asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government can see its way to remit stamp duty on sales of bearer shares and bonds belonging to Belgian refugees temporarily resident in Great Britain?

There is no power under the existing law to grant the relief suggested, and I fear that I cannot see my way to introduce legislation for the purpose.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, having regard to the decreased consumption of beer on account of the increased duty and the consequent loss to all the allied brewery trades, more especially to English hop growers, he will, to preserve the stability and continuity of the industry and to prevent losses arising out of unforeseen shrinkage in consumption, consider the desirability of prohibiting the importation of foreign hops during the existence of the beer war tax or until such longer period till the price of hops will cover the cost of production of the present area under cultivation in Great Britain?

After giving this proposal careful consideration I regret that I am unable to adopt it. I may, perhaps, point out that since the outbreak of war the importation of hops from the continent of Europe has practically ceased.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what amount of the Treasury currency notes has been issued to banks and on what conditions; and what amount, if any, has been expended by the Treasury directly for account of naval, military, or other national expenditure; and (2) whether there is any limit to the issue of Treasury currency notes; if not, does he contemplate any further issue; and, if so, what limit will be fixed for such an issue of notes?

The conditions under which currency notes are issued in the United Kingdom and the limitations to the issue are specified in the Treasury Minutes of the 8th August and of the 20th August last. I am causing copies of these Minutes to be presented to Parliament. I do not at present contemplate any alterations in those conditions. The amount of currency notes issued, redeemed and outstanding from time to time is shown in the weekly statements published in the "London Gazette." Practically the whole of the issue has been made to banks either in the form of currency notes advances or upon payment of the face value. No currency notes have been issued by the Treasury directly for the purposes of naval, military or other national expenditure, but a portion of the sums received in payment for currency notes issued to banks (or in repayment of currency notes advances) has been invested in the purchase of Treasury Bills or other securities issued for Supply or for Ways and Means. The maximum amount so invested on behalf of the Currency Note Redemption Account was £16,923,546. This was in September last. It has now, as shown by the statement issued for the week ended 24th February, been reduced to £8,923,554 17s. 5d. It is, of course, important to bear in mind that these sums in no sense represent a forced issue but merely the investment of the proceeds of an issue made in response to an actual demand for currency, and that the notes covered by these investments are, like the rest of this issue, repayable in gold coin upon demand.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether of six coast-guardsmen employed at Bembridge three enjoy separation allowances and three do not, although the duties of those who do not enjoy the separation allowance are exactly similar; whether some men recently sent to this station, who are not regular Navy men, receive a higher victual-ling allowance than the regular; and, if so, will he explain the reason for this differentiation?

Three of the men attached to Bembridge Coastguard Station are residing with their wives in official quarters, and it naturally follows that separation allowance is not applicable to them in such circumstances. The remaining three men, although normally constituting a part of the crew of Bembridge Station, are prevented by the exigencies of the Service from residing with their wives in official quarters. They are at present employed and accommodated at another wireless telegraph station, and their wives are consequently entitled to the separation allowance that is being paid to them. In regard to the second part of the question, there appears now to be only one naval petty officer—not a member of the regular coastguard—who is in receipt of a higher victual-ling allowance than the regular coastguard, and he is entitled to a rate which is higher by 2d. a day by reason of coming under Naval Regulations instead of those applicable to the coastguard. The coastguard rate is paid continuously, while the slightly higher rate for the Navy is, as a rule, paid for temporary service ashore only.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he can assist Mrs. J. D. Burgess, whose husband was killed in action in East Africa on the 25th September, 1914; whether he is aware that Mr. Burgess was an engineer in the employ of the Magadi Soda Company, Limited, receiving £450 a year, and volunteered to defend the colony when it was attacked; and that the widow, with two children, has been granted a pension of only 14s. a week, and has no other means; and whether the Government will do something under these circumstances?

I am aware of the facts referred to in the second part of the hon. Member's question, and the matter received my careful consideration. As Mr. Burgess was a private in the East African military forces, his widow, on a strict application of the Army Pay Warrant, could not receive more than 8s. a week. In view, however, of the special circumstances connected with military service in the tropics, it was decided to fix the amount provisionally at the rate mentioned by the hon. Member. The whole question of pensions to dependants of persons killed in action in similar circumstances will be reviewed in the light of the decision taken on the Report of the Select Committee as explained in the Memorandum which has been presented to Parliament (Command Paper 7662).

