§ Mr. Granvilleasked the Secretary of State for War if he can make a statement on the improvement in food and living conditions and the civil organisation of liberated Italy during recent weeks.
§ Mr. A. HendersonI am glad to say that there has been a steady improvement since December in the food situation in liberated Italy, and that this continues. The restoration of port facilities has contributed largely to this. With the speeding up of supplies, living conditions generally have improved, and it is hoped that they will continue to improve. The civil organisation, which has functioned satisfactorily in the past, is expected to show a further improvement in the near future, as a result of the strengthening and broadening of the Badoglio Government, which is now politically representative of the whole of liberated Italy.