asked the hon. Member for Sheffield (Central Division) whether, in negotiating for the exchange of captives of war held by the Turks, the effects of winter in Asia Minor upon prisoners deprived of the means of fortifying themselves against cold, and more particularly upon Indian prisoners, are borne in mind, so as to emphasise the necessity for arranging for such exchange as may be practicable before the end of the approaching autumn?

The considerations mentioned by my hon. Friend are present to the minds of His Majesty's Government, who are not only doing their utmost to expedite the repatriation of invalid prisoners of war in Turkey, but are also preparing to forward by the repatriation ship two months' supplies of food for all prisoners and full outfits of clothing for all non-commissioned officers and men. The same vessel will also take such parcels containing necessaries, other than food, as may be sent by the friends of officer prisoners of war to Alexandria for the purpose.

Can the hon. Gentleman state whether the repatriation ship will leave shortly, and whether there will be any further delay?

I am sorry to say we have not heard from the Turkish Government when their prisoners will be ready for dispatch.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether different arrangements are being made to send clothing and food to the Indian troops, who require somewhat different clothing and food?

Yes; I asked about that, and it is being taken in hand.

asked the hon. Member for Sheffield (Central Division) whether the Government has decided to make fresh proposals to the Turkish and Bulgarian Governments for a complete exchange of prisoners?

The British delegates who are now at The Hague for the purpose of negotiating with German representatives on the subject of prisoners of war have been instructed to communicate with the Bulgarian representative at that capital, who is understood to be familiar with the subject, with a view to laying the basis of a fresh agreement with the Bulgarian Government for the repatriation of British and Bulgarian prisoners of war on a larger scale. As my Noble Friend is aware, the agreement concluded with Turkey in December last has hardly entered into operation. Nevertheless His Majesty's Government have under consideration the supplementing of it by a wider agreement. The invalid prisoners to whom the present agreement applies would, in any case, have the first claim, so that time is not being lost.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that the negotiations between France and Germany for the exchange of prisoners were begun in the second week of April, and that the agreement had been concluded and ratified by both Governments by 26th April; and whether he will draw the attention of our delegates to this example of expedition, and instruct them to imitate it?

The hon. Member may rest assured that there will be no unnecessary delay?

asked the Prime Minister whether our representatives at The Hague Conference regarding the exchange of prisoners have instructions to act on the War Office view of the matter or on the view taken by this House and the country at large?

The delegates have received their instructions from the War Cabinet on the lines indicated in my reply to a Private Notice question by the hon. Member for the Tottenham Division on the 28th May.

Does the right hon. Gentleman mind sending further instructions to make it clear that the views enunciated by Lord Stanhope are not the views of the War Cabinet?

The instructions were, as I said, on the lines of my answer. They are quite definite. I will read them:

"His Majesty's Government have entered into negotiations with a view to arranging a wide scheme of exchange, following, broadly speaking, the recently concluded Franco-German agreement."

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the indignation at the unnecessarily favourable treatment allowed to prisoners of war in this country; and whether he will appoint a committee immediately to investigate and report on the conditions under which they live?

None of the answers which I gave recently would go to show that prisoners of war receive unnecessary favourable treatment either as regards food or travel. Their food is the minimum which the medical authorities and Ministry of Food allow. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is no mention in the question of food, and is he aware that there are many cases, such as matters of discipline and the amount of work prisoners do, which attract a great deal of public attention?

No, I took it the question in the main dealt with favour- able treatment with regard to two questions, namely, food and travel. If my hon. and gallant Friend has any specific case where he states that these prisoners of war have been unnecessarily well treated, I will certainly look into it.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that they are to be found largely in the Press?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that on Monday last German prisoners were driven in motor cars through the streets of London, while our own men had to march carrying their baggage?

I am not aware of that.

Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire who gave the order?

Yes.

Is there any evidence of any indignation, as alleged in this question, outside the narrow and un-chivalrous circles?

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the case of Charles Ridge, a lame seaman, who was fined 4s. at Long Ashton, near Bristol, for striking a German prisoner who spat at him; and if he will say what punishment the German prisoner received?

I am making inquiries into this case, and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the services of British labour are allowed in camps containing enemy prisoners of war for such work as the cleaning of cesspools and similar sanitary duties; whether any such arrangement is made for British prisoners in enemy hands; and, if not, whether this practice will be immediately discontinued?

Sanitary duties in prisoners of war camps in this country are carried out by the prisoners, and, as far as is known, similar duties are done by our prisoners in the camps in Germany in which they are interned.

Has the hon. Gentleman's attention been called to an appeal on behalf of certain rural councils that British labour should not be called upon to clear the cesspools of German prisoners' camps?

