asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make available to Parliament information in the form of Table II of the White Papers, Cmd. 7253 and 7256, showing the effect of the proposed Exchequer equalisation grant and Exchequer transitional grant under the Local Government Bill now before Parliament on the rates levied by each small burgh in Scotland.

The preparation of a return showing the effect on the rates of each of the 172 small burghs in Scotland would be a very big task and would not, I think, justify the labour involved. The particulars already published for each county give a fair indication, so far as it

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make available to Parliament tables showing the following data in respect of every county and large burgh in Scotland; the addition to population credited in respect of sparsity; the addition to population credited in respect of children under the Local Government Bill now before Parliament; and the corresponding weightings under the Local Government (Scotland) Acts, 1929 to 1946.

The following tables give the information desired:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now say when he expects to have the Report from the Committee set up by his predecessor with regard to small business premises; and what are the prospects of legislation in time to protect small business people, before May, 1948.

My right hon. Friend has received the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Tenure of Shop Premises in Scotland, and is arranging for publication as soon as possible. As regards prospects of legislation, I would ask my hon. Friend to await publication of the Report.

asked the Secretary of State for War what reserve stocks of food are held in the United Kingdom and at stations overseas, respectively, for victualling the army in the event of a major war.

It would not be in accordance with practice to disclose information of this kind.

asked the Secretary of State for War when he will be releasing the heavy anti-aircraft gun site on the promenade, New Brighton, now that it has been decided that the gun position is not to be retained permanently.

My Department is in consultation with the Local Authority over the derequisitioning of those portions of this gun position which can now be released, and it is expected that they will be derequisitioned on 31st December.

asked the Secretary of State for War when ex-Driver F. L. Keatley, R.A.S.C., T/14936787, may expect to receive the overseas leave pay due to him which was the subject of a letter to the Minister on 25th October, 1947.

As my hon. Friend has been informed, pay and ration allowance in respect of overseas leave was issued to Mr. Keatley on 12th November.

asked the Secretary of State for War why Mrs. Martin, wife of Staff Sergeant Martin at present serving in Palestine, has been given notice to quit married quarters in the Colchester garrison; what alternative accommodation has been offered for Mrs. Martin and her two children; and whether opportunity will be given for her to inspect any alternative accommodation before she makes a decision.

I would refer my hon Friend to the statement circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT on 11th November in reply to a Question by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for North Paddington (Captain Field), of which I am sending him a copy. Mrs. Martin is being required to move because the quarter which she occupies is needed for the family of a soldier serving in the Colchester Garrison. She will be offered alternative accommodation in a Regular Families Hostel. If she has any preferences between particular hostels, every effort will be made to meet her wishes.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the present position with regard to the R.E.M.E. Depot at Montargis; how much equipment is still there; and how many Army and civilian personnel are employed respectively.

This unit no longer exists. The answer to the last two parts of the Question is, therefore, "None."

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give the scope and purpose of the store depot which is under construction in East Africa.

The East African project is a Store Holding Organisation on a large scale. The chosen site is some 65 miles North-West of Mombasa, and in it will be accumulated selected military stores and tropical service equipment which can be more conveniently stored in that part of the world. A large accumulation of stores of all kinds was built up in the Middle East and Indian Ocean areas during the war, to support the North African, Italian and Far East campaigns, and large quantities of these were on hand at the end of the war. A great deal has been, or is being, disposed of, including nearly everything suitable for civil use, but there is much material of military pattern, largely irreplaceable, which must be kept for the future needs of the Army. Arrangements are in hand at present for the removal of essential stores of this kind from India to East Africa. Removal will follow from other areas depending on Government policy. The project is limited in scope and is being developed as economically as possible. East African labour is being recruited under the ægis of the Kenya Government, and will be supervised by British military technical officers and other ranks.

asked the Minister of Labour what are the terms and conditions of employment as to hours and wages in the Disabled Persons Employment Centres.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to the factories established by the Disabled Persons Employment Corporation. The normal working week is 44 hours, and wages are paid on the following basis:Seventy per cent. of the normal trade rate during the period of instruction, subject to a minimum of 1s. 9d. per hour for adults;Eighty per cent. of the normal trade rate to workers who are on productive work but are not fully competent; the normal trade rate to competent workers.In each of the first two grades increases may be given above the minimum if justified by the worker's progress.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons are in employment in Disabled Persons Employment Centres.

