asked the Minister of Works if he is now in a position to grant a licence for the extension of the British Legion headquarters at Laceby near Grimsby.

As I announced last Monday, I can now allow a few small schemes for clubs, and this licence will now be granted.

I am much obliged.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether he will also now grant a licence in the case of the Darwen British Legion?

No, not without notice, but if the hon. Gentleman will remind me I will look into the matter.

asked the Minister of Works if he can give an estimate of the annual cost of sweeping up litter left by the public in the Royal Parks.

Approximately £8,500. I have instructed the Park officials to prosecute litter leavers, which policy I hope will have the full support of this House.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether this practice is on the increase or the decrease? Are we becoming a more tidy nation or less tidy?

It is pretty bad. I can only tell the House that after Whitsuntide we picked up 45 tons of litter in the Royal Parks in the centre of London, and that in the weekend following it was even worse; the figure was 72 tons.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that he will give full publicity to any convictions he obtains? I am sure that the effect would be to remove this reproach to the capital of England.

I think that will follow in the natural course of events, as a result of action in the courts.

asked the Minister of Works how much has been spent by His Majesty's Government since 1st October, 1946, in buying property in the United States of America for offices and other accommodation; and how much has been spent since that date in reconstruction and redecoration of British Government property in the United States of America.

Since 1st October, 1946, the only property bought in the U.S.A. by His Majesty's Government was the residence for the Minister at Washington, which cost £18,859. About £31,200 has been spent on reconstruction and redecoration.

asked the Minister of Works how much was spent out of public funds in renting property in the United States of America for office or other uses during 1938 and 1949 respectively.

The amount spent by my Department and the Foreign Office in renting property in the United States of America for office or other uses was £21,000 in 1938 and £258,000 in 1949. These figures include residential rent allowances paid to members of the Foreign Service. I have no information about rents paid by other Government Departments.

Does the right hon. Gentleman have any responsibility for the increased demand, or is he simply responsible for furnishing the premises?

On the question of how many people are to be accommodated, that is a matter for the Foreign Secretary, to whom the question should be addressed.

asked the Minister of Works when and where it is intended to re-erect the statue of Sir Robert Peel.

The statue of Sir Robert Peel will be re-erected next month at the south-west corner of the new central garden in Parliament Square, as shown on the plan exhibited in the Library last December.

asked the Minister of Works if he can yet see his way to grant a licence for completion of the structure of Aberdeen ice rink, the particulars of which have been sent to him, as approved by the Aberdeen Town Council.

No, Sir. The completion of this building would cost nearly £55,000 and require a large quantity of softwood. I regret, therefore, that the grant of a licence must still be postponed.

asked the Minister of Works if he will give the date when he expects to transfer the Northolme estate to the Earby Urban District Council.

Negotiations for the sale of the Northolme estate to the Earby Urban District Council are not yet complete, but I hope it will be possible for the estate to be transferred to the council in November of this year.

asked the Minister of Works whether he is aware that important housing contracts are being held up at West Hartlepool and Stockton because the contractor is unable to obtain regular and reasonable deliveries of cement; and whether he will arrange for additional supplies of cement to be directed to the Tees area to avoid the holding up of important housing contracts.

I am aware of these difficulties, which have been aggravated by a shortfall in shipments to the northern region during the week ending 1st July. The level of deliveries has now been restored, and some progress has been made in making up the arrears.

Will my right hon. Friend watch this matter very carefully, because there is a serious hold-up of important housing contracts in West Hartlepool and Stockton?

Strict instructions have been given to ensure that there is no hold-up on housing, and I can only tell my hon. Friend that whereas the delivery for the week ended 1st July was 8,771 tons, for the week ended 8th July it was 11,000 tons.

Has my right hon. Friend any information to show that the cement is going into the hands of certain distributors and not being made available to all distributors? As that question has been put to me, will he look into it?

I will certainly investigate this, although I have no information to that effect. I can assure my hon. Friend that priority is given to all housing schemes.

Is it true that during the weekend the right hon. Gentleman said that if we exported more cement it would make no difference to home supplies?