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he will favourably consider the claim of ex-Sergeant John Dooner, No. 4140, 5th Leinster Regiment, to a disablement pension, who at the present time is in receipt of Poor Law relief in consequence of ill-health; and whether, having regard to the fact that he spent 15 years and 248 days in the Army, of which 8 years and 239 days were spent in India, and that there are three of his brothers at present in the Army, in the 2nd and 7th Leinsters, and to the effect it would have on recruiting if a discharged soldier who served so long was thrown on public charity, he will give his case special consideration?

I shall be prepared to consider any claim that may be made by this man or on his behalf in the proper quarter—i.e., to the Commissioners of Chelsea. No such claim appears to have yet been made.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he will make further inquiries into the case of Mrs. Fowler, Ivy Cottage, Little Budworth; whether he is aware that Mrs. Fowles is only receiving 5s. 6d. a week allowance from the War Office and 3s. 6d. a week allotment from her son, Trooper Harold Fowles, No. 145, Cheshire Yeomanry; whether he is aware that both Mrs. Fowles and her son were informed that in the event of the latter's enlistment she would receive 12s. a week from the War Office; whether he is aware that before he enlisted Trooper Fowles allowed his mother 16s. a week, and that Mrs. Fowles encouraged him to enlist; and whether he is aware that the statement made that she was satisfied with the award is said by Mrs. Fowles to be incorrect?

If Mrs. Fowles is dissatisfied with the award made in her case, it is open to her to make use of the appeal machinery now established.

asked the Under-Secretary for War the numbers of mares which have been commandeered for War purposes in the counties of Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, and Inverness, respectively?

I regret it is impossible to give my hon. Friend the information for which he asks, but I am informed that the number of horses taken from the counties specified has been small.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether National Reserve men who had not signed classification cards before 1st August, 1914, but have since that date rejoined for active service, are entitled to the £10 bounty?

The date has been extended to the 11th August. National Reservists who did not sign the undertaking by that date are not entitled to any bounty.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether a great number of applicants for commissions, hitherto without military training, have been informed that their names have been placed on a waiting list; and, if so, whether arrangements will be made whereby such applicants will be afforded opportunities of qualifying themselves in military instruction and training during the waiting period, as for example, by being allowed to attach themselves, on certain conditions, to existing regiments in localities where they reside?

A list of those without previous military training who have made application is kept, but inclusion in this list does not necessarily mean that a commission will be offered. It therefore would not be possible for the War Office regularly to provide military training for such applicants, but it is open to them, if eligible, to join one of the many contingents of the Officers' Training Corps.

asked what are the rates of pay for captains in the Territorial Royal Army Medical Corps who go to the front as compared with pay given to civilian doctors for the same work?

The present emoluments compare as under:—Emoluments of Captains of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Territorial Force, when serving at the front:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he can give relief to British soldiers serving in India from the duty on parcels and necessaries sent to them by their relatives, in view of the fact that they are in India serving their country?

It has not been the practice hitherto to exempt from Customs Duty parcels sent to soldiers serving in India. The rate of duty is low, and it is not considered that present circumstances call for an exceptional exemption, which would, moreover, be very difficult to work.

asked the Home Secretary for Home Secretary how many of the Metropolitan Police Force have been removed from London to man the protection posts at the Admiralty dockyards; whether any and, if so, how many of the Metropolitan Police are now engaged on this service outside the Metropolitan area; and whether any charge will fall on the Metropolitan rates in respect of the payment and maintenance of the police who, since the War, have been on protection post duties?

It is not advisable that full particulars of the strength of the police employed at naval dockyards should be published. No charge will fall on Metropolitan rates in respect of such duties.

further asked the Home Secretary what are the special conditions of the service undertaken by members of the Metropolitan Police in protection post duty; whether special duty allowance is paid and, if not, why is this not done; whether lodging allowances are made to these men when removed from London; and whether travelling allowance can be made to these men when they take their leave and have long distances to travel to their homes?

If my hon. Friend refers to officers temporarily employed at naval and military stations, their duties and the conditions of service are, generally speaking, the same as in the Metropolitan Police District. Special allowances are not given save for certain duties of an exceptional character. Most of the men temporarily employed at these stations—I believe all those of the rank of constable—are unmarried. Those who are married and who do not take their families with them receive a special lodging allowance. If they take their families with them, the cost of removal is borne by public funds. There is no travelling allowance for men on leave.

also asked the Secretary of State whether he has considered the granting to men of the Metropolitan Police some badge or medal which will show that their services are retained by the Government during the War, so that on all occasions, such as when taking leave in plain clothes, it may be recognised that they have not had the option of enlisting?

