by next-of-kin to World War II cemeteries in Western Europe.

It has now been decided to continue, on a reduced scale, the scheme for assisting relatives to visit war graves. With certain exceptions, the scheme will be brought to an end on 31st March, 1951.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the standard of store accounting in the Army is still inferior to the standard prevailing before the last war.

The main factors are the increased holdings of stores, resulting from the war, the difficulty of housing them, their abnormal movement and the shortage of trained personnel to handle accounting matters.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the points system for allocation of married quarters in Hong Kong is yet in operation; and how many officers and other ranks respectively are still awaiting married quarters at that station.

All oversea Commands have for several years operated points systems for married quarters, which, although based on certain common principles, vary in detail between Commands. The Commander-in-Chief, Far East Land Forces, recently submitted a revised scheme which constituted a departure in certain respects from the common principles previously laid down. Following consideration of this, a new scheme was drawn up by the War Office which has been notified to all Commands and which, provided Commands agree, will be brought into operation in due course. I have called for the information requested in the last part of the Question and will write to the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many buildings in Hong Kong and Kowloon, suitable for married quarters and previously occupied for military purposes, have now been derequisitioned.

Four buildings which might, after structural work, have been suitable for married quarters and which were previously occupied for military purposes have now been derequisitioned. In view of the acute civilian accommodation problem in Hong Kong and Kowloon there is a strong opposition to property being requisitioned for use as Army married quarters.

asked the Secretary of State for War why there are no sulphadiazine, sulphamethazine, kaolin and other drugs for use by the Royal Army Medical Corps in Hong Kong; and why penicillin and Elastoplast are in very short supply there.

There are no shortages of any medical supplies for the Army in Hong Kong.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the established strength of the Field Ambulance stationed in Hong Kong; and what is the actual strength today.

It would not be in the public interest to give this information.

asked the Secretary of State for War when the Long Service Medal for officers and warrant officers of the Cadet Force will be available for issue.

The preparation of the model for this medal is in the hands of the artist and it is expected to be ready in the near future. Provided it is then approved, production of the medal should begin about two months afterwards.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many National Service men have applied to join the Territorial Army as volunteers on completion of their active service; and what percentage this is of all those who could have so applied.

Up to 25th April, 462 National Service men had applied to join the Territorial Army as volunteers on completion of their whole-time service. This is 2.3 per cent. of the number who could have so applied.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will now announce the amount of the bounty that volunteers in the Territorial Army will receive; and how much extra training will be required to earn this bounty.

If, as I presume, the hon. and gallant Member is referring to National Service men who become volunteers in the Territorial Army, these matters are still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the closing down of certain drill halls through amalgamation of units may adversely affect recruiting; and what action he proposes to take.

All possible measures have been taken to avoid the danger to which the hon. and gallant Member has drawn attention. Generally speaking, wherever there was an appreciatble number of volunteers, the Territorial Army centre has been kept open and where an amalgamation resulted in one unit evacuating a centre, it has, in the majority of cases, been taken over by another unit in the same area. In addition, volunteers who now find themselves too far from their units centre have, wherever possible, been given the opportunity of joining another similar unit.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the hon. and learned Member for Northampton has been denied access to the record of the public trial of Josef Pfisterer, that record being in the possession of the War Office.

I am considering this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for War how much money he estimates will be spent in the current financial year on pay and allowances of Regular officers and other ranks in the Army, and how much on those of National Servicemen, respectively.

The amounts are: Regular officers, £29,440,000; Regular other ranks £42,500,000; National Service officers £1,700,000; National Service other ranks £22,500,000.

asked the Secretary of State for War on how many days in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949, respectively, was the Cowden tank range, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, used for military exercises.

The Cowden tank range was used for approximately 50 days in 1946, 30 days in 1947, 60 days in 1948 and 100 days in 1949.

asked the Secretary of State for War by what number of troops, and for what purpose, was the Cowden tank range used in the last four years; and how often it is proposed to use the range in 1950.

The Cowden tank range has been used by all arms of the Territorial Army for tank, anti-tank and small arms firing and also for tactical training. During 1950, the range will be used by the Territorial Army for annual camps between May and August and for week-end and occasional mid-week training over the rest of the year. Details of the number of troops using the range in the last four years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the increasing tendency of the Army authorities not to allow young soldiers leave on Saturday afternoons to play football for their old school clubs; and whether, in view of the desirability of encouraging their participation in such activities to the maximum degree, he will take steps to see that greater latitude will be allowed in this connection.

I am not aware of the tendency to which the hon. Member refers. Commanding officers have full powers to grant men 48 hours' leave under current regulations at weekends, or to permit them to be absent from their units to play football, or for other purposes on Saturday afternoons provided they are not required for military duty

asked the Secretary of State for War in how many traffic accidents his Department's vehicles have been involved in each of the last three financial years; how much has been paid in claims; and how much, approximately, these accidents have cost his Department in damage to or loss of War Department vehicles.