I cannot imagine that I should have been guilty of saying anything so stupid.

asked the Minister of Works for what specific purposes he proposes to spend £5,000 on the ruins of Hadleigh Castle; and whether that sum includes the cost of a custodian.

The money will be spent on fencing the site; on tracing and excavating buried foundations; and on consolidating masonry. The cost of a custodian is not included.

Is the Minister aware that these ruins are only a pile of stones and have been in that condition for many centuries? Does he think that the expenditure of £5,000 is justified at this time?

I am, of course, relying on what has been recommended by the responsible authorities who decide what is worthy of preservation. The facts are as I have stated.

Would the right hon. Gentleman come to my constituency during the Recess and have a look at it? I should be very happy to entertain him.

There is a great number of ancient monuments and I am busy inspecting them.

asked the Minister of Works how it is proposed to differentiate between local residents who will not be charged for admission to the site of Hadleigh Castle and others who will be so charged.

Local residents will be issued with free passes on demand.

Is the Minister aware that the only people who visit the site are local residents? What use is it, therefore, to appoint a custodian to collect sixpences from people who will not go there anyway?

I cannot accept that. If the facts are as stated, obviously there will be no revenue. We shall have to see.

asked the Minister of Works why he has refused a licence to rebuild Nos. 5, 6 and 7, Greyhound Parade, Wembley, a row of shops with flats above, when he has granted one to rebuild No. 4 in the same terrace; and if he will now reconsider the decision in the case of Nos. 5, 6 and 7 in the interests of economical building.

It has not so far been possible to grant a licence to rebuild Nos. 5, 6 and 7, Greyhound Parade, Wembley, because of the restrictions on capital investment announced by the Government last October, and I cannot at present indicate when we shall be able to do so. The rebuilding of No. 4 was approved in principle before the coming into force of the restrictions.

Is the Minister aware that it is very uneconomical to build No. 4 and to leave Nos. 5, 6, and 7, to a later date? Will he reconsider the matter in view of that fact?

I can only inform the hon. Gentleman that reconsideration of No. 4 was given primarily on account of the fact that the man concerned was an ex-Service man in poor health; otherwise, it would not have been granted.

asked the Minister of Works when he expects to be able to remove the temporary boarding in the passages between St. Stephen's Hall and Westminster Hall.

The boarding between St. Stephen's Hall and Westminster Hall covers the Bailey bridge supporting the war-damaged vault of St. Stephen's Porch. Repairs to the vault are in progress and it is hoped, if sufficient stonemasons can be obtained, to complete the work by May, 1951.

Can anything be done to widen the passage in the meantime? When the steps in Westminster Hall are repaired, would it be possible to make a one-way traffic system?

I do not know about one-way traffic, but I have looked into the question of widening the passages and we are proposing at least to consider an adaptation for the period when the House of Commons is opened on 26th October.

Can the Minister explain why it should take such a very long time to do this? A job of this sort should be done easily in about two months.

I think the hon. Gentleman is not well informed. There is a considerable amount of repair to be done to the southern window and that will take the best part of next year. Sanction for expenditure has only just been granted, and an enormous amount of dust and mess will result during the repairs until the barrier is removed.

Will the Minister consider having everything removed from Westminster Hall, including the temporary cloakroom, in time for the Festival of Britain?

I can assure the hon. and gallant Gentleman that that will be done.

Does the Minister appreciate that these repairs have been going on for very nearly five years? I am horrified to think that they are to continue all through next year.

If the hon. Gentleman will look at the window repairs which are required he will see why they will take a considerable period.

asked the Minister of Works if he will set up a committee to investigate the possibility of extending the Palace of Westminster to include sufficient offices and other accommodation required by Members to fulfil their duties, by completing the design of the Palace as originally conceived with an office wing on the two open sides of New Palace Yard.

It would be well, I think, to await the completion of the new Chamber and its ancillary accommodation before taking any steps to provide further working facilities for Members.

Does my right hon. Friend realise that even when the new buildings are completed they will not provide sufficient, adequate, or reasonable accommodation for Members to do their work efficiently? Would he have this whole matter looked into right away?

