asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the proposed measure for the amendment of the National Insurance Act will provide for the expenses of local medical committees?

I am unable to anticipate the terms of the Bill.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether the Department received claims for unemployment benefit on 28th March and 23rd April, 1913, from H. M. Hester, of 10, Chaucer Road, Acton; whether, in answer to three separate communications sent by the insured person, the Department have replied that the claim was receiving attention, and that more recently, namely, on 6th June, officials of the Department have stated that the particulars of the claim have been lost; if so, whether he will inquire into the cause of this delay, and will ensure that the unemployment benefit shall be immediately paid over to the applicant; (2) whether he is aware that H. M. Hester, of 10, Chaucer Road, Acton, whose unemployed insurance card or book is No. 295,062, issued at Churchfield Road Post Office, Acton, notified a claim for unemployed benefit at the Acton Labour Exchange on 28th March last, and again on 23rd April last, but has been unable to obtain any payment whatever; though contributions by him and on his behalf had been duly made ever since the National Insurance Act, Part II., has been in operation; and, if so, what is the reason for such withholding of the unemployed benefit?

I am informed that the workman in question made two claims to benefit, on the 28th February and on the 3rd April, and not on either of the dates mentioned in the questions. The benefit due to him on the first claim was duly paid. The second claim was unfortunately lost, and the attention of the divisional officer was first drawn to the loss on the 5th May, on the receipt of a letter from the workman complaining of the delay. As the workman gave the wrong number of his unemployment book, the difficulty of tracing the missing claim was increased, and I understand that the workman also refused to assist the office by making a duplicate claim. On 9th June, however, the original claim was discovered, and was immediately sent to Acton Exchange, with instructions for payment. On 12th June the manager wrote to the workman asking him to call for payment of the present amount due to him, but I understand that he has not yet done so. I very much regret the delay which has occurred, but it would have been greatly shortened if the workman had helped the office instead of putting difficulties in its way.

asked the Secretary to. the Treasury whether the Insurance Commissioners have refused to disclose to the approved societies the number of members which they have resident in the areas of insurance committees upon which the numbers of representatives whom they are entitled to appoint, and the value of their votes on an election of representatives depend; and what is the reason for witholding this information?

No, Sir; the Commissioners have not refused. They have supplied every approved society with statements showing the number of its members resident in each area, the number of representatives which the society is entitled to appoint, and the number of places on the committee to be filled by election. The Commissioners have also supplied each society with a list, which has been laid on the Table of the House, showing, as regards each committee area, the membership of every society having members resident therein.

asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether he will consider the advisability of extending the terms of the reference to the Royal Commission on the Civil Service so as to comprise therein the consideration of the need for a board of control or other body to which any Civil servant who believes himself to be the victim of unfair treatment or of the personal illwill of the permanent head of his department could appeal, since the political chief, to whom alone an appeal at present lies, may have no knowledge of the character and ability of individual members of his office staff and must necessarily rely upon the advice of the permanent. head in such matters?

The Royal Commission is at liberty under its terms of reference to make any recommendations which it may desire on this matter.

asked the Prime Minister if his attention has been directed by any local pension committees to cases of hardship which have occurred under Section 3 (2) of the Old Age Pensions Act by which, in effect, a person is punished twice for the same offence; if he proposes to amend the law on this point; and, if so, can he see his way to introduce the amending Bill this Session?