The number of severely disabled persons employed by the Disabled Persons Employment Corporation at 1th November, 1947, was 635, of whom 58 were home workers.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) how many alternative engagements Mr. John A. Harrington, of Caroline Buildings, Bath, was offered before receiving his direction;(2) whether he will inform the House of the circumstances in which Mr. John A. Harrington, of Caroline Buildings, Bath, was refused permission to change his occupation.

I will answer these Questions together by referring the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Hollis) on 17th November.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he exercises his powers of direction in the case of citizens of Eire; whether Mr. John A. Harrington, of Caroline Buildings, Bath, comes within this category; and whether he has informed the High Commissioner for Eire of his action in directing him.

I reserve the right in certain circumstances to direct citizens of Eire resident in this country, of whom Mr. Harrington is one, in just the same way as other nationals resident here. The general arrangements for this purpose in relation to Eire citizens were agreed with the High Commissioner for Eire.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the 14,169 persons registered as unemployed with the Appointments Department on 15th September, 1947, had been so registered six months previously; and how many appointments have been found for persons registered with the Appointments Department between the same dates.

To extract the information asked for in the first part of the Question would involve an examination of 14,169 personal files which would not be justified. The number of persons who were found employment by the Appointments Department during the period mentioned was 8,065. I am sending the hon. Member further details.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that as a result of the Government's decision to curtail production of jet engines at Hargher Clough Works, Burnley, hundreds of skilled engineers will be unemployed; and if the Government's policy is to use powers of direction to send these men from their homes or to bring work to the district by patting to new use the valuable Government machinery installed at Hargher Clough Works.

The reply of my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Supply, to two questions on this subject yesterday, pointed out that only about 75 skilled men are likely to be affected. I understand that there are at present sufficient important vacancies in surrounding areas within daily travelling distance to absorb these skilled men.

asked the Minister of Labour if in view of the complaints that are often made about the treatment of unemployed workers at various employment exchanges, he will institute an inquiry into the administration of these centres.

I can recall no complaints having been brought to my notice.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what money will be forthcoming from the public entertainments fund to help entertain the 600 competitors to the Olympic Regatta at Henley In August, 1948.

It is too early for me to say what particular arrangements may be made for Government hospitality in connection with the Olympic Games.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will make it clear that an order for goods placed before 12th November, 1947, should be fulfilled subject to the old Purchase Tax.

I would draw the attention of the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter).

asked the Minister of Labour, in view of the shortage of labour and of the constant appeals which are made by the Government to elderly people to continue at work, why an age limit of 60 is still imposed on those working or applying for work in the Civil Service.

I have been asked to reply. There is no such upper age limit in force in the Civil Service. The Treasury instruction is that Departments should continue to employ temporary civil servants beyond the age of 60 in all cases where they are willing to remain, and are fully fit and efficient in the duties of their grade, and where there is real need to retain their services. For established civil servants the normal retirement age is 65; but there are arrangements to keep them beyond that age where it is in the public interest.

asked the Prime Minister how many Statutory Rules and Orders have been published, but not printed, this year.

I have been asked to reply. From the beginning of 1947 until the last working day of November, 1947, 2,547 Statutory Rules and Orders were registered, of which 1,076 were not printed in the Statutory Rules and Orders series; of these, 1,058 were local instruments and 18 were general, but were exempted from printing in the Statutory Rules and Orders series because they were printed as Army Orders.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can now state how many tons of maize have been offered to this country by Roumania; and what manufactured goods are required as a condition of sale.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Finsbury (Mr. Platts-Mills) on 25th November.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why he requires clothing coupons to be surrendered for clothing sent to this country as a free gift by and for the use of the flood victims of last winter, by the American Red Cross; and whether he will re-consider the matter.

