asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any further expenditure of a capital nature is contemplated by the Chief Commissioner of Metropolitan Police; and, if so, whether it is proposed to continue charging current revenue with expenditure of a capital nature?

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any money has been expended out of the current revenue of the Metropolitan Police on the extension of New Scotland Yard, the purchase of land for and erection of police courts, police stations, and police dwellings, and their fittings and equipment; and, if any, the total amount for each year since 1900?

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the ratepayers of the Metropolitan Police district have been paying interest and repayments for certain police stations and police courts, and at the same time required to pay the whole cost of the police courts, police stations, and dwellings for the police out of the current revenue?

I will answer these three questions together. It has been the regular practice to charge against revenue the cost of new buildings and of additions and alterations to existing buildings, recourse being had to loans only in the case of works of an exceptional character, such as the provision of the central offices, the -acquisition of the freehold of those properties which were held on leasehold tenure, etc. It has been considered desirable to restrict borrowing within the narrowest possible limits in view of the heavy and annually increasing charge for police pensions which future generations of ratepayers will have to bear. No exceptional expenditure is contemplated in the immediate future; the normal expenditure for new works and alterations will, in accordance with the established practice, be met from revenue. The total annual expenditure from revenue for the purposes mentioned in question No. 9 has been as follows:—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if certain certified dispensers are prevented from dispensing prescriptions containing poisons pending the promulgation of bye-laws for their registration by the Pharmaceutical Society; and, if this is so, whether he will use his influence to have these bye-laws issued at the earliest moment possible?

I beg to refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on 6th July on this subject to the hon. Member for East Down.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention had been called to the accident which took place at the exhibition at Shepherd's Bush on 26th June, and to the further accident which took place on 7th July; whether the inspection of the plans and plant of the amusements in this exhibition was satisfactorily conducted; and, if not, what steps the Home Office proposes to take in the matter?

My attention has been drawn to these accidents. I am in communication with the London County Council about the matter and I will inform my hon. Friend of the result.

asked the Home Secretary if an Anglo-French Convention as to reciprocity in the matter of workmen's compensation such as was announced in France in 1906, and similar to the Franco-Belgian arrangement of February, 1906, has now been concluded?

I am glad to say that His Majesty's Government have been able to conclude a Convention with the French Government, which, in return for reciprocal treatment to French citizens in England, will secure to British subjects employed in France the full rights in regard to compensation for accidents enjoyed under the French law by French citizens. A copy of the Convention will, I understand, be laid before Parliament very shortly. The Convention will not come into force until certain minor amendments can be made in the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act, as they affect French workmen in England. For this purpose a short Bill will be required, which will be quite uncontentious, and will, I hope, pass without any difficulty.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that an Order has been issued in regard to the officers of His Majesty's Customs stating that after the close of the current financial year officers of all ranks may be required to retire on attaining the age of 61; and, if so, can he state the number of officers now in the service who are over the age of 61; and whether such order will be made applicable to them?

The hon. Member no doubt refers to the Order issued on 10th October last. The number of established officers in the Customs service who are now over 61 is 36. The Order has been enforced in certain branches of the indoor and outdoor service, and its application to other branches is for further consideration.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will state the number of motor vehicles included in the Return, No. 293, of Session 1908, as carriages and not as light locomotives in London and in England and Wales respectively under the various sub-heads of carriages; and whether it would be practicable to supply this information for each of the areas set out in the Return?

There are no Returns which give the information in the form suggested, and it would be a work of much labour to obtain them. I shall, however, be happy to furnish the hon. Member with such information as is available.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many men deserted from the Navy in 1902 and 1908 respectively, from the men afloat and from the marines ashore respectively, and stating at the same time how many per thousand these represented of the numbers borne.