I think that my hon. Friend was here when this matter was considered. There was a full Committee of the House, and I have only carried out their instructions and recommendations. I am sure that the best thing to do is to wait and see.

Is the Minister aware that some of us feel that there is already too much office and paper work for hon. Members, and that we should view with reluctance any action that might increase our obligations in that respect?

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he will make a statement on the progress in Lancashire in changing from direct to alternating current; and, in particular, the present position in the borough of Darwen.

Under the Electricity Act of 1948, the area electricity boards are primarily responsible for making improvements in the system of distribution, such as a change from direct to alternating current. But they must apply for my consent, before they actually change the type or voltage of the electricity they supply to their present consumers.

Before the Act of 1948, the Electricity Commissioners were the authority who gave consent to changes. In 1930 they gave the Corporation of Darwen the necessary consent for the change from direct to alternating current. They gave similar consents to other undertakings in Lancashire at other times. Since the Act was passed, the North-Western Electricity Board have not asked me to consent to any change.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that failure to carry out this change is causing great inconvenience, particularly to small traders in Lancashire, and is also involving them in considerable cost? Would he review the matter and see if he can help in any way?

I have reviewed it. I imagine that if the Corporation of Darwen, for 18 years, and the area board, for two years, have not taken advantage of the full consent which was given to them, it was because they thought that they had better put other work first. The change to alternating current is a very expensive and complicated affair, and I think it is a matter of priorities.

My question was not confined to Darwen but was directed to Lancashire as a whole. Is the Minister aware that many small traders bought apparatus which they are unable to use and are, therefore, suffering considerable losses?

Is my right hon. Friend aware that if, in the past, Darwen had made the same progress in this work as other undertakings in the Lancashire area, such as Blackburn, it would not now be necessary for the consumers of the North-West Area Electricity Board to make up Darwen's deficiency?

Will the right hon. Gentleman tell me when we are to have some alternating current in this Chamber?

Yes, if the hon. Gentleman will put that question down.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what the total staff of his Department is estimated to be when those who were engaged in petrol rationing have all left.

After the officers who have conducted petrol rationing have all left the service of my Department, the staff will number 5,700. Of these, 2,615 are engaged on the opencast working of coal; 241 others are employed in the Mines Inspectorate.

May I ask what the other 2,000 are doing, since the right hon. Gentleman has no responsibility for the administration of gas, coal and electricity and cannot answer Questions in the House about them?

Some of them have to help me answer the hon. Member's Questions. About 200 are engaged on health and safety in the mines, about 85 are engaged in scientific research, 250 on the distribution of household coal, nearly 200 on advice to consumers about the use of fuel, and 200 or so on testing electricity and gas meters.

I still want to know what the other 800 are doing?

There has to be a general secretariat. If the hon. Member awaits the Report, he will not find that the figure is very large.

Is it in order for the Minister to refer to a report of the Select Committee which is pending?

I will withdraw that if the hon. Member desires.

I asked the question because I think it is the rule that nothing that takes place in the Select Committee can be discussed until the Committee have reported to the House.

The Minister can say that he is awaiting the Report, but we cannot discuss anything which took place in the Select Committee before the Committee has reported to the House.

May I point out, Sir, that I do not even know what is in the Report?

I think it is an important point. May I ask whether, in the case of open-cast coal, they are industrial workers?

Yes, Sir, most of them are.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware of the persistent complaints about the quality of domestic coal supplied in Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, and of the deficiencies in deliveries to retailers in each of those three towns; and what steps he will take to remedy matters.

I have made inquiries and I find that the local fuel overseers have not received many complaints about the quality of domestic coal supplied in Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden. They report, indeed, that the quality of the coal supplied has improved in the last three months. During the seven weeks which ended on 17th June, the quantity of coal delivered to merchants' depots at Hebden Bridge and Todmorden exceeded the allocation. Deliveries to depots at Sowerby Bridge were slightly below the allocation, but steps have been taken to make this shortage good.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what amount of Treasury stock has been issued as compensation to colliery-owning companies; and which companies have so far received this compensation.

The amount of Treasury stock which has been issued as compensation to colliery companies up to the present time is £19,039,500. I am advised that it would not be in the public interest to publish a list of the companies to which the issues of stock have been made.

