asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state, for the years ending 31st March. 1916, 1917, and 1918, respectively, the total estimate for the year's expenditure framed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the total amount of expenditure for the year, and the amount by which the expenditure exceeded the estimate?

:The figures are as follows:

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that in almost every Government Department in Ireland there are members of the temporary staff and unestablished workers who have not been paid the recent war bonus; and if he will see that their claims are considered?

The recent war bonus should have been paid to permanent un-established, as well as established, employés, and I shall be happy to make inquiries if the hon. Member will give me particulars of any cases where this has not yet been done. Temporary employés, however, as was explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Blackburn last Thursday, are not necessarily entitled to the bonus and their cases require to be considered on their merits

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that the men in the Army Medical Reserve Stores, Woolwich, are not yet in receipt of the 12½ per cent awarded to time workers; and whether he will make inquiries into the matter?

Instructions were issued on the 16th instant applying a 12½ per cent. advance to certain classes of employés at these stores.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, in view of the coal shortage in the three Kingdoms, and especially in Ireland, the Government will take measures to have the coal mines of Castlecomer and Arigna connected with the main railway lines to facilitate transit?

Inquiries on the subject are proceeding, and will, I hope, be concluded without delay.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the proposal made last season to enable a greater supply of turf for the use of urban communities will be reconsidered and measures taken to hare the scheme carried into effect?

The Department of Agriculture have made every effort to induce the rural population to cut more turf. A certain proportion of the turf is sold in the neighbouring towns. The general question of utilisation of peat as a source of fuel supply for urban communities is a difficult one, and is, I am told, under consideration by the Fuel Research Board. The Director of Cross-Channel Transportation has issued circulars to corporations, urban district councils, rural district councils, and other public bodies, calling attention to the serious position of the coal supplies and the importance of providing turf as a substitute, and I hope that steps will be taken to economise coal consumption and to develop local supplies of Fuel as far as possible.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that Messrs. Napier and Miller have purchased a terrace of houses in Old Kilpatrick, Dumbartonshire, and have given notice to the tenants to leave at Whitsuntide; and whether, in view of the fact that the present tenants are all engaged in public work and that there is a dearth of housing accommodation in the neighbourhood, he will take such steps as may be necessary to prevent their being turned out of their houses?

Attention has been drawn to the fact that Messrs. Napier and Miller have purchased a terrace of houses in Old Kilpatrick, Dumbartonshire. The Controller-General of Merchant Shipping wishes it to be known, however, that in order to improve the production of merchant ships it is essential that the foremen of each yard should live as close as possible to their work, and it is with the intention of being able to house the necessary foremen close to their work that Messrs. Napier and Miller have purchased the terrace of houses referred to. The tenants who have been given notice include, I understand, some employed in other districts on shipbuilding and munition making, but strict instructions have been given that no tenant is to be turned out until suitable accommodation for him has been found.

asked the Home Secretary whether there has been dissatisfaction lately amongst the hospital warders at Parkhurst prison owing to promotions from warder to principal warder amongst the ordinary staff; if he can see his way to consider the case of hospital warders with a view to granting promotion where possible; if a war bonus for temporary officers in His Majesty's prison service has been under consideration for some time; and, if so, when a decision on this point will be arrived at?

I am not aware of any general dissatisfaction at Parkhurst in regard to promotion nor of any cause for it. The temporary officers who are regularly employed have already been granted two war bonuses. The question of granting a third bonus is now before the Treasury, and the decision of that Department is awaited.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the pensioners of the Metropolitan Police who joined the service since August, 1914, have been compelled to purchase their own boots; if the Government will put the men on the same footing with regard to boots as the other policemen; and if he will take action in the matter?

Pensioners who are now serving in the Metropolitan Police receive an allowance of 50s. a week in addition to their pensions. This allowance was fixed at a high figure in order to cover all minor money allowances, such as boot money. I do not think there is any reason for departing from this arrangement.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the difficulties experienced by borough surveyors and sanitary departments in many large towns through the shortage in staff of those engaged in the removal of refuse and in performing other sanitary services by the withdrawal of soldier labour, which has for some time past been available to local authorities; and whether he will take whatever steps may be practicable to avoid the depletion of such services to an extent which may imperil the public health?

:My attention has been drawn to this matter. I am alive to the importance of not depleting unduly the sanitary staff of local authorities. I have suggested to some authorities the employment of uninterned enemy aliens. If the local military authorities are willing to make the services of soldiers available for this purpose, their help would, I have no doubt, be of great value.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether be is aware that the Government arc allowing the importation of foreign-made corsets, whilst the British Corset Manufacture Association, Limited, are restricted to the importation of only a small proportion of the steels and raw materials necessary for the purpose of making corsets in this country; is he aware that the space occupied by steels for making corsets is a very small fraction of the space required for the fully-manufactured corset; is he aware that the British corset industry has a large capital invested in it; that there are about 70,000 employés, nearly all women; and that, owing to these restrictions, this essential national industry is in jeopardy and, unless relieved by the authorities, is bound to close down; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

During the first three months of the present year the quantity of materials for corsets licensed for importation was over twelve times the quantity of corsets licensed. In fact, licences have been given for larger quantities of material than licensees have been able to get shipped. In these circumstances it is evident that any shortage of materials is due not to import restrictions, but to lack of shipping.