Emergency arrangements were made for coupon-free distribution of gift clothing to this year's flood victims and these arrangements were continued until the 31st August. Since then, bulk gifts of new clothing have been distributed and coupons collected in accordance with the normal procedure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether in the interests of hygiene he will make arrangements to provide for the issue of supplementary coupons to optical practitioners who in the course of their work are obliged to attend to a large number of patients in succession.

Where special clothing is necessary for hygienic reasons, such as the provision of operating gowns in ophthalmic surgery, arrangements already exist for its supply coupon-free, but I regret that this concession cannot be extended to ordinary optical practice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that physical training masters and mistresses in Secondary Grammar Schools are granted supplementary clothing coupons; that this grant is not made to P.T. masters and mistresses in Secondary Modern Schools; and as the duties are similar, if he will make an equal grant of clothing coupons.

Full time physical training teachers in Secondary Modern Schools are entitled to the same coupon assistance to get essential kit as physical training teachers in other schools. If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind and will let me know, I will look into it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the decision taken at Geneva to increase Duties on glazed kid and many other classes of leather entering Canada, which is our best export market, and the reduction of Duties on similar goods entering Canada from U.S.A., will make the achievement of the target in respect of leather exports an almost impossible task; and will he take such action as will retain Empire preferences on leathers entering Canada, in view of the fact that Canada has a free export market in this country.

No. There is no question of the Canadian preferential duties on leather being raised as a result of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The hon. and gallant Member may have in mind the discount of 50 per cent. of the duties which Canada unilaterally accorded us by the War Exchange Conservation Act, 1940. That discount was a temporary measure which will cease to have effect from the end of the present year, and the Canadian schedule to the General Agreement naturally refers to the normal tariff rates. As regards the second part of the Question, small reductions in the preferential margins have been agreed on several leather items in the Canadian tariff as part of our contribution to the General Agreement but appreciable margins remain.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what special steps have been taken in his Department comparable to the production drives in the country to speed up essential work; and what steps are being taken to eliminate non-essential labour.

There is continuous effort in the Board of Trade to simplify and speed up essential work, and to eliminate unnecessary processes. For example, as the hon. Member for South Edinburgh (Sir W. Darling) was informed on 28th October, a special examination is being made of the forms required for export to overseas destinations generally, in consultation with the principal trade organisations interested in export. Mechanisation of routine operations is being developed as fast as equipment becomes available; and there is a continuous process of transfer of staff from less essential to more essential work.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps have recently been taken to speed up the turn round of applications of various kinds, so that manufacturers may expect more speedy decisions on matters affecting production; and what steps are being taken to reduce the number of forms in his Department.

Applications are answered as speedily as the scarcity of typing staff and other circumstances allow. I am anxious to do all I can to streamline controls and forms in use in my Department are kept under continuous scrutiny by the Organisation and Methods Branch, who have to be satisfied that there is a real need for any particular form.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will tabulate in a statement to the House the items of import-export trade with the Soviet Union for the years 1946–47, giving in each case actual volume and values of such trading.

I will circulate the desired particulars in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in view of the shortage of paper supplies, how a firm was able to issue booklets and other forms concerning methods of family limitation, details of which have been sent to him; and if he will withdraw at once further supplies for this purpose.

As was stated in reply to the hon. Member for Solihull (Mr. M. Lindsay) on 17th July last, under the provisions of the Paper Control Orders any person may gratuitously distribute a limited quantity of paper for advertising circulars. According to the records of the Paper Control no paper has been specifically licensed for the documents to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is in a position to make a statement on his recent joint consultative conversations with the British Film Industry; and why the British Screenwriters' Association was not invited to participate in them.

In reply to the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which was issued to the Press on 24th November, of which I am sending him a copy. The British Screenwriters' Association have made no approach to the Board of Trade about the new import duty on films or related developments in the film industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the recent destruction, by burning, of a quantity of haggis exported to the U.S.A., on the ground that this might cause the spread of foot-and-mouth disease; and whether, in view of the desirability of maintaining such exports, he will refer the matter to the Agricultural Research Council, with a view to obtaining a full scientific report with regard to this matter.