I think the Amendment effected by Section 4 (2) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1911, is a sufficient mitigation of any hardship which might occur under Section 3 (2) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the exact grounds on which the Local Government Board have decided, re the claim of Mrs. Bridget Hickey, Kilkenny, to an old age pension, that the joint means of herself and her husband exceed £63 per year; whether he is aware that both husband and wife are known to members of the committee and persons having intimate knowledge of their affairs to be in absolute need of the pension to obtain the necessaries of life; on what ground the Board held that the transfer of the small licensed business managed by a married son and his wife to the son was effected in order to obtain the pension, having regard to the fact that Thomas Hickey has for years past been too feeble to work himself; whether the Board adopt the construction laid down by the Lord Advocate, in reply to a question in Parliament, that even if a transfer of property were partly actuated by desire to obtain the pension it must be regarded as effective unless there is no other substantial motive; if not, on what grounds the Board adopt a different official construction from that holding good in Scotland; and whether, having regard to the particulars of trading supplied by an independent source in connection with the husband's claim, from which it is plain that after reasonable allowance for assistance the husband is fully entitled in respect of means even if regarded as still owner of the small business, he will undertake that the appeal pending in the husband's case will be decided in favour of the claimant and that the wife's claim, if made again, will be reconsidered in the light of the said particulars?

Patrick Hickey and his wife have a public-house at Kilkenny, the net yearly profits from which exceed £63, so that upon this basis neither husband nor wife would be entitled to a pension. Patrick Hickey is still the licensee of the premises, but transferred the house and garden to his son, who is a small farmer, and immediately after he applied for an old age pension. The Board accordingly upheld the pension officer's appeal on the ground that the case came within Section 4 (3) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908. Patrick Hickey is reported to do very little himself in connection with the public-house, being too old, but his wife carries on the business. The Board see no reason to dissent from the veiw attributed to the Lord Advocate.

asked the Vice-President. of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether representations will be made to the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) Company with regard to the shortage of wagons for conveyance of cattle from Banbridge, county Down, on days of fairs?

The Department are unaware of any general shortage of wagons at Banbridge Fairs. In connection with the fair on 27th ultimo, there appears to have been an excess demand as compared with the corresponding fair last year. The supply sent fell short in consequence by six wagons, but the requirements were met by unloading other wagons standing at the station containing goods. By these means traffic was got off in usual time. Representations to the company, appear scarcely to be called for in the circumstances.

asked what is the cause of delay in the completion of the sale of the estate of the trustees of Lady Fitzgerald situate at Ballybrown, Ahalin and Knockaderry, in' the county of Limerick, having regard to the fact that the tenants signed their agreements to purchase in the year 1908?

This estate is the subject of proceedings before tie Estates Commissioners for sale direct by the owner to the tenants under the Land Purchase Acts and will be dealt with in order of priority on the principal register of direct sales (all cash). Having regard to the claims of other estates, the Commissioners are not at present in a position to say when it will be reached.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the wages of dockyard riggers, including the a week increase lately granted, are 6d. a week below the maximum wages for skilled labourers; whether he is aware that dockyard riggers are at work at all times and in all -weathers; and whether the Board of Admiralty can see their way to grant these men a further increase in their wages?

The rate of wages for riggers is 6d. a week below the special rate maximum allowed for a few skilled labourers; it is 2s. 6d. a week above the ordinary maximum for skilled labourers; and 7s. 6d. a week above the minimum for that class. The Admiralty are aware of the nature and conditions of the employment of riggers, and they do not propose to make any further change in the rate of 'wages for this class.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the action of the managers of the Meopham Church of. England school, within the jurisdiction of the Kent County Council Education Committee, in refusing to appoint a certificated teacher who had previously served in a Church of England school, owing to the religious denomination to which he belonged, as stated in the vicar's letter to the teacher concerned; and what steps, if any, the Government propose to take to provide a remedy for this and similar cases?

My attention has been called to the case. Under the existing law the appointment of teachers in non-provided schools rests with the managers, subject to the consent of the local education authority, and I have no power to interfere in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what profit has been made out of the sale of silver to the West Indian Colonies for each of the last ten years?

The following are the profits on the sale of English silver coin for use in the West Indian Islands, including British Guiana, in each of the last ten years:—

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that there is a certain opposition to the Bee Disease Bill based on minor provisions and non-essential details of the measure and not on its principles.; and whether, with a view to removing opposition and getting the measure passed as non-contentious, he will indicate concessions and alterations which will be moved by him on the Committee stage?