After consulting the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, I do not think it would be desirable to adopt this suggestion.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been given to the manifesto signed by fifty leading surgeons, divines, magistrates, and others, declaring the desirability of a suppression of the sale of all spirits for the period of the War; and what further measures are contemplated with the object of reducing the consumption of alcoholic spirits to a minimum?

My attention had not been drawn to the manifesto until my hon. Friend's question appeared on the Paper. As regards the question of further legislation on this subject, the Prime Minister has intimated that it depends on the possibility of an agreed Bill.

asked the Home Secretary whether, since the War began, it has been possible in all cases to grant the usual four days' leisure per month to members of the Metropolitan Police; and, if not, whether any allowance or recompense will be made when it has not been possible to give to police their weekly day of rest?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the three answers which I gave in February on this subject. I will send him copies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has observed that of the sums granted by Parliament to Ireland for 1913–14 the sum of £128,000 remains unexpended under the head of National Insurance in Ireland, the sum of £39,000 under the head of the Irish Land Commission, and the sum of £28,000 in the Departments of Agriculture and of Public Works; and whether, in view of the urgency of providing cheap cottages for the very poor in the Irish cities and towns, he will consent to expending these savings in free grants for that universally desired reform, or at the least preserve them intact for disposal by the Irish Parliament?

I fear the hon. Member's suggestion is impracticable on legal as well as other grounds. The sums in question were voted by Parliament for the year ended 31st March, 1914, and cannot be applied for the same or other services in subsequent years. I may add that the total sum surrendered for all Civil Service and Revenue Departments was £3,238,857 0s. 1d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state the result of the inquiry made by the Royal Mint as to the amount of Imperial gold coin held by banks in the United Kingdom on the 30th June last?

Returns were made by 72 banks, including the Bank of England, from which it appears that on the date named, which was a Tuesday, they held Imperial gold coin to the amount of £82,794,963. The amount so held in 1913, when the Returns were collected on Monday, the 30th June, was £69,524,127, and in 1908, when the Returns were last collected on a Tuesday, it was £50,369,167.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can see his way to pay the chemists under the National Insurance Act for the material supplied under the Act, such as drugs and appliances, in view of the hardship inflicted upon small traders, many of whom have not had any settlement since the Act came into operation; and will a settlement be made once a quarter at the very least?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday to the hon. Member for South Islington. It is not possible for insurance committees to effect a settlement more frequently than once a year. The regulations provide, however, for very substantial payments on account at least once a quarter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he is aware of the loss, danger to life, and complaints prevalent in important towns and populous districts in Ireland owing to the unwillingness of Poor Law guardians to give relief to sick poor who are entitled to sickness benefit under the Insurance Act, and to the difficulty the sick poor have in travelling to the official certifier, who usually resides remote from populous places; whether any provision has been, or will be, made to make sickness benefit retrospective to the beginning of the illness or to recoup out of the insurance fund guardians who, on the advice of the medical attendant, give prompt relief in cases subsequently certified valid; (2) what amount Ireland contributes annually to the common fund under the National Insurance Act, as compared with the other portions of the United Kingdom; on that basis, what is the amount of Ireland's equivalent for certification; what amount is paid in Ireland for certification, exclusive of travelling expenses; what is the reason for not paying the £91,000 which he promised for this purpose, and which the Irish doctors consented to accept; whether the balance is being applied to any other Irish purpose; (3) what independent medical approval, if any, the Irish Insurance Commissioners have for allowing insured poor persons seriously ill to be improperly disturbed by a certifier who, not being the medical attendant, is unacquainted with the cases, and for the Commissioners' more recent attempt to have laymen appointed to visit cases which they have no qualification for judging and from some of which they may convey infection; whether, before allowing those two practices to proceed further, he will have them considered by the highest medical and surgical authorities in Ireland; and (4) by what authority and on what grounds of justification the Local Government Board for Ireland, while refusing to allow a workhouse doctor to act as locum tenens for another in an adjoining district, yet do allow such a doctor to act as certifier under the National Insurance Act for half a county; how this is reconciled with efficient discharge of his proper duty and with that prompt certification available to the sick in their own homes in Great Britain; whether a person, apparently well when such a remote certifier takes his weekly drive, can on becoming ill get promptly certified otherwise than by travelling, in some cases twenty miles, in his sickness, which maybe contagious, to the certifier, while his medical attendant is not empowered to certify; and whether the Local Government Board or Insurance Commissioners have any independent medical approval of this practice?