I am happy to say that the haggis in question was consumed, not by burning, but at a St. Andrew's Night Dinner in Chicago. Under United States law consignments of meat or meat products from countries with foot-and-mouth disease are held by the United States Customs for inspection. This consignment of haggis was so held but was released when found to be cooked. The United Kingdom has been free of foot-and-mouth disease since 15th August of this year. This was notified to the American Embassy in London on 15th October after the period of two months required by United States import regulations. I have, therefore, asked our Embassy in Washington to remind the appropriate United States authorities of the true position. No other action would seem to be necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the most recently available monthly figure of the total value of token imports from hard currency countries.

Import licences issued under the Token Import Scheme from January to the end of October provide for imports at an average monthly rate of £211,170 from all participating countries and £13,530 from U.S.A. and Canada.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a statement about the renewal of trade negotiations with the Soviet Union.

I am glad to say that it has now been agreed to resume forthwith the trade negotiations which were suspended last July. I accordingly propose to leave for Moscow tomorrow to open the resumed discussions, and hope to return early next week, if necessary leaving a team in Moscow to continue the negotiations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) the value of the racehorses imported into this country during the year ended 31st December, 1946; specifying the countries from which the imports were received and the amount in respect of each country;(2) the value of the racehorses exported from this country during the year ended 31st December, 1946; the countries to which the racehorses were sent; and the value of the exports to each country.

Imports and exports of racehorses are not recorded separately.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the total value of firm orders placed in U.K. by U.S.S.R. in three months ending 30th September, 1947.

There is no obligation on firms to report orders received from the U.S.S.R. or any other country, and I regret that the information asked for by the hon. Member is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state, in respect of the City of Glasgow, the total amount paid to date in settlement of deferred private chattels and property war damage claims; and the total amount outstanding.

Separate information is not available as to the amounts paid in respect of private chattels claims arising in a particular city or district. Some 6,300 private chattels claims were made in the City of Glasgow, of which only 10 remain outstanding because the claimants cannot be traced. No further information for the City of Glasgow is available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the difficulties experienced by mothers owing to the shortage and high price of perambulators; and if he will look into the possibility of mass producing a cheap and serviceable pram for this country while continuing to export the better makes.

No. I am not aware of a serious shortage. I am informed that the supply of perambulators in the shops is by no means unsatisfactory, and most of them are sold at well below the maximum permitted price. To change over to a standard and cheaper model for the home trade would not be a sound policy, since it would both reduce output for some time and would also increase the export price of the existing models.

asked the Minister of Food if he will publish in HANSARD a list of the increases and decreases in the prices of controlled foodstuffs between 1st January and 1st November, 1947.

As the list required by the hon. Member is very long, I am having a copy placed in the library.

asked the Minister of Food what is the value of Brazil nuts which have been imported to this country during the past twelve months; and if he sees any prospect of the resumption of imports on any considerable scale.

According to the Trade and Navigation Accounts the declared value of imports of Brazil nuts in the 12 months ended 31st October, 1947, was £154,312. I am not yet in a position to announce when imports will be resumed.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is satisfied with the quality of reject mutton coming to this country from the United States; what is the cost in dollars; if it is necesary to have rejects; and whether he will consider buying from our Colonies or Dominions and thus save dollars.

No reject mutton as such has been bought from the United States, but a small quantity of United States mutton intended for the ration has had to be used for manufacture because it failed to come up to specification. Pending the settlement of claims against the shippers in respect of these supplies, I regret that I am unable to state the cost in dollars. No further purchases of meat are being made in the United States, and we are already buying all the meat which the Dominions and Colonies can let us have.

asked the Minister of Food the result of the inquiry into the wastage of bananas at Avonmouth Docks; how many bananas were involved; and what is the cost to the taxpayer.

Out of 1,445 tons of bananas shipped, 676 tons were sold, 114 tons were jettisoned at sea and 655 tons were unusable on landing. As to the third part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hornsey (Mr. Gammans) on 1st December.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the proposal in Paragraph 546 of Cmd. 6447 of 1943 to appoint a private woodlands committee of the Forestry Commission has been implemented; who are the members of this Committee; and what main duties have been assigned to it.