No; my attention has not been called to that particular appeal, but if my hon. and gallant Friend will draw my attention to it by giving me the particulars, I will certainly look into it.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state why temporary women clerks in the Customs and Excise Department are denied in the rest of the country the extra war bonus granted to the same class in London, seeing that the cost of food and living generally has risen to an equal degree in the provincial towns; and what action he proposes to take?

The wages paid to temporary women clerks in the Customs and Excise Department outside London are consolidated war wages, including allowances for all war bonuses, and are determined with reference to existing local conditions. The rates arc reviewable from time to time as existing conditions may require.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction whether he has given consideration to the suggestion which has been made for the construction of a canal between the Forth and the Clyde; and whether any decision on the matter has been arrived at?

After full consideration of the various proposals which have been submitted to them, the Government are of opinion that at the present time no operations should be undertaken in connection with any scheme for a ship canal between the Forth and the Clyde.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether any survey of the alternative routes has been made or is intended to be made?

There have been various preliminary surveys, with results of a very diverse character. We have considered the question and decided not to make any further survey at present.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a request from over fifty Members of this House asking for a day to discuss the question of separation allowances paid to soldiers' families; and, if so, whether he proposes to give time for that purpose?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, in view of the increased cost of living, there is a growing demand for a revision of the scale of allowances to the wives of soldiers and sailors and their dependants; and whether he will grant facilities for a discussion on this matter on an early day?

The pressure on Parliamentary time is very great, but I shall try to arrange for some opportunity to be given for this discussion as soon as possible. It must not be assumed, however, that the Government consider that a revision of the present scale of separation allowances is necessary.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether the question of the allowances of officers' wives will be included?

That is a question for discussion, and T will consider whether it shall be prepared so as to permit of it.

If the discussion does take place, will it be on a definite Motion?

I have not considered what is the best way, but I should have thought it would be best to discuss it on some Vote. I will consider the point.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government adhere to their intention to introduce at an early date a measure for the establishment of self-government in Ireland and to invite the House to pass it into law with the least possible delay?

I cannot add anything to previous statements on this subject.

In view of the fact that it is now two months since the announcement referred to in my question was made by the Prime Minister, can the right hon. Gentleman say when he will be able to inform the House as to the Irish policy of the Government?

No, I am sorry to say I cannot name any time. In fact; the answer I have given, I regret to say, is complete. I can make no further statement.

Are we to understand that the intention of the Government in relation to Home Rule in Ireland is now definitely abandoned?

No, the hon. Member is not to understand that.

Does the right hon. Gentleman not realise that everybody draws that conclusion, whatever he says?

If the conclusion were so universal as that, it would hardly be necessary to put the question.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the right hon. Member for Blackfriars (Mr. Barnes), in reply to an interruption of mine, said that it was the intention of the Government to put this Bill through both Houses of Parliament immediately?

I have already stated that I can add nothing

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the Prime Minister said it was the price of winning the War?

I have been told that.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the complaints generally made by military writers and commentators in this country as to their treatment at the hands of the Press Censor; whether he is aware that the deletions made by the Censor have the effect of distorting the meaning and significance of a balanced article; and, since the comments objected to can convey no information to the enemy and appear to be objected to rather for political than military reasons, whether he will take steps to modify the policy of the Government in this respect?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to a question on this subject on Wednesday last.

Will the right hon. Gentleman tell us what he did say on Wednesday last?

I do not know whether that is in order. I will furnish it.

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes to take the Foreign Office Vote; and whether he will give the House of Commons an assurance that it will be put down before the contemplated reforms of the Foreign Office and the diplomatic service are finally adopted?

I cannot yet say upon what day the Foreign Office Vote will be taken. The answer to the last part of the question is in the affirmative.

asked the Prime Minister what action he proposes to take on the Report of the Committee on the position of the teaching of modern languages in Great Britain?

The Report is at present under consideration.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government has asked the Law Officers of the Crown for a Report showing the present position of women with respect to their election to this House, with a view to removing the present uncertainty?

This matter is engaging consideration.

Will the right hon. Gentleman state when he hopes to be in a position to make a statement?

As soon as possible. It is mainly, I think, a question of law that is being examined into.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has agreed to recognise as a legitimate charge upon the expense of conducting a business, which is to be deducted from profits before assessing the Excess Profits Tax, subscriptions paid to societies which provide recreation either in connection with the works or for the general population?

