asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he is aware that the Scottish Education Department have now issued a draft code for Scottish schools; if so, will copies of the same be made available for Members of Scottish constituencies; and when will the code be placed upon the Table for the approval of the House as stated on 18th April?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The code will not be placed upon the Table for the approval of the House until reasonable time has been allowed for its preliminary consideration in draft by the education authorities and other bodies concerned; but, in the meantime, copies of the draft are available for Members for Scottish constituencies.

Is it not the case that in this draft code an attempt is being made practically to eliminate the intermediate school in Scotland?

That question does not arise here.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland the average cost of educating pupils in Scottish primary, intermediate and secondary schools from local rates and from Imperial grants?

As separate accounts are not kept for the different grades of school, it is not possible to state the cost per pupil for each grade separately. In the year 1920–21, the latest for which audited accounts are available, the net expenditure of education authorities for all purposes amounted to £12·58 per pupil, of which £5·36 per pupil fell upon local rates and £7·22 per pupil was met by Imperial grants.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he will shortly be able to return to the managers of the newspaper "Eire" the books containing names and addresses of subscribers to the paper, seized by the police in connection with the recent deportations to Ireland?

It is anticipated that the books referred to will be returned shortly.

Seeing that all possible value to the authorities in detaining these books is now gone, could not the Solicitor-General for Scotland promise that they shall be returned at once?

I understand that they will be returned in the course of a very few days.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland whether it is the duty of Procurators Fiscal in Scotland to make personal inquiries into accidents in their respective areas caused by motor vehicles; and what action is being taken as the result of any such official inquiry in regard to two serious accidents near Jedburgh on 4th March and 21st March to pedestrians named Turnbull and Robson?

In accidents of the nature referred to, it is the custom for the police to obtain particulars and to report to the Procurator Fiscal, who, if the case is a serious one, and especially if the accident is a fatal one, makes a personal investigation. In the first of the two cases referred to by my hon. Friend, proceedings, which were delayed for some time owing to the condition of Mr. Turnbull, have now been instituted. Proceedings in the second case are meantime held up, owing to the fact that Mr. Robson is not yet able to appear as a witness.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland the number of elementary schools in which school gardening is taught in Scotland?

During the year ended 31st July, 1922, school gardening was taught in 636 primary schools.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health whether the Scottish Board of Health lays down a uniform scale of relief for destitute unemployed which should be paid by parish councils; what is the present weekly rate the Board recommends to a householder, wife of a householder, and children under 16 years of age; and whether any deduction is made for any war pension a man may be drawing?

The Board have no power to prescribe a scale, the amount of relief to be granted being a matter within the discretion of each parish council. A uniform scale of relief was agreed to at a conference of representatives of industrial parish councils held in September, 1921, and was issued by the Board with a suggestion that it should be generally adopted. This scale allowed 12s. 6d. to a householder, 10s. to his wife, and 3s. 6d. to each child under 16 years of age. In applying the scale it was considered essential that every kind of income whatsoever entering the household should be taken into account. Some parish councils have found it inadvisable to continue to afford relief on the above scale in consequence of the fall in the cost of living and other factors.

Do I understand that in the case of men who have been badly wounded and have a small pension of 7s. or 8s. a week, that pension is deducted before they receive the grant of which they are so much in need?

It is considered by the parish councils that all sources of income whatever should be taken into account in this matter.

Does the Scottish Board of Health approve of that action?

It is a local matter.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health what is the cause of the delay in the revision by the Land Court of rents and bonds due by smallholders in the Highlands?

There has been no delay in dealing with the matter. The work of preparing the requisite schedules of particulars applicable to the individual holdings and communicating with the holders necessarily takes some time, but this preliminary work is being pushed on with all possible despatch.

When may the preliminary investigation be expected to be completed?

A certain number of applications have been sent in to the Land Court, that is to say, in some cases the investigation has been completed. In the others it is being pushed on as fast as possible.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health why the Land Court's Annual Report has not yet been presented to the House of Commons, seeing that it is now long overdue?

In recent years the Annual Report of the Land Court has usually been presented to Parliament in June. The publication of these Reports and their Appendices in their present form has resulted in a considerable annual loss to the Exchequer, and consideration is now being given to the question of reducing the printed matter. As soon as this point is settled the Report will be printed and presented to Parliament.

