asked the Secretary to the Treasury (1) if he is aware that the North-Eastern Railway Company have not yet refunded to the salaried staff contributions deducted under the National Insurance Act; if he will look into the matter; (2) if he can give the date of exemption in the case of the North-Eastern Railway Company and its salaried staff under the First Schedule of the National Insurance Act; and if the contributions paid by the staff, pending the issue of the exemption certificate, had been refunded?

The certificate of exception granted to the North-Eastern Railway Company in respect of the salaried staff of the company has effect as from 15th July last. The Commissioners are prepared, on the production of the stamped cards, to refund contributions paid pending the issue of the certificate in respect of persons to whom the certificate applies; but no application for such refund has as yet been received from the company. The company will be required to certify before the repayment is made to them that the employés' contributions have been refunded. The Commissioners are inquiring as to the reason for the delay.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it has been decided by the Insurance Commissioners, under the National Insurance Act, that the employer of an insured person who is employed for four hours every day by him, and not otherwise employed, and who is paid 12s. per week, should affix stamps to the value of 3d. per week on the ground that the employed person might be employed eight hours and therefore earning 24s. a week, or whether the employer is to affix stamps to the value of 4d. insomuch as the employed person is not in fact earning more than 12s. a week?

The Commissioners are advised that questions arising under the provisions of the National Insurance Act relating to low wages should be determined in cases of part-time employments by reference not to the actual earnings, but to the amount which the contributors would earn by working full time in the particular employment. In the case referred to by the Noble Lord it would accordingly be held that the rate of remuneration of a woman working four hours a day and earning 2s. in an employment in which the normal working day exceeds four hours is more than 2s. a working day. The correct rate of contribution would, therefore, be 6d., of which the employer would be entitled to recover 3d. by deduction from wages.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether his attention has been called to complaints regarding the fares charged to migratory labourers, fish workers, and others by the Lough Swilly Railway Company (Burtonport Extension); and whether his Department can now take any steps in the matter?

A representation has been made to the Department regarding the fares for migratory labourers and fish workers. The matter is receiving attention.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will take into consideration inviting a representative from Shropshire to the conference at the War Office on 30th instant to discuss points in connection with the National Reserve?

It was not practicable to invite representatives of all the county associations, and it was therefore left to the commands each to select two representatives of the county associations in these commands. If any county association is desirous of making representations on any particular point, I shall be greatly obliged if they would furnish me with the matter in writing.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state fully what the annual authorisations by Parliament were for the laying of underground telegraph lines in great Britain; and the Estimates for, and the sums expended in, the construction of the same each year, respectively, from 1906–7 until this year's Estimates?

The annual authorisations by Parliament for the laying of underground telegraph lines in Great Britain are given in the Post Office Votes; and there is in addition expenditure under the Telegraph Money Acts for the development of the telephone system. The Estimates for and the sums expended in the construction of these lines from 1906–7 are as follows:—

—		Amounts Voted.	Voted and Capital Expenditure.
		£	£
1906–7	…	208,050	330,651
1907–8	…	180,000	228,230
1908–9	…	208,000	270,275
1909–10	…	138,500	169,943
1910–11	…	105,400	125,282
1911–12	…	84,980	100,285
1912–13	…	80,370	16,340

In the expenditure is included the share of the cost allocated to telephone capital granted under the authority of the Telegraph Acts, 1892–1911. The expenditure for 1912–13 covers the period to the 30th September, 1912, only; and expenditure has also been incurred on sections of underground work unconnected with the main underground system, but the cost of this could not be distinguished except at great expense from the cost of other engineering work incidental to rearrangements of the wires.