Subscriptions of an annual nature made by a business to recreative and other similar institutions would normally be regarded, in so far as the employeés directly benefit there from, as admissible deductions in arriving at the profits of the business for purposes of Excess Profits Duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the case of retired Civil servants who have little or nothing but their pensions to live on; and whether, in view of the increase in the cost of living, it is proposed to give them any bonus or increase in pension during the continuance of the War?

I have nothing to add to my previous answers to similar questions on this subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he recognises the financial difficulties of retired teachers who are dependent on pensions granted to them under the Elementary School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, owing to such pensions being insufficient to cover the increased cost of living on account of war conditions; whether he realises that their pay, when servants of the State, was so small as to have made it impossible for them to save money to any reasonable extent; and whether he can see his way to grant sufficient money to the Board of Education to enable them to give temporary increases in pensions to cover the increased cost of living until normal times return?

I have nothing to add to my previous answer to similar questions on the subject of the pensions of retired Civil servants.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that soldiers of the Army Service Corps Remounts Department, Shirehampton, who refuse inoculation are being denied the privileges extended to others, including the weekly half-day off and the usual leave; and if he will instruct the officers to discontinue penalising soldiers for the exercise of a legal right, in accordance with his repeated assurances to that effect?

Inquiries have been made, and I find that men who refuse to be inoculated are not in any way restricted from having the usual weekly half-holiday, but, as leave is necessarily limited, and in the interests of the health of the troops, preference is given to those soldiers who have been inoculated.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware of the general complaints of scarcity of food at the Holtham Camp, near Withernsea, Hull; is he aware that there is no opportunity for the soldiers to buy food near the camp, and that in a large number of cases wives and mothers have to send bread to their relations in training at this camp; and if he will take immediate steps to see that these men are provided with a sufficiency of food?

The camp at Withernsea was last inspected in February, and the report stated that there was every evidence that the men were well fed. A further inspection will, however, be made, and I will inform my hon. Friend of the result.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he can now give any further information with respect to the prisoner in the Tower of London who was put ashore from a German submarine on the West Coast of Ireland?

The accused has been identified as No. 8043 Lance-Corporal J. Dowling, Connaught Rangers, and has been remanded for trial by court-martial for an offence under Section 4 (5) of the Army Act, which deals with the offence of voluntarily aiding or serving the enemy.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether this man was a deserter from the British Army or how he got into a German submarine?

No, Sir; I do not think he could be properly called a deserter from the British Army. I think he was a prisoner of war.

Will the court-martial be public or the proceedings be reported fairly fully?

I can quite imagine a good deal of the proceedings will not be public.

asked if the 15,000 members of the Volunteer Force who may be called up for service for the period of two months will obtain tin advantage of the provisions under the Civil Liabilities Act?

This question is at present under consideration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he will inquire into the circumstances attending the request by Miss Agnes Adam, an organiser of the National Federation of Women Workers, for a permit to visit Invergordon in connection with her trade union duties and to audit the books; whether he is aware that she was severely cross-examined by two detectives in Glasgow on behalf of the military authorities and was asked whether she was a Socialist, and informed that her place, being a woman, was at home, and that no hope was held out to her of getting to Invergordon; whether he is aware that the woman spoken to in this way belongs to a home from which five brothers have gone on active service, one being killed and one wounded; and whether he will cause full inquiry to be made?

I am having inquiry made, and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked how many members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps have been killed or injured abroad; whether, in the case of a member being wounded, she is entitled to draw a pension on the same lines as a soldier; and whether, in the case of a member being killed, a pension can be drawn in respect of a mother or other relative who may have been dependent upon such a member?

The answer to the first part of the question is—

Killed	…	…	…	8
Died of wounds	…	…	…	1
Injured	…	…	…	10

The Regulations, under which members of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps are enrolled, set out the payments which, are made in cases of injury and death. Awards are made under the scheme framed by the Army Council under the Injuries in War (Compensation) Act, 1914 (Session 2). I will send my hon. Friend a copy of the Regulations.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether a large hotel in Belfast was taken last October to be used as a hostel for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in Ireland and furnished and fitted at a considerable cost to make it suitable for such a purpose; whether the work so done was only completed at the end of March and the hostel opened in April of the present year; whether it is now proposed to remove the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps' Irish; quarters to Dublin, involving the abandonment of the use of the hotel in Belfast; and if he will say how much public money will be wasted directly and indirectly by this change of quarters?

The Grand Central Hotel, Belfast, was taken over in October last for the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, and certain constructional alterations were made, but the cost was not disproportionate in any way. The hostel was opened in the middle of February. It is not proposed to abandon the use of the hotel. The headquarters of the Corps in Ireland have always been situated at the headquarters of the Command in Dublin, and no change is contemplated.