asked the Minister of Labour where the exact location of the new Unemployment Assistance Board's office will be which is to serve Barking, Dagenham and Ilford?

I am informed by the Assistance Board that it is in contemplation to open two new offices, one to serve Barking and Dagenham, and the other Ilford. The exact location cannot at present be indicated.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons coming within the purview of the Swansea Employment Exchange; and the industries at which they are engaged?

As the reply includes a table of figures, I will, if I may, circulate a statement in the Official Report.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons registering at the Swansea Employment Exchange for unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance benefit, respectively, for the years 1934 to date?

As the reply includes a table of figures, I will, if I may, circulate a statement in the Official Report.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that considerable delay is taking place in Dagenham in the grant of assistance through the Unemployment Assistance Board to parents in the clothing of evacuated children; and whether steps can be taken to rectify this unsatisfactory state of affairs?

I am informed by the Assistance Board that, in all, some six applications for assistance in the provision of clothing or footwear for children evacuated from the Dagenham district have been received since the beginning of the year. Where the need for clothing has been vouched by some responsible person in the locality, payment has been made within two or three days. In other cases, investigation in the area where the child resides is necessary; the Board are, however, fully alive to the necessity of dealing with such applications expeditiously and take all possible steps to avoid delay.

Will the right hon. Gentleman investigate any complaints I bring before him?

I will, certainly. There is one case I notice where the fault did not lie with the Board but with the applicant.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that many young townsmen of 18 years or so of age would gladly work on the land in the period before entering military service; and whether he will direct Employment Exchanges in London and other urban centres to offer land work to these young townsmen and put them into touch with the National Farmers' Union?

I am in close consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, on the measures necessary to secure the additional workers needed for the land. Every effort will be made to secure that men registered at local offices in urban areas who are prepared to undertake such work, shall be offered the opportunity, including young men of the class referred to by my hon. Friend. My hon. Friend will appreciate that in order that the young men to whom he refers may obtain work on the land some farmer must be willing to engage them.

Will the right hon. Gentleman alternatively take steps to prevent older men who are not land workers going on to the land in order to evade military service?

If my hon. and gallant Friend has any information of that kind I shall be glad to have it. I am not aware of any such cases.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the Commissioner for the Special Areas is still functioning; and whether new applications for assistance are given consideration by the Commissioner?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on this subject on 7th March.

Will the right hon. Gentleman reply to the last part of my Question? Are new applications considered?

The reply is in the reference I have given. It is quite clear that only small applications could be considered.

Is it not true that no applications are considered by the Commissioners at all?

If the hon. Member would like to put that on the Paper I will give him a considered answer.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed on the Unemployment Fund, and also the cost of administration?

Approximately 700,000 payments of unemployment benefit were made in the week ended 9th March, 1940, the latest week for which figures are available. The cost of administration of unemployment insurance during the current financial year is estimated at £4,448,000.

I have not heard a single word. Can we have that answer read again?

The hon. Member will realise that it was not because the Minister did not speak up that he did not hear.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed receiving assistance from the Unemployment Assistance Board; and the cost of administration of the Unemployment Assistance Board?

In the week ended 9th March, 1940, the number of persons in receipt of unemployment allowances (including payments in supplementation of unemployment benefit and under the emergency schemes for the relief of distress due to the war) was approximately 390,000. The cost of administration of the Assistance Board during the current financial year (inclusive of the cost of services rendered to and by other Departments and of the liability in respect of superannuation) is estimated at £4,950,000.

Does the Minister consider that it is worth while to spend £4,000,000 on the administration of 190,000 cases just for the sake of the means test?

I consider that it is certainly not a sound process to take a particular week only and to judge upon that.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the men employed immediately before the war in the railway works at Dukinfield have been retained; how many have found alternative employment; and how many are now unemployed?