Will my right hon. Friend explain how the interest of the public or of the shareholders is served by the conspiracy of silence that veils the identity of the companies receiving this money? Is he asserting that hon. Members of this House are not entitled to have this information?

It was believed that at the present stage publication of the figures might prejudice the valuation of particular interests by the district valuation boards, which have to put a value on the assets to be paid. For that reason a specific pledge was given to the companies that the details would not be divulged.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that one company at least has disclosed the fact that it is receiving this compensation? Why, therefore, cannot the other companies be put in the same category?

Because the other companies do not want it to be done. If one company has done it, that is their own affair.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power what stocks of coal, in terms of weekly consumption, are held by each regional gas board; and whether he is satisfied that these stocks are sufficient or can be built up to ensure that in the event of a severe winter the demands for gas by industrial and domestic consumers can be met.

With the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the figures of the stocks of coal now held by each of the area gas boards. Taking all the areas in the country together, the boards held, on 25th June last, stocks amounting, on the average, to three weeks' consumption in winter weather. At the beginning of last winter, the stocks amounted to 4.9 weeks' consumption; I have given instructions that, by the beginning of next winter, they shall be built up to 5.3 weeks' consumption. I am confident that this should be enough.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if he is aware that the coal industry's manpower position is alarming, and that the coal output is less encouraging than last year; and what new steps he is taking to put these matters right.

I would ask the hon. Member to await the statement which I propose to make when the House debates the Annual Report of the National Coal Board on Thursday next.

Since both these statements were made by a responsible person last week, ought not the Minister to give the House some opinion on it?

The whole purpose of the National Coal Board is to produce more coal at lower cost. I am glad to say that, in the short time the Board have been at work, they have been able to add 30 million tons to the annual output and that after 15 years of rising costs there was a fall in the cost for the first time in 1949.

Will the Minister give the comparative costs and output today as compared with pre-war?

I will certainly do that in the Debate.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power why supplies of coal at the summer concession price are not available for domestic consumers at Pitsea; and whether to meet this difficulty he will extend the period during which that price applies.

Owing to the difficulties of winter delivery, many householders in Pitsea have been given a licence to buy their full year's supply during the summer months. This has created an exceptionally high summer demand, and there has been some shortage of supply; the shortage has been made worse by the refusal of the Pitsea merchants to accept certain coals which had been offered to them. But all orders for coal which are placed before 15th July will be accepted at summer prices, even if deliveries cannot be made till later on. The National Coal Board, the Coal Merchants' Federation, and the Co-operative Union, who proposed the summer prices scheme, have all pledged themselves to this arrangement. If, therefore, domestic consumers at Pitsea place their orders now, they will secure the full advantage of the summer price.

Am I to understand from that reply that if people place their orders between now and 15th July, they will get the advantage of the concession? Will the Minister not extend the period so that they can take note of the reply he has given?

There is still the whole of this week. If any order is placed this week, they will get the full 10s. advantage. After that, from 15th July to 31st August, they get the 7s. 6d. advantage as against the winter prices.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the hardship caused to the poorer members of the community owing to the high price of new potatoes and whether additional supplies are contemplated so that they can be retailed at a lower price.

Potatoes were scarce during the second half of June, because the old crop ran out earlier than usual, and in the eastern counties the new crop was late; but there are now plenty for all at reasonable prices. This, at least, is the general position, but if my hon. Friend has knowledge of any local problem I will look into it at once if he will give me the details.

Is not it an abuse of language to suggest, as this Question does, that the middle classes suffer hardship if they can only get old potatoes?

I can only answer for the answers, not for the Questions.

asked the Minister of Food how many tons of Dutch and other foreign strawberries in all forms have so far been imported into Great Britain this year; and how many more are either to be permitted or are under contract to be imported this year.

asked the Minister of Food what quantity of foreign strawberries have been imported into Great Britain during 1950, up to the latest convenient date.

