Mr William Taylor: On a point of order. Is it in order, Sir, for the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Fernyhough) to cast aspersions on the character of my hon. Friend the Member for Orpington (Sir W. Smithers)? Should he not be called upon to withdraw?
Mr William Taylor: asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what steps are being taken to replace the air services between London and Leeds—Bradford, Manchester, Blackpool, and Liverpool, formerly provided by the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation.
Mr William Taylor: This is no time to stop the hon. Member.
Mr William Taylor: With regard to the type and standard of slaughterhouses the Government propose to erect, can the right hon. Gentleman say whether the advice of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has been taken in this matter, as distinct from any advice his Department may have received from professional veterinary surgeons?
Mr William Taylor: Do I understand that the right hon. Gentleman is willing to take the advice of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons?
Mr William Taylor: At the same time, will he take advice on the conditions in existing slaughterhouses, where there is very much room for improvement?
Mr William Taylor: Before the right hon. and learned Gentleman sits down, do I understand from his last statement about trainers for the Reserve Command that he is now able to modify the statement he made in this House on 11th July to the effect that sufficient Chipmunks would be available by the end of 1953 and not before?
Mr William Taylor: My hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Air Commodore Harvey) referred to trainer aircraft, and reference was also made to that subject in the reply of the right hon. and learned Gentleman. I took them both to be referring to trainer aircraft in the Regular service, and not to trainer aircraft used in the Reserve or Home Command, and I want this afternoon to put in a modest...
Mr William Taylor: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Press were not admitted to the inquiry into the case? Does he not think it undesirable and against the public interest that proceedings of this character affecting public institutions should be held in private? Is he aware that I have here a letter from a juryman at the inquest alleging that perjury was committed by a person or persons when giving...
Mr William Taylor: When the Minister says that he has no authority to deal with the points raised in my supplementary question, does he mean that he has no authority to cause the proceedings of the inquiry to be made public?
Mr William Taylor: I asked the Minister to cause the proceedings to be made public. I now repeat that request.
Mr William Taylor: May I have your Ruling, Mr. Speaker? Is it not the duty of an hon. Member to raise an important issue of this kind in the House?
Mr William Taylor: What about export orders? Could no efforts be directed towards increasing them?
Mr William Taylor: I shall not detain the House for more than a minute or two, but I must confess that I was rather surprised to hear the account which my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, North (Mr. Crouch), has given of this remarkable roundabout in his constituency. The cost of£4,000 an acre appears to me to be very high indeed, and I want the Minister to tell us whether all this expenditure was duly...
Mr William Taylor: I am sorry; that was not the impression I was trying to give.
Mr William Taylor: I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman is trying to give a very full reply to the debate. I wonder, therefore, if he will reply to the question I put to him on the subject of expenditure—whether the authorised expenditure has been exceeded or not?
Mr William Taylor: I am much obliged to the right hon. Gentleman.
Mr William Taylor: Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether, during his period of office, he gave instructions to Territorial Army Associations to lay the foundations for the enrolment of the Home Guard, and, if he did so, what were the precise instructions which he gave to them?
Mr William Taylor: I do not want to interrupt the hon. Gentleman's argument, but surely he appreciates that the introduction of mechanisation in an ever-increasing degree into the building industry has contributed to that improvement as well as have the operatives to whom he referred.
Mr William Taylor: Is the Minister aware that these cases are few and far between and that in general the public has great confidence in the administration of the Service?