I shall be glad to consider any suggestions which may be made to me for the improvement of the Bill by Amendment in Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture how many small holdings and how many allotments have been established under the provisions of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act, 1908; the average annual Cost incurred by his Department in respect of the same; and the cost to the county and parish councils, respectively?

Up to the 31st December, 1912, 10,192 small holdings had been actually established under the Act of 1908, and the number of allotments provided under that Act was approximately 28,000, covering 7,766 acres. The average annual cost incurred by the Board in the administration of the Act during the last five years is £41,200, but I should explain that the greater part of this amount represents expenses incurred by county councils, which are repaid by the Board; the salaries and expenses of the Board's staff amount to approximately £12,000 a year, but some members of the staff devote part of their time also to other duties. I am unable to state the cost incurred by the local authorities concerned; the Act requires such cost to be recouped out of the rents received for the small holdings and allotments.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the River Ouse, upon which Newhaven is situated, receives sewage from Lewes and other places, and that the river is thereby very seriously polluted; whether he is aware that the Newhaven authorities have complained of this state of affairs without any improvement having been effected; whether the river runs quite close to the houses in which the small-pox cases recently occurred at Newhaven, and thus conduced to the insanitary condition; whether at certain states of the tide there is a most foul odour from the river; and whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the evidence adduced by the medical inspector of his Department in support of the theory that the outbreak of small-pox was due to infection from person to person, and not from the unhealthy and overcrowded houses in the locality where the cases were found?

I am aware that the River Ouse is polluted by sewage from Lewes and other places. The town council of Lewes are now undertaking a new sewage disposal scheme which will, it is hoped, remedy this state of affairs so far as their district is concerned, and the question of the disposal of sewage of other places on the river is under consideration. With regard to the proximity of the houses in which cases of small-pox occurred to the river, I am informed that none of them were within fifty yards of the river. An account of the outbreak will be given in the Annual Report of the medical officer of the Local Government Board.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he has yet received the report of his inspector concerning the fulfilment of the duties imposed by the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, upon the urban and rural district councils throughout the Skipton Parliamentary Division?

I have not yet received the report of my inspector of his inspection of these districts. The inspection is not yet completed.

also asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state, with regard to the Skipton Parliamentary Division and the administration therein of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, since the 1st July, 1910, what is the estimated number of occupied dwelling-houses coming within the meaning of Section 15; the number of houses specially inspected; the number of houses found to be totally unfit for human habitation; the number of houses found to be not in all respects reasonably fit for human habitation; the number of representations made to the local authority re houses unfit for human habitation; the number of representations acted upon by the local authority under Sections 17 and 15, respectively; the number of closing orders determined; the number of closing orders made in respect of inhabited and uninhabited dwellings, respectively; the number of houses voluntarily closed by the owners rather than comply with notices, under Section 15; the number of demolition orders issued; the number of houses demolished; the number of notices under Section 15 complied with; the number of houses made fit for human habitation under Section 15; the number of houses where works are now in progress; and the number of rooms habitually used as sleeping places the floors of which are more than 3 ft. below the surface of the adjoining street?

I am not in a position to state some of the particulars asked for. I will forward to the hon. Member a statement giving the information as far as it is in my possession.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will give a statement for the years 1900 to 1912 of the births, deaths, natural increase, and emigration, if possible distinguishing the sexes, for the United Kingdom as a whole and for England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, separately, as far as this can be done; and if he will add figures showing how the figures referred to have moved in the present year to the latest date for which the facts are available?

All the particulars for which my hon. Friend asks are not available, but I am sending him copies of tables embodying most of the information he requires, which I have received from the Board of Trade and from the Registrar-General of each of the Three Kingdoms.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of trade union members registered under the Trade Union Act and the Friendly Societies Act, giving the totals separately'?

The membership of registered trade unions in the United Kingdom at 31st December, 1911, the latest date at which information is available, was 2,378,957. I fear I have no information as to the number of trade union members of registered friendly societies.