Written Answers
Refugees
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the names of those serving on the Co-ordination Committee, also those serving on the Inter-aid Committee, dealing with the German refugee problem; and whether on these committees there are representatives specially selected because of their knowledge and interest in British labour questions?
pursuant to his reply (OFFICIAL REPORT, 1st December, 1938, col. 580; Vol. 342) supplied the following information:The following organisations are members of the Co-ordinating Committee for Refugees:
Coal Industry (Output, South Wales)
asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the number of coal-cutting machines and the number of conveyors in operation in the South Wales and Monmouthshire coalfields, and the output of coal by machines, for each year 1930 to the most recent date?
| SOUTH WALES AND MONMOUTHSHIRE. | |||||||
| Number of Coal-cutting Machines and Conveyors and Loaders in use, and the quantity of Coal cut and conveyed at Mines under the Coal Mines Act, in the years 1930–37. | |||||||
| Year. | Coal-cutting Machines. | Conveyors and Loaders. | |||||
| Number of Machines. | Quantity of Coal cut. | Number of Conveyors. | Number of Loaders. | Quantity of coal conveyed. | |||
| Tons. | Tons. | ||||||
| 1930 | … | … | 460 | 4,328,714 | 973 | 5 | 7,804,660 |
| 1931 | … | … | 484 | 4,355,741 | 932 | 16 | 7,346,856 |
| 1932 | … | … | 437 | 4,092,932 | 875 | 10 | 6,990,962 |
| 1933 | … | … | 454 | 4,402,169 | 937 | 9 | 7,284,241 |
| 1934 | … | … | 472 | 5,235,056 | 966 | 19 | 9,000,533 |
| 1935 | … | … | 476 | 6,338,358 | 1,052 | 18 | 11,048,848 |
| 1936 | … | … | 482 | 7,151,019 | 1,063 | 19 | 12,263,303 |
| 1937 | … | … | 519 | 9,151,252 | 1,207 | 30 | 15,092,425 |
Voluntary Contributory Pensions
asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of applicants to date under the Contributory Pensions Act, 1937; the number accepted; and the respective numbers of accepted applicants classified as self-employed shopkeepers, self-employed tradesmen, professional workers, or employed non-manual workers, respectively, and the number of accepted women applicants?
Up to 23rd November, 1938, the latest date for which the figures are available, 341,751 persons had applied for admission to the new voluntary pensions scheme and 241,533 had been admitted, of whom 73,362 were women. A classification of the admitted applicants on an occupational basis is not at present available.
Old Age Pensions And Public Assistance
asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of persons residing in Wigan who are in receipt of pensions from the National Health Insurance Acts, stating the number whose ages are under 55 years, between 55 and 65 years, between 65 and 70 years, also the number of persons in
The information is as follows:receipt of old age pensions over 70 years of age, stating men and women, respectively; and the number of pensioners who are in receipt of public assistance?
I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the question is not available as the records of pensioners are not kept on a territorial basis. On 1st January, 1938, the latest date for which figures are available, the numbers of old age and widow pensioners in receipt of relief in Wigan were 747 and 195 respectively.
Scottish Office Departments (Committees)
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many committees connected with the Scottish Office are now in being; will he state the name of each committee and its chairman; whether the committee is classified as departmental, advisory, or otherwise; whether it is a statutory committee or not; when it was appointed; when it last reported and when its final report is expected; and whether it consists of or includes representatives of interests concerned?
There are 40 Committees connected with the Departments under my jurisdiction of which 35 are Standing Committees and five Committees of Inquiry.
| Particulars of the Standing Committees are as follows. | |||
Committee. | Chairman. | First appointed. | |
Scottish Office. | |||
| 1. | *Scottish Records Advisory Council | Keeper of the Registers and Records of Scotland ex officio. | 1938 |
| 2. | *Gretna State Management District Local Advisory Committee. | Mr. W. Fergus Graham, J.P. | 1921 |
| 3. | *Cromarty Firth State Management District Local Advisory Committee. | Ex-Provost D. A. M. Ross | 1921 |
| 4. | Wild Birds Protection Advisory Committee. | Mr. H. S. Gladstone, F.Z.S., F.R.S. | 1920 |
| 5. | Scottish Central Council of Juvenile Organisations. | Rt. Hon. Lord Polwarth, C.B.E., LL.D. | 1919 |
| 6. | Scottish Central After-Care Council | 1931 | |
| 7. | Scottish Central Probation Council | 1932 | |
| 8. | Advisory Committee Scottish National Portrait Gallery. | Hon. Sir Hew H. Dalrymple, K.C.V.O., H.R.S.A. | 1938 |
Scottish Education Department. | |||
| 9. | *Advisory Council | Dr. J. B. Clark | 1920 |
Department of Health. | |||
| 10. | *Consultative Council No. I (Local Health Administration and General Health Questions). | Sir Henry Alexander, LL.D. | 1920 |
| 11. | *Consultative Council No. II (Medical and Allied Services). | Vacant | 1920 |
| 12. | *Consultative Council No. III (National Health Insurance (Approved Societies' Work)). | James Webster, Esq., J.P. | 1920 |
| 13. | *Consultative Council No. IV (Health of the People in the Highlands and Islands). | Vacant | 1920 |
| 14. | *Advisory Distribution Committee (To advise on the distribution of certain medical benefit funds). | Sir Wm. Marshall | 1920 |