Are we to understand that the full Report is not to be issued to the House this year? Is the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that the Land Report is the most important Report, as far as the Scottish Members are concerned, and that we have always expected to receive it; and will he see to it that we get this year the full Report as usual?

As full a Report as is possible will be presented, but it is not inadvisable to consider whether there is any way in which the loss on this Report can be reduced.

Is the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that it was cut down last year, and will it be cut down to a larger extent this year?

I hope it will not have to be cut down, but that we shall be able to find some other way of reducing the loss; but my right hon. Friend the Member for Ross and Cromarty (Mr. Macpherson) will understand how closely it is necessary to supervise printed reports which involve heavy annual losses to the Treasury.

Can the hon. and gallant Gentleman say what the amount of the loss is, and whether the saving of this so-called loss is worth the disadvantage it entails to Scottish Members?

Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will put a qnestion down.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health whether it is now proposed to appoint a Committee to inquire into trawling, legal and illegal, off the coast of Scotland?

My Noble Friend has decided to appoint a Committee of Inquiry into the question of trawling. The terms of reference will, it is hoped, be announced before the Recess.

While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for his answer, may I ask what will be the form of the Committee, and when it is likely to be set up?

It is a little difficult to say now what will be the form of the Committee, but I understand that, as far as possible, it will be more a committee of ordinary men than of experts. When the names will be announced I am afraid it is not possible to say. My right hon. Friend will realise that the questions raised are very wide, and we must have the most expert opinion possible upon them.

Will practical fishermen be appointed to the Committee?

It would be better to wait for the names.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health on what basis the figure of 25,550 houses, allocated to Scotland under the Housing and Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919, was fixed; and what proportion this figure bears to the number of houses allocated to England and Wales?

The figure referred to in the first part of the question represents the allocation to Scotland, in the Goschen proportion, of the number of houses to be built under the Act in England and Wales, namely, 176,000, with an addition in respect of the smaller number of houses likely to be built in Scotland than in England and Wales under the private builders subsidy scheme. As regards the last part of the question, the proportion between the figures for the two countries is 11·6 to 80.

Is it on the basis of the number of houses in Scotland and England respectively?

That was the basis chosen at the date when the allocation was made.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health whether, in view of the present vacant accommodation in Scottish poor-houses, which amounted to 8,467 out of a total available accommodation of 20,270 in 1921 and to 7,259 out of a total available accommodation of 20,198 in 1922, he is prepared to consider as to the closing of some of the poor-houses and the transfer of their occupants to poor-houses where sufficient vacant accommodation is available, and thus to relieve the ratepayers of the burden of rates involved in the maintenance and upkeep of poorhouses where the accommodation greatly exceeds the existing needs of the district?

The matter of surplus poor-house accommodation has for some time been under consideration by the Scottish Board of Health. Within the past few years five poor-houses have been closed, and I understand that proposals for the closing of two others are now being considered. The closure of a poor-house is, of course, primarily a matter for the parish council or the combination of parish councils owning the poor-house to decide. The total figure of vacant accommodation throughout the whole country is not a reliable indication of the extent to which it would be possible to relinquish poor-houses. It is necessary to examine in detail the figures for each poor-house.

Will the hon. and gallant Gentleman give an undertaking that he will examine the detailed figures for the various poor-houses with a view to giving relief to the ratepayers?

It is primarily a matter for the parish council if it does not wish to keep up the poor-house.

Seeing that the more enlightened parish councils have abolished the words pauper and poorhouse, will the hon. and gallant Gentleman and hon. Members in putting questions follow their example?

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health whether he is aware that, although prison staffs should be allowed alternate Sundays off duty, in some prisons the staffs are on duty 12½ days without a rest day; and whether he will take steps to deal with this situation?

The hours of duty for prison warders are 96 per fortnight. The rest days are arranged to suit local conditions. Generally, warders have alternate Sundays off, and are not on duty 12½ days consecutively. Conditions that can be applied in the larger prisons cannot, however, be applied in the smaller prisons, where the hours of duty have to be differently arranged, though always within the limit of 96 hours per fortnight.

If I submit a scheme to the hon. Gentleman whereby arrangements can be made for them to have alternate Sundays off will he consider such a proposal?

No doubt my hon. Friend is aware remuneration and other conditions of service of prison officers in England and Scotland are at present being considered by a Committee.