asked the Secretary of State for Air the terms of reference of the two committees he has recently convened to assist him in the development of civil aviation?

The two committees to which my hon. Friend refers are as follow:

1. (1) a standing committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Warren Fisher, to consider questions of international air communications which affect more than one Department.
2. (2) A committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Henry Maybury, to consider and report upon measures which might be adopted by His Majesty's Government or by local authorities for assisting in the promotion of civil aviation in the United Kingdom and their probable cost. The committee is to take into account the requirements of the Post Office for air mails and the relation between aviation and other forms of transport.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the House an assurance that, when he comes to consider these matters, he will make a departure from the past policy of loading with subsidies those companies which are subsidised and refusing to support financially those companies which have entered this business on their own commercial initiative?

I think that the only undertaking which I ought to give to the House, and which I gladly give, is that I will consider the reports of these committees absolutely without prejudice and on their merits.

Captain BALFOUR:

Would the right hon. Gentleman consider publishing the reports?

No, I would not give an undertaking about that. Where you have all the Departments that can contribute anything in the matter in conference together, that is really a standing committee of the Government, and I do not think I ought to be pressed to publish their confidential reports.

Will these committees be in a position to advise the right hon. Gentleman as to the extension of the number of companies to whom financial assistance can be given by the Government?

There is no limitation whatever on the range of activity or research, investigation recommendation of these committees.