Complete information is not available but it would appear that the number of men employed at these works has fallen by about 700 since the outbreak of the war and is now about 300. I have been able to trace 10 cases of men discharged from their works who are at present unemployed and the total is not likely to be much in excess of this number.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that a number of prisoners of war on the "Altmark," including Ian F. Hunter, 5th engineer on the steamship "Tairoa," who had not previously had occasion to apply for unemployment benefit, were told by Government officials at Leith that the Ministry of Labour had been informed that all their papers and books had been lost; that unemployment benefit has been refused from 17th February, 1940, to 14th March, 1940; and whether he will take steps to ensure that payment will be made?

The information I have been able to obtain in the short time available is confined to the case of Ian F. Hunter. I am assured that no statement was made to him by any officer of my Department that his papers and books had been lost. He made a claim to unemployment benefit on 14th March and payment has been made to him since that date. On the 14th March he also asked for his claim to be ante-dated to the 17th February, the date at which he landed at Leith. When this was not allowed by the local Court of Referees, he appealed to the Umpire. I will inform the hon. Member of the Umpire's decision as soon as it is given. The hon. Member will observe that the point at issue has to do, not with any loss of papers, but with the rule that claims to benefit ordinarily take effect from the date on which they are made.

Will the right hon. Gentleman keep in mind that I have had a personal interview with this man and that this was his personal statement to me; and will he do his best to expedite matters so that, if necessary, this House can see that justice is done to these heroes of the "Altmark"?

Perhaps the hon. and learned Member will communicate with me. He has not done so up to the present.

asked the Minister of Labour how many disabled ex-service men are at present registering as unemployed; and what was the number at the last convenient date before the outbreak of war?

A special count of the number of disabled ex-service men registered as unemployed was made on 8th April. I will communicate the result to the hon. Member as soon as possible, and will circulate a statement in the Official Report. On 3rd July last, the number was 26,220.

Can the Minister say whether any particular steps are being taken to find work?

Certainly. Regular, specific, definite and local steps.

asked the Minister of Labour whether there is any Department at the Ministry engaged in examining the industrial situation likely to prevail after the termination of the war; and the measures that may be required to meet the same?

The general subject mentioned by the hon. Member involves many financial, economic and commercial factors which could not appropriately be dealt with by a branch of my Department. The aspects of post-war problems which particularly concern my Department are constantly borne in mind but it would be premature for me to attempt to formulate definite lines of action with regard to this at the present time.

Could not the Minister out of his omniscience give a general notion of what the situation will be at the end of the war?

This is a case in which I am not omniscient.

If it is correct that many Departments are interested, are the various Departments concerned formulating some examination of this matter?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will read the Prime Minister's answer to a Question on that point. I will send him the reference.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that the British Sailors' Society is paying 12s. 6d. per week as a temporary grant to the father, an ex-serviceman, and the mother in order to meet their pecuniary need because a pension has been refused them for the loss of their son, a young county Down Man, who was serving in the Royal Navy, and who allowed them £1 per month to assist in meeting the expenses of the home for themselves and their two children; and whether he is prepared to free the British Sailors' Society from making payment in this case, of which particulars have been sent to him, by granting a pension to these bereaved parents?

I have been asked to reply. My hon. Friend is looking into this case and will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure prompt and proper attention to the needs of soldiers'dependants by the War Service Grants Advisory Committee; and, as worries due to the negligence of this committee are causing in creasing anxiety to serving men and jeopardising their mental and physical efficiency, will he expedite the procedure of this committee?

My hon. Friend is satisfied that applications to this committee are promptly and properly dealt with when they reach the committee or the staff working for them, but there have in the past been delays in bringing applications to the knowledge of the committee, which it is hoped are now obviated, or through omission by the applicant of information required for decision. My hon. Friend fears that some disappointments are caused by misunderstanding of the function of the committee, which is empowered only to assist cases of hardship resulting from the man's war service.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the fines imposed by courts of summary jurisdiction in cases of drunkenness were fixed in 1872 when the value of real wages was 122 against the present value of 220; that in many cases the amount of the fine bears no relation to the present police and administrative costs incurred, and that consequently both the local and national exchequers are bearing a burden which should be imposed upon the offender; and what steps he proposes to take to relieve the two exchequers of this expense?