No. To meet present conditions, considerable modifications have been made in the organisation of the Forestry Commission since the publication of Cmd. 6447. The Commission in full session now deals direct with matters effecting private woodlands.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give the planting programme of the Forestry Commission for each of the Welsh Counties for 1947 and 1948; how much land in Wales has been acquired since the end of the war; and how much will be acquired in the next three years.

The Planting programme is:

asked the Minister of Agriculture what acreage of their own woodland the Forestry Commission have re-planted since the end of the war.

The following acreages of Forestry Commission land have been re-afforested during the last two planting seasons:

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many Poles, displaced persons and members of the Women's Land Army are at present in the employment of the Radnor W.A.E.C.; and whether all are engaged in full-time employment.

Forty-five members of the Women's Land Army and 19 Poles are employed by the Radnor W.A.E.C. The Committee also has 14 E.V.W.'s on loan from a neighbouring county, and, apart from the interruptions of bad weather, all these workers are fully employed.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is aware of the shortage of bicycle chains in the County of Norfolk, and if he will arrange for a supply of chains to be sent to the county at an early date.

There is a general shortage of bicycle chains, owing to the heavy demands on the precision chain industry for chain of all descriptions. The manufacturers are being asked to ensure that Norfolk gets its fair share of available supplies.

asked the Minister of Works what control system is at present adopted for the distribution of window glass for new factories.

The distribution of window glass for new factories is controlled by the Control of Building Materials (No. 1) Order 1947 in exactly the same way as other building materials coming under the priority distribution scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sum was paid by the Racecourse Betting Control Board to a firm of credit system bookmakers, known as Tote Investors, Ltd., during the year 1946 as commission on bets passed through the totalisator received from them; and what percentage this represents of the horse-racing totalisator takings during this period.

The sum paid by the Board to Tote Investors Ltd., during 1946 as commission on bets received from them was £283,969 2s. 6d. An adjusting payment was made in 1947 reducing the commission on bets received in 1946 to £176,274 19s. d. which represents 1.19 per cent. of the totalisator turnover.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what amount, during the year ended 31st December, 1946, was paid by the Racecourse Betting Control Board to horse racecourse companies operating for individual gain for upkeep of these courses or to improve amenities for the public.

The amount paid by the Board to racecourse owners during the year ended 31st December, 1946, for the rehabilitation and improvement of racecourses was £75,453. Separate figures for racecourses operated for private gain are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what amount was paid by the Racecourse Betting Control Board as a subsidy to private owners to race their horses during 1946.

The amount paid by the Board towards the reduction of the cost of travelling racehorses to race meetings during 1946 was £41,180.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the feeling among enginemen employed on the Great Western Railway about the "Austerity" type of locomotives now being used thereon; that they regard the boiler water gauge frames as particularly unsatisfactory, and that when the gauge glass bursts there is difficulty in shutting the gauge column cocks, thus exposing the men to unnecessary danger and creating a situation not conducive to a safe system of working; what steps he proposes to take to remedy the matters complained of; and when will these become effective.

Yes. The gauges will be modified, but I cannot yet say when the work will be completed.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the present estimated weekly total of postal packages received by his Department from football pool organisations; the estimated weekly total of packages posted by the public to such organisations and how such totals compare with the corresponding figures of 1946 and 1938.

Based on October traffic in each case, the estimated weekly postings are as follows:

asked the Postmaster-General what is the estimated weekly profit made by his Department from the handling of postal packages to and from football pool organisations; and the estimated profit accruing from postal order purchases made by the public to meet football pool obligations.

No firm figures are available, but it is roughly estimated that the profit on postal packages is of the order of £45,000 weekly, and the profit on postal orders of the order of £5,000 weekly.

asked the Postmaster-General the average number of football pool postal packages received each week by his Department at post offices in Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Stockport, Swansea, Blackpool and Nottingham respectively; and if he will give, in each case, the corresponding figure for 1946.

The estimated weekly average number of football pool postal packages posted by and delivered to football pool firms at the towns named is as follows:—

asked the Postmaster-General when he anticipates that improvements to the telephone exchange at Kirkby Stephen will be carried out in order that additional subscribers can be connected.

