asked the Minister of Health whether the Southwark Borough Council have built any houses under the Housing Acts of 1919, 1923 and 1924; whether he is aware of the hardship created by the number of families living in overcrowded conditions in this borough; and whether any new schemes for the relief of this congestion is under consideration?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As my hon. Friend is aware, there are no vacant sites in the borough for the relief of the overcrowded conditions which exist in the borough; it is necessary to rely primarily on the provisions undertaken by the London County Council. That authority is carrying out a large programme of building which includes a number of schemes for providing housing accommodation in the inner parts of London. The county council have also undertaken schemes for dealing with unhealthy areas in the borough. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the Bill which has just been laid before the House.

Will the right hon. Gentleman use his good offices with the London County Council to see that certain provision is made for the residents in the borough of Southwark, who are at present living under disgraceful conditions?

The county council, as I have said in my answer, has taken steps to provide accommodation in the inner parts of London.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the county council has absolutely refused to make provision to relieve this congestion?

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the estimated number of slum dwellings that ought to be disinhabited if other accommodation were available, and the number of families and of persons now inhabitating such dwellings?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given to a previous question put by my hon. and gallant Friend, the Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Home Secretary if he can now give the names of local authorities which have approached him with a view to the taking over of the site of Pentonville Prison for working-class housing; whether any particular local authority has been selected and is being definitely negotiated with; if any price has been fixed; and how soon work will commence?

Before my right hon. Friend can consider entering into any negotiations for the sale of Pentonville Prison, he will have to determine whether satisfactory arrangements can be made for alternative accommodation of the large number of prisoners now sent to Pentonville. This is a very difficult problem, and while my right hon. Friend can assure my hon. Friend that there has been and will be no delay in examining the many financial and administrative questions which arise, he is not yet in a position to announce any conclusion.

asked the Minister of Health if, with a view to assisting all widows and orphans of insured persons who died after 4th January, 1926, he will bring in the necessary legislation to repeal condition (b) of Section 5 of the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, thereby abolishing the average contribution test in all cases, instead of limiting this privilege to those persons mentioned in Section 6, sub-section (2), of the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1929?

I am afraid that no further relaxation of the condition referred to than is provided for in subsection (2) of Section 6 of the Contributory Pensions Act, 1929, could be justified when regard is had to the fact that the object of the condition is to, secure that the widows who receive pensions under the contributory scheme are within the class for which these pensions were designed, namely, widows of men who were genuinely of the insurable class.

Does the Minister of Health remember how he complained of this condition a year ago?

Answer!

asked the Minister of Health how many widows have been refused a widow's pension on the ground that their late husbands had not made the necessary number of contributions to the National Health Insurance Scheme; and whether he contemplates at an early date presenting legislation that will place such widows in as favourable a position as the widows of men who had made no contributions to the scheme?

As regards the first part of the question, information is not available as to the number of widows who have failed to secure pensions because the necessary number of qualifying contributions were not paid by or in respect of their husbands; as regards the second part, the matter was exhaustively discussed on the Committee stage of the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Bill, 1929, and for the reasons then given I am not prepared to introduce legislation on the lines suggested.

How long will these widows have to wait for the pension which the right hon. Gentleman promised them?

Answer!

May I ask whether widows over 55 years of age, whose husbands died since the introduction of the Act without paying a sufficient number of contributions, are being treated differently from the widows whose husbands died before the Act?

Answer!

asked the Minister of Health how many widows are excluded from the provisions of the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1929?

The information desired is not available.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has received a copy of a recent resolution passed at the annual general meeting of the National Federation of Employés' Approved Societies, demanding that the whole system of National Health Insurance and Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions be reviewed with a view to simplification, and for provision to be made for ail persons to have an equal opportunity of being insured on equal terms; and what action he proposes to take?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The matter comes within the scope of the Committee engaged on a general survey of existing insurance and pensions legislation.