Mr Alan McKibbin: Does this ruling include those poor fellows who are half deaf owing to the war and who then become totally deaf?
Mr Alan McKibbin: I do not wish to speak for long, but I wish to say that I was pleased with the reply given by the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance to several Questions this afternoon. Like the hon. Lady the Member for Blackburn, East (Mrs. Castle), whom I congratulate on raising this matter, I should have liked to see the Minister go all out and give 100 per cent., but neither the hon. Lady nor I...
Mr Alan McKibbin: On behalf of the 18,712 war disabled pensioners, war widows and dependants in Northern Ireland and also the 18,717 in the Irish Republic who have no direct representation in this House, I wish to say that I am in full accord with the claim of the British Legion for an increase in the basic rate for war disabled and war widows, and I know that I am speaking for all the Ulster Unionist...
Mr Alan McKibbin: Does the Minister not considerthat the system of headlights should be standardised, and that all cars should either dip two headlights or put out the off light and dip the near light, as this latter system has the advantage that the approaching driver knows that at least the other has dipped, whereas with the two-dipping system often he does not know whether the other has dipped or not and...
Mr Alan McKibbin: asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the reasons for the change in procedure, made on 2nd November, 1953, regarding the export by parcel post of articles, such as linen handkerchiefs and sheets, normally subject to Purchase Tax when sold at home, in view of the fact that this change involves a multiplicity of forms, notes and labels which adds considerably to the cost.
Mr Alan McKibbin: Is my hon. Friend aware that under the new system a linen exporter seeking to send a parcel to Italy has to fill in a label addressed to the consignees, three non-adhesive Customs forms, one dispatch note, one Purchase Tax form P.T. 43, one Purchase Tax label P.T. 44, pages 1 and 2 of the Exchange Control form and about three other forms equally unnecessary? Does my hon. Friend not think...
Mr Alan McKibbin: asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that, under the new arrangements regarding export by parcel post, brought in on 2nd November, 1953, an exporter who sends numbers of parcels at the same time to a single overseas customer is now required to give a separate receipt for each parcel instead of one for the whole batch as before; and whether, in view of the difficulties thus...
Mr Alan McKibbin: Could not my right hon. Friend consider having headlights standardised, so that every motor car dips either one headlight or two? Then we shall know where we are.
Mr Alan McKibbin: Regarding the allegations made by the hon. and learned Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Bing) that the Roman Catholics did not get fair play and that there was discrimination against them, that is not the opinion of the hon. Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Mr. Healy), who sits in the Ulster House of Parliament as well as in this House. He made a speech in which he said: I am free to bear...
Mr Alan McKibbin: The only reason why I was raising the question of conscription was because it was referred to so many times by the hon. and learned Member for Hornchurch. All that I wanted to say was that when the 1939 war broke out, the Ulster Government asked for conscription and it was refused by the British Government. When the Korean war broke out, I asked for conscription in this House and it was...
Mr Alan McKibbin: Is my hon. Friend aware that the Northern Ireland Area Council of the British Legion are bitterly disappointed that the Budget made no proposals for an increase of war pensions as they consider that their claims are just and long over due? I hope the matter will be dealt with as soon as possible.
Mr Alan McKibbin: asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will issue instructions to commanding officers of units serving overseas to warn all ranks under their command that certain articles are liable to duty and should not be sent home as gifts, in view of the fact that in many cases recipients suffer hardship in paying the duty.
Mr Alan McKibbin: Is my right hon. Friend aware that in spite of this the troops do not seem to understand the regulations regarding Customs charges on goods other than cigarettes and whisky not exceeding £1 in total value? Is he aware that recently I had a case with the Chancellor of the Exchequer when a soldier serving abroad sent home a packet value 21s. 6d., and because there was 2s. worth of cigarettes...
Mr Alan McKibbin: In welcoming this Motion on behalf of the Northern Ireland Members, most of whom have to travel back to their constituencies each week-end. I wish to say how glad 1 am that my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury made it clear that this was not a new concession which was being granted to us, but merely something which put us once again on a level with all the other hon. Members...
Mr Alan McKibbin: In regard to what the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. Delargy) said about a united Ireland, we never asked for Partition; it was forced upon us. It has also been stated here this afternoon that Sir Edward Carson and Mr. Bonar Law both said that they were working for a united Ireland. If they said that—and they may have done, though I do not know—they meant a united Ireland under the Union...
Mr Alan McKibbin: The late King was styled King of Great Britain and Ireland, and if it had been proposed to give Queen Elizabeth the title of Queen of Great Britain and Ireland I could have understood some objection coming from the Irish Republic, for whom obviously the hon. Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Mr. Healy) and the hon. Member for Mid-Ulster (Mr. O'Neill) were speaking. I could quite...
Mr Alan McKibbin: I am just giving the reasons for the alterations embodied in the Clause. I was going to wind up by saying that nothing these people can do and nothing that can be done by their friends in the back streets of Chicago and Detroit can force Northern Ireland into the Irish Republic.
Mr Alan McKibbin: I welcome the Bill. I am particularly interested in the people of Northern Ireland, but I hope that it will clear up the awkward situation which has existed during the last 19 years. I hope that this Bill will benefit the ex-Service men of Southern Ireland also.
Mr Alan McKibbin: At the beginning of this week I attended by request a meeting of the North of Ireland British Legion and the members present were disturbed by reason of the fact that the British Legion had not been consulted about this Bill. They were much concerned about the widows of the ex-Service occupants when those occupants died, and also about certain other matters which I need not go into. It gave...
Mr Alan McKibbin: They were consulted in England, but apparently they were not consulted in Northern Ireland. For a number of years it has been assumed that when the turn of the 1914–18 men had been served, these houses would become the ultimate inheritance of the men of the 1939–45 war. It is conceded that the houses were built for the 1914 men, but one must take the common sense view that if there had...