Taking the hon. Member's questions in order, I may say that I shall be glad to make inquiry into any case which is brought to my notice where undue delay or difficulty has been experienced in obtaining a certificate to support a claim for sickness benefit. That part of the hon. Member's question which relates to the granting of Poor Law relief does not fall within my province; but as regards claims for sickness benefit, the doctors who are giving certificates under the National Insurance Acts have arranged convenient places in their districts at which insured persons may attend for examination, and in any case where an insured person is prevented by distance or by his physical condition from leaving his own home, he must be visited by the doctor in his own home. It is the duty of approved societies to scrutinise all claims for sickness benefit, and where the necessary conditions are fulfilled to their satisfaction, benefit is payable from the fourth day of incapacity for work. There is no provision in the National Insurance Acts for making repayments to the Poor Law authorities in the circumstances stated in the last part of the question, and I may remind the hon. Member that under Section 109 of the Act of 1911, any benefit received under the Act is not to be taken into account in granting outdoor relief except in as far as the benefit exceeds 5s. a week.As regards the second question, the annual amount derived from the contributions of employers and employed persons in Ireland is approximately £724,000. These contributions are paid into the Irish National Health Insurance Fund, set up under Section 81 (2) of the Act of 1911, and not into a common fund as stated in the question. As regards the basis on which Grants have been made to facilitate the provision of medical certificates in Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Waterford City, Waterford, on the 14th August, 1913, that he was satisfied that a Grant of £50,000 was insufficient to cover the cost of satisfactory arrangements for this purpose, and undertook to ask Parliament to increase the Grant up to a maximum limit of 2s. 6d. per insured person per annum. This latter Grant is equivalent to a sum of £97,100 per annum, and the estimates provide that payments out of the account under this head shall be subject to conditions determined by a scheme made by the Irish Insurance Commissioners, with the approval of the Treasury. Pending the approval of such a scheme, expenditure may be incurred for the purpose of certification in Ireland to an annual amount not exceeding £50,000 voted for this purpose. The present annual expenditure is about £44,000, the remuneration paid being inclusive of travelling expenses.As regards the third question, I am informed that doctors who visit insured persons desirous of obtaining medical certificates are instructed to exercise every care in visiting persons who are seriously ill, and are not permitted to interfere with the treatment prescribed by the doctor in attendance. If I correctly understand the second part of the question to refer to the appointment of sick visitors by approved societies, I may say that a system under which such visitors are appointed is of much value to approved societies in exercising a proper supervision over claims for sickness benefit. As regards the third part of the question, the Irish Insurance Commissioners or myself are, of course, happy at anytime to receive suggestions for the improvement of the existing system of certification. As regards the last question, I am informed that any work in this connection is only undertaken by Poor Law medical officers on the distinct understanding that it will not interfere with the proper performance of their other duties. The details of the actual arrangements which are made in order to overcome, as far as possible, the peculiar difficulties existing in Ireland, are perhaps sufficiently described in the reply to the hon. Member's first question.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if the National Health Insurance (Drug Accounts Committee) Regulations (Scotland), 1914, have been laid upon the Table of the House; and, if not, when they will be laid?

The regulations to which the hon. Member refers were laid before the House on the 1st instant.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if an agreement for the sale and purchase of the estate of Mrs. Catherine Harvey, at Desertegney, Buncrana, county Donegal, has been signed; whether any and, if so, what steps have been taken in order to have the untenanted and untitled land on this estate distributed for the enlargement of uneconomic holdings thereon; whether a memorial was sent some time ago to the Estates Commissioners and Congested Districts Board, respectively, urging the necessity of having these lands applied towards the enlargement of the smaller holdings on the estate before vesting orders are made to the tenants; and whether he will state when an assurance will be given to the tenants by the responsible Department that this will be done, and also inform them which of the Departments is responsible?