Up to 31st May, which is the latest date for which we have the figures, about 178 tons of fresh and 41 tons of quick-frozen strawberries have been imported this year. We have no record of any imports of strawberry pulp or bulk frozen strawberries. There are no separate figures of imports of canned strawberries, bottled strawberries or strawberry jam. As I have already told the House, we have arranged for imports of fresh strawberries to stop when the total quantity imported from all sources during June and July reaches 2,500 tons, provided, of course, that we do not need more.

Can the Minister say where English strawberries which are normally sold for pulp will be sold, now that this vast quantity has been brought in from abroad?

This is not a vast quantity. We are working this thing out, and I think we have arrived at a balanced and fair arrangement.

Will the Minister do nothing which will preclude the big industrial areas from enjoying some of this cheap fruit, while at the same time, giving the producers a fair deal?

That, in fact, is what we have been doing. As I have tried to explain to the House over and over again, I, on behalf of the Ministry of Food, and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, try to balance, as we go along, what are the interests of the producers and of the consumers. I think the arrangement is a fair one.

Is the Minister aware that buyers of pulp have notified farmers that due to the tremendous quantity that has been imported they will not want any pulp from our own growers this year?

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that his horticultural policy is ruining small but efficient fruit and vegetable growers in the Maidstone constituency, and as this is occurring in other parts of the country as well, can he readjust his policy to enable British growers to have the benefit of the first two weeks of the home market in the major fruits.

I think the arrangements agreed with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture for imports of fruit this season strike a fair balance between the interests of the growers and the needs of the housewife, and I cannot accept the suggestion that they are ruining the hon. Member's constituents.

May I give the Minister the names of some of the people who are being ruined? Will he recompense them, because they are having to give up their livelihood because of his procedure'? Could he not give English farmers the opportunity of having the first two weeks of the home market to themselves for our major fruit crops?

It seems that the hon. Gentleman and I will never get anywhere on this point. We had better meet each other and talk it over.

What about Worcestershire?

Is my right hon. Friend aware that, while growers complain that they are being ruined, the prices of soft fruit in the shops remain too high for housewives to be able to buy as much as they would like? Might not a solution be not the cutting out of imports but a reduction in distribution costs?

Although the right hon. Gentleman may make a forecast, does he not realise that, especially in the case of strawberries, the whole crop can be ruined or brought to greater production by one rainstorm in a week?

These are not forecasts made by astrologers but forecasts made by the very expert crop assessors of the Ministry of Agriculture, with whom I am in constant contact.

asked the Minister of Food if he is satisfied that the recent relaxation of the order relating to the bacon ration for caterers, now covering an eight-weeks' period is giving satisfaction; and whether he will now make a similar concession to consumers, thus allowing the bacon ration to be purchased, if desired by the consumer, once every four weeks.

The new arrangements seem to be working well. Bacon, however, is very perishable, and to put the domestic ration on a four-week basis would be to risk serious deterioration of quality.

Does the Minister think that bacon is more perishable than butter or margarine? If he is arranging this privilege in the case of butter and margarine, what is the reason for not allowing it' in the case of bacon?

Bacon is very funny stuff, and I am satisfied that it would be wrong to adopt the suggestion made by the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Minister of Food if. in view of the fact that there is more milk in Britain today than is required for drinking and cheese making, he will allocate this surplus for butter.

So far as is practicable this is already being done.

Would the Minister give instructions that any milk that is not needed can be used for butter?

I have said that so far as is practicable that has been done.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give instructions to that effect?

Not beyond what I said earlier.

asked the Minister of Food if he will adopt the interim standard for ice cream proposed by the Food Standards Committee; and state how it will be enforced.

I was glad to receive this recommendation which I am considering. In the meantime, the usual interval of 28 days is being allowed for representations from interested parties. If a standard is adopted for ice cream, it will be enforced, like other food standards, by food and drugs authorities in England and Wales, and by the local authorities in Scotland.

May I be assured by my right hon. Friend that if these standards are adopted, they will be minimum standards?

If they are, they will be minimum standards; I am quite sure about that.

asked the Minister of Food whether London's food supplies will be further affected by the spread of the Smithfield strike.

It is possible there will be some delays or late deliveries, but with the help of the Services I hope that rations of essential foods will, in the main, be met.

asked the Minister of Food what instructions are issued to those engaged in delivering meat to butchers with a view to ensuring clean handling; and whether, in view of recent complaints in this connection, he proposes to issue revised instructions.

