asked the Prime Minister what Committees, Departmental and other, have been set up in connection with the War, giving the personnel of each Committee?

I will consider this suggestion.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the number of disabled and partially disabled sailors and soldiers at the present time, employment may be given them as clerks and other work in Government Departments in which females are at present being so employed?

Applications for employment from properly qualified men will be duly considered. I understand that at present the demand for the services of such men exceeds the supply.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how many male and female persons have, upon summary conviction in Ireland, been sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine, or imprisoned in default of payment of a fine, respectively, under Orders or Regulations made under the enactments relating to the defence of the realm?

Seventy-nine males and six females have been sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine, and one male and no females have been imprisoned in default of payment of a fine, upon summary conviction in Ireland under Orders or Regulations made under the enactments relating to the defence of the realm.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many male and female persons have, upon summary conviction in England and Wales, been sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine or imprisoned in default of a fine, respectively, under Orders or Regulations made under the enactments relating to the defence of the realm?

I am sorry I cannot give these figures, which would involve a systematic search through the registers of all the Courts of Summary Jurisdiction in England and Wales. The police, from whom such figures would have to be collected, are engaged in more important duties, and there is no staff in the Home Office available for the compilation of such statistics, nearly all the statistical staff having either enlisted or been transferred to war work.

asked why trial by jury has been abolished in dealing with members of the Irish Volunteers arrested under the Defence of the Realm Act?

I need only add to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household on Thursday last that I am not aware of any discrimination between the Irish Volunteers and others who commit breaches of the Regulations under the Defence of the Realm Act.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the reason why men belonging to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the Coastguard afloat, etc., promoted to ratings above able seamen after the Royal Naval Division was formed, are to relinquish their ratings and to be paid accordingly?

All naval ratings, whether Active Service. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Royal Fleet Reserve, or Royal Naval Reserve, relinquish the acting ranks given in the Royal Naval Division on leaving the Division for the Naval Service proper. These Acting Ranks are given for purposes of discipline and command in a military force. They are purely local to meet the temporary requirements of the Royal Naval Division, and although, for convenience, naval titles were used, their holders do not necessarily possess the professional qualifications or experience which would be required for the particular ratings under naval conditions.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether majors in Irish Special Reserve regiments are seconded when transferred to employment elsewhere, and whether consequently in some regiments captains with upwards of twenty years' service are doing the work of majors but receive no promotion?

Under the pay warrant no majors of Special Reserve regiments are seconded for extra regimental employment. When so employed an additional captain is allowed in their place, but it cannot be said that he is therefore doing major's work as the work of majors and captains is interchangeable.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether disabled British officers and men who have been released by Germany as unfit for further service and exchanged for similar German prisoners of war in England have been requested to give a report on their experiences in Germany, and, if so, will these reports be published?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. It is not at present proposed to publish the reports.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether any and, if any, what arrangements are made to grant leave to Members of the House who are serving in this country in the Territorial Forces to enable them to attend the sittings of the House?

I am not aware of any special arrangements in this respect, but I understand it is the custom to deal liberally with leave in such cases if military duties permit.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War who are the confirming authorities with respect to sentences of death passed in the United Kingdom by courts-martial; and whether in every such case a Secretary of State is consulted before the sentence is carried into effect?

Sentences of death, which would be passed by general courts-martial only, have to be submitted to His Majesty the King for confirmation. In every case a Secretary of State would have to be consulted before the sentence was carried into effect. I may add that no soldier has been sentenced to death by courts-martial in the United Kingdom since the beginning of the War.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, by an advertisement in the meat trade and municipal journals or by application to any of the important municipalities, he could procure the services of two thoroughly trained and completely qualified meat inspectors for £10 a week each; and will he explain why no economies can be effected on the 7½ guineas a day now being paid to Messrs. Knowles and Wells?

I must refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to a similar question on 23rd September.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether at the time of Mr. Knowles' appointment his Department were aware of Mr. Knowles' connection with the firm of Frank Knowles, Limited, which was a one-man company, the shares of which numbered 5,600, out of which 5,000 were held by Mr. Knowles personally; and whether they were aware that on its failure this firm was indebted to nearly all the meat importers whose goods Mr. Knowles has to inspect on behalf of his Department?

I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28th October.

asked whether, in view of the repeated discoveries by the City of London meat inspectors of generalised tuberculosis in Argentine beef quarters and the correspondence which has taken place for several years between that municipality and the veterinary department of the Argentine Government, and the fact, commented on by Mr. Dunlop Young, M.E.C.V.S., in his special report on the frigorificos of Argentina, of the extensive presence of tuberculosis in Argentine herds, he can state, approximately, how many tuberculosis quarters have been found among the Argentine consignments inspected for Army purposes either when first inspected or afterwards cut up; and, when discovered, if the local authorities are asked to condemn them?

No cases of tuberculosis in the consignments referred to have been brought to the notice of the Department.

asked the Under-Secretary whether he has noticed the annual reports of the medical officers of health for the City of London, the boroughs of Stepney and Poplar, and of the port sanitary authority of Liverpool, all of which refer to the greatly increased duties of their staffs in inspecting wharves, warehouses, etc., where food is prepared for Army purposes; and whether, as many of these officers are paid only £150 to £200 a year, compared with the 7½ guineas a day which his Department considers the minimum wage of a meat inspector, he can see his way to make a grant by way of bonus to those districts whose duties have been heavily increased by Army meat and food inspection?