There are many offences in respect of which the fine imposed does not cover the police and administrative costs incurred in dealing with the offender, and the amount of such costs ought not, in my view, to be the governing consideration in determining the penalty appropriate to any particular offence. I have no reason to think that the penalties provided by the Act of1872 and subsequent Acts for offences of drunkenness are not adequate, and I do not think that there is ground for any action on my part.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will state the conditions under which annual leave or portions thereof may be taken by members of the First Police Reserve and War Reserve; and if he will state the reason why any distinction is made between the First Police Reserve and the War Reserve?

The general rule for full-time workers in the Civil Defence Services—including the Police War Reserve—is that one day's leave may be granted for each completed month of continuous service up to a maximum of 12 days. In the case of the First Police Reserve, which is mainly composed of retired police officers who have come back to duty, the general practice is to give them leave in accordance with the Regulations which apply to the regular police, that is, for a constable 12 days a year.

asked the Home Secretary what is the gross estimated cost of air-raid precautions on maintenance account incurred by the London County Council and each individual Metropolitan borough for the years 1939–40 and 1940–41;how much of this expenditure will be met from grants and from rates; what is the gross capital expenditure incurred by the London County Council and Metropolitan boroughs on air-raid precautions account for the year ended March, 1940, and the estimate of capital expenditure for the year 1940–41;and what is the capital expenditure incurred from Government sources for the provision of appliances, etc., to the London County Council and Metropolitan boroughs during the year ended March,1940, and the estimated amount required for the present financial year?

I am having this statistical information compiled and will let my hon. Friend know when it is ready.

Will this be published in the Official Report when it is ready?

Yes, Sir. Perhaps my hon. Friend would like to put down a further Question. It will take some little time to get the information ready.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the Metropolitan Police rate has been increased by nearly 4d. in the £ for the coming year; that the increase is causing grave concern to the local authorities who have to collect the rate; and whether he will consider giving local authorities the right to see the estimate on which the precept is based, and be allowed to make representations to the Home Office if they think fit?

The increase, which is 3d. in the £, is to meet Civil Defence expenditure in the two years, 1939–40 and 1940–41. The estimates of the Metropolitan Police Fund are included among the Civil Estimates, Class III, and will be found on pages 29–30 of the current volume. These Estimates are revised before the amount of the police rate is settled at the end of February. Details of the revision made in February last have been furnished to all local authorities who have asked for the information. It is open to local authorities to make any representations they think fit with regard to Metropolitan Police expenditure, but it would not be practicable to consult the different rating authorities, numbering 101, in the Metropolitan Police District before the Estimates are settled.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that local authorities think that this extra burden for special police ought to be borne by the Government and not by them?

To a very large extent it is already borne by the Government.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that it was not necessary to increase the pay of the police during the Great War?

The conditions are entirely different this time.

asked the Home Secretary when a Bill to amend the Workmen's Compensation Act will be introduced?

The Bill is in an advanced stage of preparation and I hope to introduce it at an early date.

Does the reference to an early date mean that there is a possibility of getting it before the Whitsuntide Recess?

Perhaps the hon. Member would put down a Question this day week.

asked the Home Secretary (1) whether he is aware that the Metropolitan police are trying to time motor cars by tailing motor-car drivers in the darkness, reading their own illuminated speedometers, and then accusing the drivers of the motor cars in front of travelling at the same speed as the following motor car; and whether he will consider the difficulty of drivers refuting this charge as their speedometers are unilluminated, and devise a fairer test;

(2) whether he is aware of the difficulty of the police attempting to gauge the speed of a motor car in front when tailing it in the black-out with the Government head-lamp mask so designed as only to throw a dim light close to the ground at about 19 paces in front, making it impossible to gauge whether the two motor cars are travelling at the same speed or not, a gain by the rear car of 3⅔ yards in a second on the motor car in front meaning an addition of about 7½miles on the recorded speed in the motor car behind; and whether he will consult with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police with a view to arriving at a better system?