The number of desertions in 1902 was 1,882, or 21 per 1,000, among men serving afloat; and 285, or 35 per 1,000, among marines ashore. In 1908 the number of desertions was 1,660, or 16 per 1,000, among men serving afloat; and 43, or 6 per 1,000, among marines ashore.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the principles guiding the Admiralty in holding courts-martial for desertion are now quite different from those guiding the War Office, having regard to the fact that only two courts-martial were held on men afloat in 1908 for this offence out of a total enlisted force of 112,751, while 18 courts-martial were held on Royal Marines ashore out of a total number borne of 7,275?

The principles are different. Men of the fleet who desert and are recovered are, as a general rule, punished summarily by their commanding officers. Marines on shore who desert are tried under the Army Act.

asked the Under-Secretary for India whether the Government of India (Home Department), Notification No. 607, of 1st July, 1907, regarding the receipt of fees by officers of the Indian Medical Service for professional services rendered to Indian nobles or gentlemen and their families or dependents in British India, is still in force, and, if so, whether it has received the necessary confirmation of the Secretary of State, in anticipation of which the Order was issued nearly two years ago; whether he is aware that the Order has caused dissatisfaction in India amongst the officers of the Indian Medical Service; and whether his attention has been called to the spirit of the Regulating Act of 1773 (13 Geo. 3, c. 63, Art. 25), by which the right to take or accept fees, gratuities, and rewards in the way of their profession was specially reserved to medical officers?

The Secretary of State is still in correspondence with the Government of India regarding the notification referred to in the question, which has not yet received his confirmation. He is not prepared at present to make any statement on the subject.

asked whether the recommendations of the Government of India with regard to the reorganisation of the Indian Telegraph Departments have yet been received?

The Secretary of State has not yet received the recommendations of the Government of India with regard to the reorganisation of the Indian Telegraph Department, but he understands that a Despatch from the Government of India on the subject may be expected next week.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has yet nominated the Universities Committee of the Privy Council; and, if so, will he give the names and qualification of the members?

The Irish Universities Committee was appointed by the Lord Lieutenant on 28th April last. The Members are:—

• The Right Hon. Sir Samuel Walker, Bart., Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
• The Right Hon. Gerald Fitzgibbon, a Lord Justice of Appeal in Ireland.
• The Right Hon. William Moore Johnson, one of the Judges of His Majesty's High Court of Justice in Ireland.
• The Right Hon. Sir David Harrel, K.C.B., K.G.V.O.
• The Right Hon. John Ross, one of the Judges of His Majesty's High Court of Justice in Ireland.
• The Right Hon. Sir Patrick Coll, K.C.B.
• The Right Hon. Sir James B. Dougherty, C.V.O., C.B.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners received an application for a free grant from Peter Gallagher, an evicted tenant on the Massey estate, Kinlough, county Leitrim, if so, whether it was considered, and what was their decision?

The Estates Commissioners cannot identify the case referred to.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that on the estate of Captain Barton, Tullaghan, county Leitrim, there are 16 tenants who were returned as future tenants in the year 1882 and their rents doubled; whether the estate was offered for sale to the Estates Commissioners; and, if so, whether these tenants would get special consideration on account of the amount of rent overpaid?

Proceedings have not been instituted before the Estates Commissioners for the sale of this estate, and they

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government recognises any and, if so, what body, party, group, or authority in the Turkish empire as Young Turks, and, if so, what body, party, group, or authority in the Kingdom of Persia as Persian Liberals; and, if the answer in either or both cases be in the affirmative, whether the attitude of any one such body, party, group, or authority in Turkey towards any body, party, group, or authority in Persia or elsewhere is a matter of which His Majesty's Government takes any cognisance?

The reply to the first two points in the hon. Member's question is in the negative. His Majesty's Government are concerned only with the constituted authorities in foreign States; the different designations which may be applied to parties in the internal affairs of other countries cannot be officially recognised by any foreign Government.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amount of duty paid on spirits, beer, and wine respectively during the months of April, May, and June in 1907, 1908, and 1909?

presented the following statement of the amount of duty paid on spirits, beer, and wine respectively during the months of April, May, and June in each of the years 1907, 1908, and 1909:—