In the financial year 1947–48, 17,201 vehicles of my Department were involved in traffic accidents in the United Kingdom in respect of which a net total of £410,391 was paid in claims. In 1948–49 the corresponding figures were 12,306 and £425,288, and in 1949–50 they were 11,857 and £251,210. I regret that similar details in respect of Commands abroad and the amounts that these accidents have cost in damage to, or loss of War Department vehicles are not readily available.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether he can now announce the Government's intentions respecting the " A " ring road in London.

Yes. This project will not be proceeded with, but other plans for road improvements in London will be studied by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport in consultation with myself and with the London County Council.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether he is aware that the Central Land Board will not accept instalment payments of development charges unless the sum be over £100; that many small business people have been assessed for development charges; and whether he will see that the Central Land Board accepts the principle of instalments for small sums as well as for large.

The present practice of the Central Land Board is as stated by the hon. Member. As I informed the hon. Member for Maidstone (Mr. Bossom) on 28th March, I have asked the Chairman of the Board for a report on possible administrative improvements, and pending the receipt of his report I should prefer not to express a view on the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether he is aware that in Stafford unreasonable development charges are being imposed on one room temporary conversions in dwelling houses for business purposes where no structual alterations have been made; and whether he will instruct the Central Land Board to abate their charges.

No, I am not aware of this, but if the hon. Member will let me have details of any case he has in mind, I will inquire into it.

asked the Minister of National Insurance (1) how many miners in the North Staffordshire area have been certified to be suffering from miners' nystagmus since July, 1948: and how many of these have returned to work below ground;(2) how many miners in North Staffordshire who have been certified to be suffering from miners' nystagmus have, after examination by the Medical Board, been advised they are suffering no loss of faculty, and are thereby deprived of pension or gratuity and hardship allowance.

I regret that the records are not kept in such a way as to provide separate figures for North Staffordshire. As regards information which will become available later, I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to his Questions on 4th April.

asked the Minister of National Insurance why her Department continues to send requests to Miss J. Harrison, 221, Hainault Road, Leytonstone, E.11, Ins. No. SW 19, 50, 35, for her arrears of contribution, despite the fact that she left this country for Australia on 13th August, 1946, and that her uncle. Major Read, of the same address, has in- formed her Department of this on several occasions.

There is no trace in my Department of the receipt of any notice that Miss Harrison had gone overseas, The fact has now been noted. I regret any inconvenience which has been caused by the issue of arrears notices.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether her attention has been drawn to the hardship imposed on many blind persons who undertake employment at low weekly rates of remuneration and have to pay full contributions to the Insurance Scheme as self-employed persons; and whether she will consider alleviating the position.

Any self-employed person whose income is £104 a year or less may claim exception from liability to pay contributions, and in assessing income for this purpose a blind pension is wholly disregarded.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what is the reason for deducting the wife's allowance in respect of a husband's disability pension when that husband becomes entitled to an old age contributory pension; and in how many cases such deductions have been made since July, 1948.

I would refer the hon. Member to the report of the National Insurance Advisory Committee on the National Insurance (Overlapping Benefits) Regulations, 1948, which explains the reasons for the provision I think he has in mind. A copy of the report is available in the Library. I regret that the information asked for in the second part of the Question is not available.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if she will take steps to raise the amount it is permissible for an old age pensioner to earn before such earnings affect the pension received, in view of the changed value of the pound since the regulations were made.

The provisions governing retirement pensions are, as a whole, designed to encourage people to continue working as long as possible. The amount of the pension accordingly increases up to age 70 (65 for women) the longer retirement is postponed. On the evidence available, I see no reason for departing from the views expressed by my predecessor on this matter.

asked the Minister of National Insurance whether she is satisfied that every possible precaution has been taken to prevent the growing circulation of forged insurance stamps; and if she can give any information to employers as to how these forged stamps can be detected.

I am in close touch with Scotland Yard on this matter, and we are taking every practicable step to trace the source of these forgeries and check their circulation. As regards the second part of the Question, the detection of forgeries calls for special knowledge and apparatus and I can only emphasise the importance of never buying stamps from anywhere except a Post Office. It is, in fact, illegal to buy them from any unauthorised source.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the increase in taxation on petrol will result in a reduction in net remuneration of general practitioners in the National Health Service, whose State remuneration is gross, and inclusive of practice expenses; and whether he will arrange for the appropriate addition to be made to the central pool for general practitioners' remuneration, so as to maintain the net remuneration at the level laid down by him.