As I have already informed the hon. Member, the comparison which he makes is quite misleading, and it is not proposed to follow the course suggested.

asked the Under Secretary of State for War whether the salary paid to Mr. Wells in connection with meat inspection is six times the amount of the average capable members of the meat and food inspectors' profession, and his experience not one-sixth of theirs; whether in making such an appointment there has been negligence on the part of some one in his Department; and whether the matter will receive investigation?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to him on the 23rd September, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether there has been any increase in the importation of lubricating oils into the Scandinavian countries and Holland since January, 1915, in comparison with the same period in 1914 and 1913, respectively; and, if so, to what extent in each country?

The following statement gives the information desired by the hon. Member, so far as the particulars are available:—

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, owing to the new duty imposed on films and the difficulty of completing the necessary verification before drawback on export can be obtained, serious congestion is arising in the large parcel post business to Moscow, Paris, Japan, Copenhagen, Australasia, and other important centres; whether congestion is arising through films being re-imported into this country that have in the past been sent abroad, part of these films being of foreign origin and part of British origin; and, if so, will he say what arrangements are being made to enable the trade to be carried on without so much delay, friction, and expense to those engaged in it?

No such complaints have been made to the Board of Customs and Excise. As regards exportation on drawback, arrangements for verifying the films where previous notice is given have been in operation for some time. As regards reimportation, no duty is charged on films which can be proved to have been reimported, and to have received no drawback when they were sent abroad.

asked the President of the Board of Education the total number of scholars at each year of age on the latest date for which figures are available, in continuation of Table 4 of Cd. 8097, page 20?

The latest available figures are appended:—

asked whether the Local Government Board will take into consideration the advisability of issuing a circular to all public authorities, including county councils, city and borough councils, and board of guardians, asking them when vacancies arise for public office during the period of the War as far as possible to fill the same temporarily until peace is declared, so as to afford equal opportunity to those now on active service to apply for the same?

I may refer the hon. Member to the circulars issued by my Department to local authorities on the 11th March and 21st May last, copies of which I am sending to him.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Severn and Wye and Severn Bridge Joint Railway Company have lately published what purport to be by-laws substantially reducing the requisite depth of high water in the lock, lower dock, canal and basin constituting the docks at Lydney, in the county of Gloucester, thereby excluding therefrom vessels of the same draft, and tonnage as have been accommodated at Lydney Harbour ever since the passage of the Great Western and Midland Railway Companies (Severn and Wye and Severn Bridge Railway) Act, 1894, and thus exonerating themselves from the necessary dredging operations which have been conducted heretofore, and that such action has been taken without any Government authority, contrary both to the letter and to the spirit of the above-mentioned Act, and especially of Section 22 (1) thereof, and to the threatened serious detriment of the tin-plate, coal, and other local industries; and what action the Board proposes to take in the matter in the interests and for the protection of local traders?

The Great Western and Midland Railways joint committee, in whom the management of Lydney Harbour is vested, inform me that they have made no alterations in the by-laws appertaining to the harbour, but that they have recently reprinted them and, as has been customary, they have issued with the by-laws a description of the docks for the guidance of shipowners and others. They also state that as a recent examination by the engineer of the docks showed that the dimensions formerly given did not agree in certain instances with the actual measurements, it was considered desirable in the re-issue of the description of the docks to make the necessary amendments. The engineer states that he is not aware of any alterations in the structures which have had the effect of reducing the depth of high water in the lock, lower dock, canal, and basin constituting the docks at Lydney, and thereby excluding therefrom vessels of the same draught and tonnage as have hitherto been able to use the accommodation safely, and that the joint committee has not been relieved of any dredging which it has been usual to carry out; in fact, it appears that the dredging in the twelve months just ended was greater than the average during the last ten years.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, having regard to the fact that the letters H.M.S. count as one word in telegrams, and that all telegrams to the Fleet have now to be addressed to the ship c/o G.P.O., he will give instructions that the letters c/o G.P.O. shall also be counted as one word, and thus obviate the additional charge to correspondents, due to not being able to address telegrams to the port itself?

Since October, 1914, the address of a telegram for one of His Majesty's ships need contain only (1) the name of the addressee; (2) the name of the ship prefixed H.M.S.; and (3) the word London. The expression "c/o G.P.O." should not be used. An announcement to this effect was made through the Press at the time, but I am glad to have the opportunity of giving it further publicity.

asked the Secretary for Scotland the number of cases in which reductions of rent have been granted by the Land Court in Caithness since its institution; and the aggregate amount of such reductions?

For this information I would refer my hon. Friend to the appendices to the Scottish Land Court's Annual Reports, from which it appears that up to the 31st December, 1914, rents (including rents of statutory small tenants) were reduced by the Land Court on about 400 holdings in Caithness, the reductions aggregating about £1,300.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether, when the negotiations between the Highlands and Islands Medical Service Board and the doctors for the improvement of medical attendance to the families of insured persons, crofters' farm servants, and others in similar circumstances have been completed, full particulars of the revised scale of reduced fees will be made known in the respective districts; and, in view of the fact that the Medical Service Board has been in existence for over two years, will he say how far the negotiations have advanced and when the result of them may be expected?

The Highlands and Islands Medical Service Board will take steps to make public the arrangements made with practitioners in particular areas as soon as the arrangements in each area are sufficiently advanced to enable this to be usefully done. In regard to the second part of the question, a considerable proportion of the doctors in the Board's area have already entered into formal agreements with the Board, and the Board are endeavouring to complete arrangements with all the practitioners before the end of the current year.