| 15. | *Therapeutic Substances Act Advisory Committee. | Dr. T. Carnwath | 1926 |
| 16. | *Scottish Housing Advisory Committee | Sir Henry Alexander, LL.D. | 1935 |
| 17. | Scottish Advisory Committee on Welfare of the Blind. | J. M. Rusk, Esq., O.B.E. | 1918 |
| 18. | Scottish Advisory Committee on Rivers Pollution Prevention. | Sir William Whyte, O.B.E. | 1928 |
| 19. | Scientific Advisory Committee | Vacant | 1929 |
| 20. | Drugs Advisory Committee (To advise on drugs in relation to medical benefit). | Professor A. J. Clark, F.R.S. | 1933 |
| 21. | Scottish Architectural Advisory Committee. | John R. Richmond, Esq. | 1934 |
| 22. | Inland Water Survey Committee (Inter-Departmental). | Col. Sir Henry Lyons, F.R.S. | 1935 |
| 23. | Advisory Committee on Nutrition (Inter-Departmental). | Lord Luke, K.B.E. | 1935 |
| 24. | Advisory Committee on Post-Graduate Courses for Insurance Practitioners. | Dr. J. M. Johnston | 1937 |
Department of Agriculture. | |||
| 25. | *Consumers' Committee for Scotland | Sir John Lorne Macleod, G.B.E., J.P. | 1933 |
| 26. | *Committee of Investigation for Scotland (Agricultural Markering). | Mr. A. O. M. Mackenzie, K.C. | 1933 |
| 27. | *Agricultural Marketing Facilities Committee for Scotland. | Sir John Milne Home | 1933 |
| 28. | Standing Committee of Management Plant Registration Station. | G. G. Mercer | 1921 |
| 29. | The Selection Committee for the award of scholarships to the Sons and Daughters of Agricultural Workers and Others. | Departmental | 1922 |
| 30. | Egg Laying Test Advisory Committee | Departmental | 1923 |
| 31. | Horticultural Advisory Committee | R. L. Scarlett, C.D.A. | 1927 |
| 32. | Committee appointed to revise annually the tables of residual values of feeding stuffs and fertilisers. | Professor J. Hendrick | 1928 |
Committee. | Chairman. | First appointed. | |||
Department of Agriculture—contd. | |||||
| 33. | Advisory Committee on Pork and Bacon Production in Scotland. | Mr. J.E.B. Cowper | … | … | 1929 |
| 34. | Improvement of Live Stock (Licensing of Bulls) Advisory Committee. | Departmental | … | … | 1931 |
| 35. | Scottish Agricultural Advisory Council | Departmental | … | … | 1934 |
The above Committees marked with an asterisk are statutory and the remainder are non-statutory. All are classified as Departmental or (in certain cases) Inter-Departmental Committees: they act primarily or solely in an advisory capacity and report—formally or informally—from time to time as circumstances may require. In all appropriate cases the Committees consist of or include representatives of the interests concerned.
| The Committees of Inquiry now in being are as follow. | |||
Committee. | Chairman. | First appointed. | Report. |
| Rehabilitation of Persons injured in Accidents. | Sir M. Delevigne, K.C.B., K.C.V.O. | 1936 | Interim Report May, 1937, Final Report expected in 1939. |
| Local Government and Public Health Consolidation (Scotland) Committee. | Sir John Jeffrey, K.C.B., K.B.E. | 1937 | First report expected in 1939. |
| Committee on Rag Flock Acts | The Rt. Hon. Lord Merthyr, D.L., J.P. | 1938 | Report expected in 1939. |
| Scottish Building Costs Committee. | James Barr, Esq., F.S.I. | 1938 | Report expected early in 1939. |
| Lunacy and Mental Deficiency (Scotland) Committee. | Hon. Lord Russell | 1938 | Report expected in 1940. |
The above are Departmental or Inter-Departmental Committees (non-statutory) and are representative of the interests concerned.
The foregoing lists do not include the State Management Districts Council, a non-statutory Council constituted in 1921 to advise the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Scotland in matters affecting schemes of State Management of the liquor trade; the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries (non-statutory) constituted in 1930, which includes a representative of the Scottish Institutions; and the National Advisory Council and Committees constituted under the Physical Training and Recreation Act, 1937.
Siam (Warship Construction Orders)
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any tenders were invited from this country in respect of two battleships now ordered by Siam from Italy?
If the order to which the hon. and gallant Member refers is the order for two cruisers recently placed with the Cantieri Riuniti of Trieste, the answer is in the affirmative.
Palestine (Land Settlement)
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what amount of money has been voted by His Majesty's Government for the purpose of land settlement in Palestine since 1935 to the nearest convenient date?
No money has been voted by Parliament for the purpose in question during the period mentioned.
Tanganyika League
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the Government of Uganda has sent out circulars to civil servants forbidding them to be, or become, members of the Tanganyika League, or even to attend meetings organised by that League; whether there is any good reason why such persons should not be members of the League or attend its meetings so long as they do not participate actively in politics; and whether he will take steps to have the circulars withdrawn?
The Governor of Uganda has directed that no official shall become a member of the Tanganyika League (Uganda Branch) nor take part in any public meeting or demonstration organised by the League. In giving these instructions the Governor was actuated by the well-established principle that Government servants may not publicly take sides on political questions, and I see no reason to doubt the propriety of his action.