asked the Secretary of State for War why there is still a shortage of wireless equipment for the Forces in Malaya; and when he expects the Forces to be adequately equipped.

There is no shortage of wireless equipment in Malaya. Units are fully equipped and all demands have been met.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many men and women, respectively, will become redundant when the Gun Wharf, Chatham, closes down; and what steps are being taken to provide alternative employment in the Medway area.

The closing down of the Returned Stores Depot at the Gun Wharf, Chatham, will result in the discharge of 34 male and 58 female temporary employees. I understand that in accordance with normal practice the local officers concerned are in close touch with the local office of the Ministry of Labour.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether the four individuals who have recently ceased to be members of the Harlow New Town Development Corporation were dismissed, or whether they resigned voluntarily.

The members of the Corporation were appointed for three years, which expired on 16th May. One of the four members referred to by the hon. Member resigned, and the other three were not re-appointed.Under Sir Ernest Gower's Chairmanship of the Corporation, the New Town has made an admirable and promising start. The fact that I have now appointed a younger man with wide practical experience of building and civil engineering to succeed him and to guide the New Town through its next phase, is, as I have told Sir Ernest, no reflection on his most able completion of the first phase.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether he will give an assurance now that, into whatever hands "Red House," Bexley Heath, the home of William Morris, may pass at its forthcoming sale, he will take steps that there is no destruction of its structure nor damage to its artistic tradition.

I am listing this house as a building of special architectural and historic interest, and I am asking the Kent County Council to make a building preservation Order.

asked the Minister of National Insurance what amount was paid out by the National Assistance Board to dockers' families during the recent unofficial strike; and what has been the total sum paid out during such strikes since the end of the war.

I regret that the information asked for is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that passengers returning from Eire on round-trip excursions, arranged by the British Transport Commission, are being given specially favourable treatment by the Customs officials; and whether he will make a statement.

The hon. Member may have been misinformed. Far from being given specially favourable treatment these excursionists are regarded as not eligible, because of their short absence from this country, for the Customs concessions normally extended to returning travellers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to give an estimate of the revenue produced, in one financial year, by Purchase Tax on cricket bats, cricket balls and cricket pads, respectively.

I regret that the information is not available

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated cost annually of paying post-war credits to the beneficiaries on the death of the creditor; and what would be the cost if such payments were made retrospective to September, 1945.

I am afraid this information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the cost in foreign exchange of doubling the £10 car allowance for British tourists to France.

It is not possible to make any reliable estimate of this figure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement as to the further steps he now proposes to take concerning the rayon utility goods scheme.

Yes. Following consultations with the rayon industry I have decided to appoint a Committee under the Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade to inquire into the supply position of utility rayon goods and the changes in the utility rayon scheme which may be required in the future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of prosecutions for infringement of price control Acts and Regulations of street traders in Oxford Street, London; and the number of convictions obtained in each of the six months from the end of October, 1949.

No prosecutions of street traders in Oxford Street took place during the six months from the end of October, 1949, but proceedings have been instituted against seven such traders and 15 further cases are under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the furniture trade is now an exporting industry; to which countries; and, particularly, with what types of furniture.

In the first four months of this year exports of wooden furniture amounted to £300,937, which is about 1 per cent. of total production. Exports are mainly of cabinet furniture and the more important markets have been the Channel Islands, the United States and Middle and Near Eastern countries, exports of metal furniture in these four months amounted to £983,152, or about 20 per cent. of production. Markets are widespread, the British Commonwealth and Iran being the most important.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much of the Government estimate for coast erosion grants in Scotland for the year ended 31st March, 1950, was spent.

One payment amounting to £674 was made.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now considered the Report of the Committee on Poaching and Illegal Fishing of Salmon and Trout in Scotland; and what action he proposes to take.

My right hon. Friend hopes to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is now in a position to make a statement regarding an inquiry into the financial relations existing between Scotland and the United Kingdom Treasury.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has given consideration to the memorandum presented to him by the hon. Members forming the executive of the Scottish Parliamentary Labour Group, requesting the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry on Scottish affairs; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend hopes to be in a position to make a statement on this subject before Whitsun.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has now considered the results of the withdrawal of Regulation 42D in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Since Defence Regulation 42D expired, in 1946, a very close watch has been kept on the situation, but the reports received do not suggest that the circumstances make necessary any amendment of the law.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has now completed his examination of the circumstances surrounding the recent outbreak of smallpox in Glasgow and the West of Scotland; and if he proposes to make a statement.