As I informed the hon. Member on the 4th May last, proceedings for the sale of this estate by the owner direct to the tenants have been instituted and purchase agreements at prices agreed upon between the parties have been lodged. In addition to the tenanted land, the owner has included some 70 acres of untenanted land, which he has offered for sale to the Estates Commissioners for distribution, and also some 650 acres of turbary which he proposes should be vested in trustees for the benefit of the tenants. The question of the allotment of the untenanted land will be considered by the Commissioners when they are dealing with this estate in its order of priority. A memorial has been received from certain tenants on the property asking to have included in the sale as untenanted land for distribution the Linsfort demesne, but the Commissioners are informed by the owner's solicitors that, subsequent to the signing of the purchase agreements by the agricultural tenants, the demesne lands were let, together with the mansion house thereon, to the present occupier for a term of years with option to purchase, and are thus not available for distribution.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state how long it takes to discharge equities in the Registration of Titles Office; how long it takes to register a transfer of mortgages; how many cases were registered last year; how many are pending registration and discharge of equities, respectively; and when it is expected that these cases will be finished; whether he is aware that dissatisfaction is felt with the delays in the Registration Office in dealing with Irish business; whether he can give the numbers of the staffs engaged on the registration work of all Ireland under the Registration of Titles Act; and, if it is found that the staff is insufficient to cope with the work in proper time, will he have it increased?

It is not possible to give any general answer to the first two parts of the question. The discharge of equities, which with the other transactions referred to is carried out through the Land Registry, involves the examination of the titles of registered owners to the prior tenant interest, and the time required to complete this examination and to discharge the note as to equities varies according to the difficulty of the titles. In the case of transfers of mortgages, the necessary entries are completed within a few days of the lodgment of the papers, unless any exceptional difficulty arises. Moreover, the registration of all dealings with registered land, when completed, dates from the time of lodgment, and priorities are thus preserved. For particulars of the number of titles registered last year, I must ask the hon. Member to await the publication of the Judicial Statistics, Ireland, for 1914, which, it is expected, will shortly be presented to Parliament. The figures for 1913 will be found in Command Paper 7536. Several thousand titles are at present awaiting first registration, and pending applications to discharge equities number about two hundred. While for the reasons already given it cannot be stated when these will be finally dealt with, I have no reason to believe that any avoidable delay arises, and I am not aware of any general dissatisfaction in the matter. The number of persons employed in the central office of the Land Registry varies from time to time and is now about 160. The numbers employed by the local registrars could be ascertained only by reference to the local offices. No increase to the existing staff is contemplated.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the irregularity with which mails are now being delivered in the island of Rhum, of the facts that Saturday's mails have on certain recent occasions been received on the following Sunday and Wednesday, and that no previous intimation has been given in such cases, though the fact of delay must have been known in time to allow of advice being given; and whether he will arrange for strict compliance with contract terms on the part of the contractor unless he is prevented from acting up to his agreement by military or naval necessities?

The irregularity was due in one case to stormy weather and in the other to war conditions. Rigid adherence to the normal working of the service cannot be insisted on, but, as far as possible, notice of any change will be communicated by telegraph to the post office in the island.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the wages paid for agricultural labour in the counties of Northumberland. Wiltshire and Bedford; the proportionate number of women employed in agriculture to the total number of persons employed in agriculture in those counties; and whether it appears from the official figures that where wages for agriculture labour are relatively high the proportionate number of women employed in agriculture is also high?

According to the Report on Agricultural Wages in 1907—since when there has been a rise in wages—the total average earnings of all classes of male labourers were 21s. 6d., 17s. 5d. and 16s. 9d. in Northumberland, Bedfordshire and Wiltshire, respectively. The proportion of females to males employed was 22, 0.5, 1 per cent. in the same three counties. The causes of the variation in average earnings are too many and complex to be dealt with in an answer to a question, but if I rightly understand my hon. Friend to suggest that high rates for male labour are connected with a high percentage of female employment, I doubt if the suggestion can be sustained.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture how many cases of American mildew on gooseberry bushes were reported during the past year; and what means of stamping it out were taken by his Department or by the local authorities?

The number of cases was between eleven and twelve thousand. It must be borne in mind that a very large proportion of these cases occurred in allotments and small private gardens, which may contain only half a dozen bushes. On the other hand, large fruit farms are generally subdivided for the purposes of the American Gooseberry Mildew Order, and fifteen or twenty cases may thus be reported on one farm. The method adopted by the Board for controlling the disease is to require the occupier to cut off and burn the mildewed wood before the season when the soil becomes infected.