§ Sir R. Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will undertake to make available supplies of the Defence Medal ribbon, to which the police force, fire and CD. services are entitled; and what are the reasons for this delay, which is causing dissatisfaction among the members of these services, especially in view of the fact that the ribbons for the fighting services were available some time ago.
§ Mr. EdeApart from the need to concert procedure and to print very large numbers of the necessary forms, the quantity of ribbon that it has been possible to manufacture so far is not sufficient to meet the requirements of the civilian services. An announcement about the arrangements for the issue of the ribbon will be made as soon as practicable.
Mr. McKiesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, without exception, all CD. officers are entitled to 56 days' leave with pay and to the gratuity.
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§ Mr. EdeCivil Defence war gratuity is payable only to whole-time members of a Civil Defence service who were not paid at professional or industrial rales but served under Civil Defence conditions. Members released at the time of the dis-bandment of the Civil Defence War Organisation were given one month's preliminary notice and one month's final notice of discharge but were not entitled to leave with pay in excess of any balance of annual leave due to them.