Inquiries have been completed and consultations are now proceeding with the object of strengthening liaison arrrangements between hospitals and public health departments.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will now give details of the schemes for encouraging the use of fertilisers for improving grass land and marginal land in Scotland.

I am unable at present to add anything to the reply that was given on this subject to the hon. Member for Kinross and West Perth (Mr. Snadden) on 2nd May.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much of the £6 1s. a week is retained by the foreign worker hired to farmers by his Department; and whether this money is received whether the foreigner works or not.

The current rate is the minimum wage of 94s., and this wage is paid throughout the contract of service.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the reasons for increasing the hiring charges for labour in Scotland from £5 11s. a week to £6 1s. a week; and whether he will give an assurance that this increased charge will be taken into consideration in the February price review next year.

The increase in the charge has been made with a view to reducing the cost of the service to the Exchequer. All costs are taken into account at the annual price review.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many unstaffed unoccupied beds there are in ex-local authority hospitals in Glasgow.

At 31st March last there were 1,375 unstaffed unoccupied beds in hospitals formerly owned by Glasgow Corporation, approximately one-tenth of the total bed complement. This included 500 beds in infectious diseases hospitals and 328 in mental hospitals.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tubercular patients there are on the waiting list in Glasgow; and how many old people there are waiting for bed accommodation.

At 11th May, 1950, there were in Glasgow 1,498 persons with a diagnosis of respiratory tuberculosis and 26 with a diagnosis of non-respiratory tuberculosis on the waiting list for hospital treatment. At the same date, there were in Glasgow 537 people aged 60 and over waiting to be admitted to hospital accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when it was discovered that Cruden houses were defective in resistance to fire; how many Cruden houses had been constructed and occupied by that time; whether all of that number require treatment; and what is the cost per house rectifying the defect and consequent redecoration.

Instructions were issued on 7th March, 1949, to stop the use of fibreboard which had been adopted in these houses during a period of scarcity of other materials. By that time approximately 2,500 houses had been completed, and all but 30 of them will have to be dealt with at an estimated cost of about £240 a house.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland on what grounds the Department of Health have declined to accept responsibility for compensation for damage or disturbance to tenants of Cruden houses incurred while the alterations are being carried out to bring them up to a reasonable standard of fire resistance.

Experiments in carrying out the remedial work in occupied houses have shown that, with proper supervision and the co-operation of the tenants, no damage or undue disturbance need arise. The cost of necessary re-decoration carried out by the local authorities, however, will be met.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now able to make a statement about the easing of restrictions and regulations made under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1947.

Yes. My right hon. Friend proposes to make an Order very shortly that will exempt from planning control a large number of minor developments affecting dwelling houses and industrial and agricultural buildings. These relaxations apart from their advantage to the private developer will mean a considerable saving in administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when an Allotments Bill applicable to Scotland is to be introduced.

An Allotments (Scotland) Bill was introduced in another place on 16th May.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements were made for the effective disposal of 147 carcases of stranded whales at Thorton-loch, East Lothian; and whether he is now satisfied that the interests of public health and local amenity have been adequately served by the action taken by the local authority.

The county council arranged with manure manufacturers for the carcases of the 147 whales which came ashore on the morning of 13th May to be removed to various manure works in both Scotland and England, and the task was completed by the evening of 17th May.The county council handled the situation efficiently and the manure-manufacturing industry gave valuable help in solving what might have become an awkward problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent his Department is responsible for providing financial assistance to a local authority in defraying expenditure incurred in clearing an area of any malodorous nuisance, dangerous to public health, such as stranded whales, etc.

Only to the extent that rate-borne expenditure (other than expenditure to be defrayed from a domestic water rate) earns Exchequer equalisation grant under the Local Government Act, 1948.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the cost of identity cards for Scotland; how many people are employed in administration; what premises exist; and where they are located.

