§ Mr. Palmerasked the Minister of Health if it is proposed to bring in a Bill embodying the recommendations of the Ridley Report on the Rent Restriction Acts.
§ Mr. BevanI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today to the hon. Members for Oxford (Mr. Hogg) and Blackburn (Mrs. Castle), of which I am sending him a copy.
Housing (Rural Workers) Acts (Grants)
Major Lloydasked the Minister of Health whether grants payable on building work approved under the Rural Workers Housing Acts will be met even if the work, owing to unavoidable delay, is not under way or completed by the time that these Acts are discontinued.
§ Mr. BevanIn order that assistance may be given under the Housing (Rural Workers) Acts, applications for assistance must have been received by the local authorities before 30th September, 1945. The Acts do not specify a date for completion of the works, and the question whether assistance should be given where the work is unavoidably delayed depends on the terms of the local authority's scheme as approved. The scheme is required by the Acts to specify the period within which works must be completed but it is open to a local authority to con- 776W sent to a reasonable extension of this period. Local authorities were advised at the inception of the scheme in 1927, that in fixing the period for each individual case they should have regard to the availability of suitable labour and materials in the area and the extent of the work to be done, and were informed that for the purposes of approval it would be sufficient to prescribe that the period allowed would not exceed (say) six months from the date of approvel by the local authority of the proposal, unless the special consent of the local authority to an extension of this period was obtained in view of the character of the works or conditions arising during their execution.
Local Authority Houses (Sale)
Major Lloydasked the Minister of Health whether his regulations permit a house owned by a local authority to be purchased by the occupying tenant if he so desires; and under what terms and conditions.
§ Mr. BevanSection 79 of the Housing Act, 1936, empowers a local authority with the Minister's consent to sell a house erected by them, subject to such covenants and conditions as they may see fit to impose. The sale price must be the best that can reasonably be obtained. Section 86 enables the Minister to impose special conditions where he consents to the sale of a house on which Exchequer subsidy is payable.
LOCAL AUTHORITIES' LOANS
§ Mr. Gallacherasked the Minister of Health the total amount of the outstanding indebtedness of local authorities in England and Wales carrying the following rates of interest, respectively, up to 2 per cent., from 2 per cent. to 3 per cent., from 3 per cent. to 4 per cent., from 4 per cent. to 5 per cent., from 5 per cent. to 6 per cent. and over 6 per cent.
BURMA (ARMY DEMOBILISATION)
§ Sir T. Mooreasked the Under-Secretary of State for India what is the scheme for the demobilisation of the Burma section of the Indian Army.
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§ Mr. A. HendersonI assume that the hon. and gallant Member has in mind the personnel of the Burma Army, including officers of the Army in Burma Reserve of Officers and the Burma Auxiliary Force who since the evacuation of Burma have been serving alongside the Indian Army. The Government of Burma have recently indicated that the release regulations for the Burma Army are about to be published and that they follow closely on the lines of those already published for the Indian Army. The release of officers and British other ranks of the latter is linked with that of members of the British Services in the same Age-and-Service group, the only difference being that at present there is a time lag caused by the voyage.
WAR DECORATIONS AND MEDALS
§ Mr. Sunderlandasked the Prime Minister if he will give consideration to the award of an Overseas Service ribbon to personnel who have served long periods overseas but have not qualified for any of the campaign medals.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Defence Medal is to be granted for non-operational service, during the war, in the Forces, overseas from, or outside, the country of residence. The time qualification for this type of service is one year.
§ Sir G. Foxasked the Prime Minister whether he will reconsider the question of Defence medals for A.T.A. pilots, in view of the fact that during the war 155 pilots out of 500 have been killed and only 22 medals have been awarded, mostly to ground personnel, and that this fine body of men and women pilots feel they are not being fairly treated in having no medals or ribbons to show for their war service.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonAir crew of Air Transport Auxiliary will be eligible for the award of the Defence Medal, provided they have rendered three years' service as such in the United Kingdom between 3rd September, 1939, and 8th May, 1945.
GRAIN SACKS
§ Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware of the shortage of grain sacks in the Lindsey Division of Lincolnshire which is causing dislocation 778W of threshing operations; and what steps does he propose to take to help the farming community with this difficulty.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI am aware of seasonal difficulties with regard to the. supply of grain sacks in some parts of the country, but no representations have been received by me or by the County War Agricultural Executive Committee from farmers in the Lindsey area to the effect that a shortage of sacks is dislocating their threshing operations. I am, however, making inquiries with a view to dealing with any special shortage of sacks that may be found to exist in that district.
ROAD ACCIDENTS
§ Lieut.-Commander Joynson-Hicksasked the Minister of War Transport whether, having regard to the increasing use of the roads by vehicular traffic, he has any plan which will limit the number of road deaths which may otherwise be anticipated.
§ Mr. BarnesYes, Sir. In present circumstances the line which is likely to have the most immediate and fruitful results is an intensive propaganda campaign of an educative character. Such a campaign is being launched in a few days.
FOOD RATIONS (OVERSEAS VISITORS)
§ Commander D. Marshallasked the Minister of Food if he will allow one week's rations to visitors to this country and ensure that this ration is provided at the air or sea port of entry, thereby avoiding all delay.
§ Dr. SummerskillVisitors can obtain appropriate food ration documents at any Food Office without delay. To provide facilities for these documents to be obtained at the point of arrival would involve the use of extra manpower, which is not available, and would inevitably cause delay and congestion at that point.
ROYAL NAVY (DOCTORS)
Lieut. Skeffington-Lodgeasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware of the number of doctors in the Royal Navy who are now redundant and are anxious to take up civilian practice; 779W and whether, in view of the shortage of doctors in the country, he will secure their early release.
§ Mr. W. J. EdwardsI am aware that a number of doctors in the Royal Navy are anxious to take up civilian practice, but my right hon. Friend cannot accept the suggestion that there are doctors in the Navy who are redundant. Doctors will be released as rapidly as possible; Age and Service Group 20 should be reached by the end of this year, and up to Group 30 by the end of June, 1946.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE NURSES
Lieut.-Colonel J. Hutchisonasked the Minister of Health whether he has now succeeded in fixing an alternative name than that of nurses for Christian Science attendants.
§ Mr. BevanNo, Sir. The matter is still under consideration. I have discussed it with the interested parties, and am now awaiting any representations they may wish to make to me after further talks which it was agreed they should have amongst themselves.
NORFOLK COUNTY ISOLATION HOSPITAL (NURSES)
§ Mr. Dyeasked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the shortage of nurses at the county isolation hospital, Norfolk, necessitating the closing of the greater part of this hospital; and, as from further losses of staff the Norfolk County Council may have to close the whole hospital at the end of this year, what steps he proposes to take to remedy the situation.
§ Mr. BevanI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given today to a similar question asked by the hon. and gallant Member for Eastern Norfolk (Brigadier Medlicott).