Our instructions about the transport and handling of meat are expressly designed to ensure compliance with the Public Health (Meat) Regulations. I am arranging to send the hon. Member a copy. I think they are adequate, and my area officers and agents do everything they can to ensure that they are carried out, but if the hon. Member knows of any specific instance where they are not, and will let me have details, I shall be glad to investigate.

asked the Minister of Food if he will now make the use of the captive bolt killer compulsory in all slaughterhouses so that inspectors can ensure by visual evidence that all beasts have been killed by humane means.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hastings (Mr. Cooper-Key) on 25th May.

As from time to time the question is raised whether animals are killed by humane methods, will the Minister place the matter beyond doubt by installing the captive bolt killer in every slaughterhouse? If he is not prepared to do that, will he install it in every case where I can bring evidence to his attention that the humane killer has not been used?

Everything possible is done to avoid unnecessary suffering to animals killed in slaughterhouses. If the hon. Gentleman has evidence to the contrary, I really would like to have it.

Will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that electrical stunning is retained until it has been found to be unsatisfactory and in cases where a humane killer obviously could not be used?

Will my right hon. Friend tell me if I am correct in assuming that the only way to be sure that a beast has been humanely killed, is for the killing to take place with the captive bolt?

I am advised that that is so.

Am I right in thinking that what the right hon. Gentleman says does not imply that he is satisfied that conditions in slaughterhouses are perfect now, because that is very far from the truth?

I am never satisfied.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the continued difficulty caused to canners of soft fruit by the shortage of tinplate for canning; and if he will make arrangements for the allocation of tinplate for this purpose to be increased.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the serious difficulties facing growers of soft fruit this season, he will now consider allowing a greater allocation of tinplate for canning; and whether he will equally consider the desirability of imposing additional restrictions on the importation of tinned fruit, particularly in cases where it has been canned in syrup derived from sugar exported from this country.

I am afraid there is still not enough tinplate for me to increase supplies for canning, but the sugar I recently released from the reserve should enable more soft fruit to be canned than last year. I do not think it would help to impose additional restrictions on imports of tinned fruit. As it is, supplies are inadequate to meet the demand and further restriction of imports would certainly not increase the quantity of soft fruit canned in this country or be of any assistance to growers.

There is no evidence that imported tinned fruit (except, possibly, Malayan) contains syrup made from sugar exported from this country—and I am sure that housewives would not want me to stop importing tinned pineapple.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that considerable quantities of tinplate have been exported to the Soviet Union to enable them to send crabs to this country?

That has nothing to do with this Question.

asked the Minister of Food when he expects to make a statement on the recommendation made over a year ago by the expert Committee on the Form of Government Accounts that a trading fund should be started in order to separate losses made on trading from subsidies.

This Report was dated 11th February, 1949, but it was not published until last month. If the recommendation is adopted, legislation will be needed, and the matter is being considered by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Was not the Report made to the Minister a year ago? It has been in the hands of his Department for a year and yet nothing has been done. Is his reason for not disclosing these losses that they are so big and that he is afraid of the public knowing how much money he is losing by trading?

asked the Minister of Food whether he has any further statement to make on the progress of the sugar talks with the West Indian delegation.

The House will have seen the joint statement issued on Friday by the United Kingdom Government and the British West Indies and British Guiana sugar delegation. I am circulating a copy in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Although we have not been able to change the basic figures of the offer we made last winter, since these were part of a negotiated agreement with all the Commonwealth sugar producing countries, we have been able to give the delegation assurances that the whole position will be reviewed in 1953 and that if, when we are able to de-ration sugar, consumption proves to be above present estimates, we shall be prepared to take more sugar from Commonwealth suppliers under the guarantee. The delegation will now recommend acceptance by their Governments of our original offer supplemented in this way.

I feel confident that we shall now be able to complete the whole series of agreements with Commonwealth producers and that not only will these agreements, in due course, provide a remedy for our sugar shortage, but that they will do so on terms which will place Commonwealth sugar producers in a position of security such as they have never had before.