Connection of additional subscribers at Kirkby Stephen depends on the completion of a new exchange. The site is ready and tenders for the building have been invited, but I regret that it is not possible at present to indicate when the new exchange will be available for service.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that the present Income Tax allowance for Naval officers' uniform expenses is £35; that this allowance has been unchanged for many years, whilst the present cost of an officer's regulation uniform coat and trousers, including Purchase Tax, is £25; and whether in these circumstances he will arrange for the whole question of uniform allowances to be re-considered in the near future.

So far as the first part of the Question is concerned, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Chelsea (Commander Noble) on 29th January last. Since that date there has been no change in the kit demanded of Naval officers. As regards the second part of the Question, the reconsideration of outfit grants is an inter-Service matter but I will make inquiries to see whether it is desirable to reconsider them in the near future.

asked the Minister of Health if he will inquire into and report on the case, details of which have been submitted to him, of a patient who is alleged to be the victim of irregular certification and detention at the L.C.C. Cane Hill Mental Hospital, Coulsdon, Surrey.

Yes. I have inquired into this case and am satisfied that there has been no irregularity in the certification and detention of the patient. I am sending the hon. Member particulars of the case.

asked the Minister of Health if he will publish a table showing the aggregate rateable values on which rates were paid by the electricity undertakings in England and Wales and the total number of units of electricity used in each of the last ten calendar years before 1939.

The figures for rateable value are not available, but it may assist the hon. Member to have the approximate totals of rates paid by electricity undertakings in England, Wales and Scotland. I regret that it is not possible to give separate figures for England and Wales. The figures together with those for units sold are as follows:

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make available to Parliament as soon as possible information in the form of Table II of the White Papers Cmd. 7253 and Cmd. 7256 showing the effect of the proposed Exchequer equalising grant and Exchequer transitional grant under the Local Government Bill now before Parliament on the rates levied by each county district in England and Wales.

Table II of the White Paper referred to by the hon. Member gives in columns (4) and (6) the estimated effect on the rates in 1946–47 if Exchequer Equalisation Grants and Exchequer Transitional Grants had been payable in that year. The sum of the figures in these two columns is the estimated reduction in the county rate. The rates in county districts would also have been affected by the transfer of certain functions either to the Central Government or to the county council, and by the change in the capitation payments proposed in the Bill. No estimates have been made to show the effect of all the changes on each county district in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will make available to Parliament as soon as possible tables showing in respect of every county and county borough in England and Wales the additional population credited in respect of sparsity and the additional population credited in respect of children under the Local Government Bill now before Parliament, together with the corresponding weightings under the Local Governments Acts of 1929–46.

To provide this information would involve the preparation and printing of long tables and the information would not be of assistance in the consideration of the Local Government Bill. The weighting for children now proposed relates to the number of children under 15 years of age whereas previously it related to the number of children under five years of age and was calculated in a different manner. The weighting for sparsity is now a simple addition to population whereas previously it was based on a complicated formula and was applied to a population already weighted for rateable value, children and unemployment.

asked the Minister of Education with regard to the Sophia Evans Endowment of £32 10s. a year for the benefit o the Church School and the working girls of Presteigne, Radnor, what account he has received of the way in which this money was expended from 1920 to 1939; how much was expended up to the end of 1946 without consultation either with trustees or the school managers; and whether he will supply an account of this expenditure.

The answer to the first part of the Question is, "None." The income of the Sophia Evans Charity was apparently paid into the school managers account in years before 1940. On 1st January, 1941, the account opened with a credit of £57 10s. 11d. On 25th March, 1947, the credit was £177 18s. 4d. Between these dates various sums were paid on account of the school; it is not known what, if any, consultation there was with trustees or managers. On 25th March, 1947, arrangements were made pursuant to official instructions to divide the account into two. The managers took £69 11s. 8d., the trustees £108 6s. 8d., the division being on the basis of the scheme regulating the Sophia Evans Charity. Since that date the managers and trustees have been brought up to their proper numbers and have held meetings. The accounts of the Sophia Evans Charity will be sent for annually.