About 110 staff are employed in the Central National Registration Office in Edinburgh at a cost of about £30,000 a year. In addition, it is estimated that the equivalent of about 210 of the staff in local food offices in Scotland are employed on national registration work at a cost of £70,000 a year. There are no separate national registration staffs in local offices, the work being carried out by Ministry of Food staffs at offices of the Ministry throughout Scotland.

asked the Minister of Pensions what would be the cost of reimbursing disabled ex-Service men using motor cars and other power-driven vehicles issued by him the extra cost of running these vehicles imposed by the increased tax on petrol.

I have no means of calculating what would be the cost of reimbursing war pensioners for the extra expense of running the vehicles provided for them because this varies according to the mileage in each case.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will give priority in the case of disabled people who are waiting for motor invalid chairs, to those individuals who require them to help them earn a living.

Wherever possible priority of supply is given to those disabled persons who require a motor invalid chair to go to and from work.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will give the reason for the shortage of domestic coal in north-east Essex; and what action he proposes to take to improve supplies.

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

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how far he intends to reduce the present allowance of coal for domestic use during the forthcoming winter months.

My right hon. Friend does not intend to reduce the present maximum permitted quantities of house coal.

asked the Minister of Works how many persons are now employed at the headquarters of the National Savings Committee at 1, Princes Gate; and what is the actual or estimated cost of providing furniture and carpets for these offices together with the actual cost of the carpet in the Conference Room on the second floor.

The headquarters of the National Savings Committee have recently moved from requisitioned property to Princes Gate, where the number employed is 178. The estimated cost of furnishing these offices to normal postwar standards is £11,500, against which should be set the cost of old furniture surrendered and fit for re-use, which is £4,750. The cost of the carpet in the Conference Room on the second floor was £235.

asked the Minister of Works the total value of office buildings, excluding lessor buildings, built by his Department since 1945; and the value of such schemes now in hand.

The total cost of office buildings completed by the Ministry of Works between September, 1945, and March, 1950, was £7,920,000. The total estimated cost of offices now being built by my Ministry is £7,460,000.

asked the Minister of Food if, in view of the ample supplies of Scots processed oats, he will consider making oat products available to the public at not less advantageous terms than imported dollar-costing subsidised wheat products.

The main foods competing with Scots processed oats are the various cereal breakfast foods made from wheat and maize. These are not subsidised, and their current retail prices are higher than those of processed oats.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons were registered in York as handicapped by disablement; and how many such persons were unemployed at the latest date for which figures can conveniently be given.

On 17th April, 1950, the numbers were 2,828 and 115 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the men and women now registered as unemployed are over 50 years of age; what percentage these are of the totals; and what are the equivalent figures for those registered as suitable for clerical employment.

A detailed age-analysis of the numbers unemployed is obtained only at half-yearly intervals, and the latest date for which figures are available is 5th December, 1949. At that date 80,950 men and 13,656 women over 50 years of age were registered as unemployed in Great Britain. These figures represented 35 per cent. and 15½ per cent., respectively, of the totals registered as wholly unemployed. Corresponding figures are not available in respect of persons suitable for clerical employment.

asked the Minister of Labour when the report of the Working Party on the Employment of the Blind will be published.

I understand that the Working Party will complete the taking of oral evidence on 5th June, and I may hope to receive their report shortly thereafter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total amount of subsidies paid to the agricultural industry in the years 1938 and 1948, respectively.

The subsidies paid to the agricultural industry in the United Kingdom amounted to £6.9 million in 1938–39 and £22.1 million in 1948–49.The figures for 1938–39 include some price supplements such as the fat cattle, oats and barley subsidies. In addition wheat deficiency payments (not borne by the Exchequer) amounted to £9¼ million in 1938–39.

asked the Minister of Education how many qualified men teachers are employed by local authorities whose service exceeds 25 years and whose salary does not exceed £375 per annum.

The rate applicable to a male qualified teacher after 25 years' full-time teaching service which is eligible to rank for increments as service in that capacity is substantially in excess of £375 per annum. For some of the teachers for whom earlier teaching service in a lower status constitutes their only qualification for the status of qualified teacher the salary rate prescribed by the Burnham Report might lie between £330 per annum and £375 per annum. Information as to the precise number of male teachers who are in this position is not readily available. The total number of male assistant teachers qualified by long service as uncertificated teacher, etc., was 502 in March, 1949; many of these would have been entitled to salaries in excess of £375 per annum.