I cannot regard the imposition of a new tax as constituting grounds for an addition to remuneration.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, in Birmingham, hundreds of the applications for hearing aids, submitted during 1948, have still to be dealt with and it is anticipated that some time will elapse before 1949 applications can be considered; whether he will give an estimate for the country as a whole of the number of such applications which are awaiting attention; and what plans he has for ensuring that the delays with regard to the supply of deaf aids are reduced and dealt with on more practical lines as with the applications for spectacles.

I am fully aware of the size of the waiting list, which amounts in total to about 86,000. Distribution facilities are being increased, and will be further increased as circumstances allow; but I am not prepared to adopt arrangements which do not include adequate instruction in the use of deaf aids.

asked the Minister of Health what were his instructions to the Wandsworth Borough Council in regard to new housebuilding in the current year; and how these will be affected by the recent change in policy on capital expenditure.

The present allocation is 450. It will be reconsidered later in the year in the light of progress then made.

asked the Minister of Health whether inquests were held in connection with the three deaths from post-vaccinal encephalitis which took place during the year 1948 as reported in the report of the chief medical officer of health recently published, or why not.

An inquest was held on one of these deaths and another was referred to the coroner, who considered, after a post-mortem had been held, that an inquest was unnecessary. Deaths from this cause need not be referred to the coroner unless they present special features.

asked the Minister of Health how many marriages in England and Wales in 1948 were contracted according to the rites of the Church of England; and how many were contracted before the registrar without religious ceremony.

The latest available information on this subject is in respect of the year 1934, for which the following are the figures:

asked the Postmaster-General how many telephones there were in England, Scotland and Wales, separately, in 1938, 1945 and 1950.

The particulars are as follow:

asked the Postmaster-General how many telephones were installed throughout the country in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949, respectively, for farmers, medical personnel, businesses, local and central Government offices, and all others, respectively.

Statistics in the form requested by my hon. Friend are not available as records are kept only in the categories, business, residential and (since 1948) farmers. Particulars under these three classifications for the United Kingdom are as follow:

asked the Postmaster-General how many telephones were installed in Caernarvonshire in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949, respectively, for farmers, medical personnel, businesses, local and central Government offices. and all others. respectively.

Statistics in the form requested by my hon. Friend are not available as records are kept only in the categories, business, residential and (since 1948) farmers. Particulars under these three classifications for Caernarvon-shire are as follow:—

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that there are more than 400 applicants for telephone installations within the county borough of West Hartlepool; that in addition to a shortage of spare wires outside, there is a serious shortage of accommodation at the exchange itself; and whether he can give any indication when additional exchange equipment will be made available to these waiting applicants.

Restrictions on Government expenditure make it impracticable to give early relief in this case. Additional exchange equipment should, however, be available by 1951 to give service to applicants for whom spare outside wires are available.

asked the Postmaster-General when the Wembley and Corinthian Telephone Exchanges will be converted to automatic.

The existing Wembley and Corinthian manual exchanges are to be replaced by a single automatic exchange which is expected to be completed by May, 1951.

asked the Postmaster-General how many are employed at the Post Office engineering department section in Bangor, Caernarvonshire; and how many were so employed 12 months ago.

The number of Post Office engineering staff employed in the Bangor local area is at present 396; in April, 1949, the figure was 355.

asked the Postmaster-General what advantage there is to the sub-postmasters in certain experimental areas where the 9.0 to 10.30 a.m. Sunday telegram work is taken over by Crown offices; whether the sub-postmasters have to remain in attendance during that time; what are the consequential pay arrangements; and whether he will relieve sub-postmasters of all Sunday work unless notification is sent to them the previous day.

The advantage is that the sub-postmaster is relieved of the responsibility for the delivery of telegrams. The arrangement, which has been agreed with the Federation of Sub-Postmasters, includes an understanding that sub-postmasters will co-operate and provide for delivery in the very exceptional cases where this cannot be made from the Crown Office, e.g., owing to, very bad road conditions. Every endeavour would be made to give advance notice of such a call so far as circumstances permitted. Sub-postmasters whose offices are included in the experiment do not receive the normal payment of £9 per annum for regular Sunday attendance, but would receive payment for any attendance actually given.

asked the Postmaster-General when the proposed new post office in Ealing Road, Wembley, will be completed.

This new office should be completed and opened to the public by the end of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of increased Communist infiltration in Britain as shown by the present strike in the London docks, he will now introduce a Bill on the lines of the Bill just introduced into the Australian Parliament by Mr. Menzies.

No.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when houses are to be built in Wembley for occupation by members of the Police Force.

It is proposed to make a start this month.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the total number of sheep in Gloucestershire on 4th June, 1939, and on 4th June, 1949.

Three hundred and fifteen thousand in June, 1939, and 145,000 in June, 1949.