I should like to take this opportunity of correcting the reply I gave to a supplementary question on 28th June, when I said that the West Indies were not providing the sugar that they had contracted to deliver. There is, of course, as yet no contract, and what I intended to say was that the sugar we were getting this year from all Commonwealth sources together was, unfortunately, below the estimates which had been made of what we might expect from them under the 1948 guarantee.

May we take it that the Minister also withdraws what he said at Bradford, which was, I believe, to the same effect—that the West Indies had failed to fulfil their contract?

This is an attempt to correct the same mistake.

When does the right hon. Gentleman expect to be able to de-ration sugar altogether?

That is what I want to know.

asked the Minister of Food if he has any announcement to make on soap rationing and allocation.

asked the Minister of Food if he is now in a position to make a statement regarding supplies of soap.

I am now able to give advance notice that soap will be completely de-rationed on 10th September next. This further extension of free buying of an essential domestic commodity has been made possible by the recent improvement in our supplies of the necessary raw materials. This improvement is so substantial and, on the most careful estimate, certain to continue, that I have found it possible to proceed at once with complete de-rationing instead of taking the interim step of increasing the ration. I am making the announcement now to enable manufacturers to use their raw materials to produce enough soap, including soap powders, to meet the probable demand when rationing stops.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this announcement will be received with great satisfaction by everybody in the country? Incidentally, has he made quite sure that the various qualities of soap will be in reasonable supply so that there will be no shortage of certain qualities when de-rationing takes place?

I think we have over-insured ourselves against that particular possibility.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether the children have been consulted about this decision?

Is my right hon. Friend quite sure that when soap is de-rationed the price of the various kinds will not rise?

It will still remain subject to price control.

As the opponents of soap have been spending £2 million a year advertising alternatives to soap, does the right hon. Gentleman think that there is any risk of the price rising?

Does the Minister mean that there will be de-rationing of control of the raw materials used in soap manufacture?

We still retain our control over the distribution of raw materials, but we are in touch with the trade and they are quite happy about the arrangement which we have made with them.

Is it absolutely necessary to wait until September? Why not do it now and cover the holiday period?

For the very obvious reason that the raw materials have to be made into soap.

asked the Lord President of the Council what are the instructions or advice he has given to the local authorities concerned in regard to the application of the Licensing Acts to the catering arrangements for the Festival of Britain.

No instructions have been issued nor advice given since, as I explained in reply to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Teeling) on 3rd July last, the catering arrangements for the Festival of Britain will be subject to the normal licensing procedure.

In view of the well-known affection for Scotch whisky displayed by our Transatlantic visitors and others, would the right hon. Gentleman arrange with his right hon. Friend the Minister of Food to have an increased allocation for the home market for the period of the Festival?

No doubt my right hon. Friend has heard the hon. and gallant Gentleman's question.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will make comprehensive arrangements for as much urgent road work in London as practicable to be finished this year, so as to limit as far as possible the opening up of the surface of the streets during the Festival of Britain in 1951.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that no major road works are undertaken in Central London during the period of the Festival of Britain.

I have already asked highway authorities in the central area of London to ensure that the least possible road work is done during the Festival, and works are being advanced or retarded with this object. I shall keep the same object well in mind in considering programmes of work for execution next year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of his failure to get a settlement through the International Court, he will say what further steps he proposes to take in order to secure the withdrawal from British territory of the Argentine personnel at present stationed in Deception Island.

A review of British Antarctic policy in general is shortly to be undertaken and it would be premature to make a statement at the present time.

Does that mean that the Government are prepared to allow British territory to remain occupied indefinitely by a foreign Power without taking effective action to prevent it?

No, Sir. It means that we regard this as a political and jurisdictional dispute, which we have already suggested should be referred to the International Court, and that we very much regret that Argentina, who has not signed the optional clause, has so far not seen her way to accept this suggestion.

Is this not British territory, and do not the Government consider it so?

Yes, Sir, we consider that it is British territory.

How long has this survey of our policy been going on? The problem has been in existence for quite a long time.

Yes, but this further review is to take place now, and I hope that it will be possible to make a statement later on the results of the review.