The instructions issued by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis with regard to the enforcement of the speed limits in built-up areas both by day and by night lay special stress on the necessity for keeping, as far as possible, at an even distance behind a vehicle which is being followed, and in calculating the speed of the vehicle due allowance is made for possible variations in that distance. At night, the distance is naturally rather less than it is by day. The police keep well within the range of their headlight, which has been found to be adequate for this purpose, and, in keeping an even distance, they are also assisted by the light showing from the red rear lamp of the vehicle they are following. The only other method employed is that of fixed controls, and experience does not suggest that any more satisfactory or fairer method of enforcing the speed limits can be devised. If, however, my hon. and gallant Friend can put forward some alternative suggestion, I shall be very glad to consider it.

Would my right hon. Friend answer the first Question, in which I asked how it was possible for drivers to refute police evidence, considering that the speedometers of their cars were unilluminated?

A driver who cannot judge at night whether his vehicle is travelling at a higher speed than 20 miles an hour is at liberty to switch the dashboard light on momentarily, in order to reassure himself.

Has my right hon. Friend ever driven at night, and is it not a fact that if a driver leaves the dashboard light on he cannot see anything else at all?

That was not my experience.

Is there anybody in the traffic department at Scotland Yard who knows anything about this matter?

Will the right hon. Gentleman set his mind against any relaxation of the regulations intended to prevent speeding at night?

Are these speedometers expected to be kept illuminated at night or not; will my right hon. Friend make a ruling?

I think the instructions are clear that they are not expected to be kept illuminated.

How then can they be seen?

The driver is expected to be illuminated.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the heavy penalties being imposed on drivers accused of exceeding 20 miles per hour in the black-out owing to the fact that this regulation was imposed under the Defence of the Realm Acts instead of under one of the Traffic Acts; and whether he will circularise magistrates to the effect that the reason for this was not that it was considered a more serious offence than exceeding the 30-mile-per-hour limit in daylight but because of certain restrictions in the present Traffic Acts, as explained, by the Minister of Transport on its introduction?

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport explained, in announcing the decision to impose a speed limit of 20 miles per hour in built-up areas after the hours of darkness, it was not possible to do this by means of a regulation under the Road Traffic Acts, and it was accordingly decided to impose the new speed limit by means of an order made under the Defence Regulations. In consequence, the maximum penalties which may be imposed for this offence are those generally applicable to offences against the Defence Regulations. In view of the element of danger to other road users which may be involved, offences against the order may be of a serious character, but, like other offences, they vary in the degree of their seriousness, and the question of the appropriate penalty in any individual case is one for the court to determine, in the light of the particular circumstances of that case. I have no reason to think that the position is not fully understood by magistrates, but if any misapprehension exists, no doubt the publicity given to the matter by this Question will be sufficient to remove it.

Is my right hon. Friend communicating with the magistrates to the effect that this offence is not considered a more serious one at night than in respect of the 30-mile-an-hour speed limit in the daytime, and is a purely technical offence?

I could not for one moment accept the contention that these offences are to be regarded normally as purely technical. I have been in communication with chief constables on the matter.

Will my right hon. Friend ask the police to prosecute only for dangerous driving and not for purely technical offences?

Has the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been drawn to the action of a magistrate who is steadily fining people £20 for each offence, irrespective of their means?

My attention has been called to the case and I have been in communication with the magistrate in question.

Are you doing anything about it?

asked the Home Secretary whether he has considered the application for naturalisation on behalf of Captain von Rintelen; whether this gentleman is now in Government employment; and whether, in view of Captain von Rintelen's activities in the last war, he is satisfied as to the bona fides of his allegiance to this country?

There is no question of naturalising this gentleman, and while I understand that he would be glad to help this country if his services were required, I know of no ground for the suggestion that he is in Government employment.