asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will furnish a

Prison. Annual leave 1918 and 1919. Weekly rest days exclusive of Sunday. 1-1-20 to 1-6-20. Half days in lieu of Bank Holidays. 1-1-20 to 1-6-20. Number of hours of relaxation, given in respect of evening duty. Warders employed in Stores. Cork … … … Nil 6 5 5 Waterford … … … 39 19 2 5 Limerick … … … 19( a ) 8 5 5 Galway … … … 37 10 3 5 Sligo … … … 1( b ) — — 4 Warders employed in Offices. Cork … … … 35 14 1 5 Waterford … … … No warders employed in Office. Limerick … … … No warders employed in Office. Galway … … … 42 10 3 5 Sligo … … … 21( c ) — — 4 ( a ) Declined leave in 1918. ( b ) Declined leave. ( c ) Declined leave in 1919.

The Inspector of Prisons has had no complaints from the officers concerned. As regards the weekly rest day and leave in lieu of Bank Holidays at Sligo Prison, the General Prisons Board are informed that the manner in which these relaxations are given is in accordance with the wishes of the men concerned. These officers are not tied down to their posts like officers on discipline duties, and prefer to attend to their work during the hours that best suit, and have been permitted by the Governor at their own request to attend to their work during hours at which they were off duty.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the acute hardship which prevails amongst the ranks of pensioned teachers of national schools in Ireland, many of whom have no means of

detailed Return of the number of days' annual leave granted to store warders and clerk warders for the years 1918 and 1919, also the number of weekly rest days, exclusive of Sunday, the number of hours' relaxation for evening duty, and the number of half-days in respect of bank holidays these officers have been in receipt of for the period between 1st January and 1st June, 1920, in the male prisons of Cork, Waterford, Limerick, Galway and Sligo?

The following statement gives the information asked for:—

subsistence except their pensions, which average only £50 per annum; and whether, in view of the promises repeatedly given to revise the scale of pensions, he will see that steps are immediately taken to redeem the promises made, and thus alleviate the acute suffering entailed by the present state of affairs?

It has been decided that pensioned Irish teachers shall be eligible for the benefits recommended by the Cabinet Committee for pre-War pensioners generally.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that the Estimates for public education in England for the year 1920–21, exceed the expenditure for the year 1918–19 by £26,377,450, and that the Estimate for the same period in Scotland exceeds the expenditure by £3,834,063, while the Estimate for Ireland for the same purpose only exceeds the expenditure by £755,208; will he explain why education in Ireland is being so crippled in comparison with other parts of the United Kingdom; and will he say what steps the Government is prepared to take to make provision for the teachers who are starving on their present salaries, and many of whom are leaving Ireland for better-paid appointments elsewhere?

The figures given in the hon. and gallant Member's question correctly represent the differences between the net totals of the Estimates for 1920–21 and the expenditure of 1918–19, in the case of the votes for the Board of Education, England, public education, Scotland, and public education, Ireland, but are not strictly comparable, owing to variations between the services for which these votes provide, the first two Votes, for example, including provision for secondary education, and for grants for higher education of ex-officers, which, in the case of Ireland, is made in the Votes for Intermediate Education and for the Chief Secretary's Office. As regards the latter part of the question, I would refer to my reply of yesterday to the question of the hon. Member for the Shankhill Division of Belfast (Mr. M'Guffin).

asked the Minister of Pensions how many artificial legs have been supplied since 1st January last by the Ministry to men who have had a leg amputated above the knee; the average cost of these legs; and the names and addresses of all suppliers who are on the approved list?

I regret that no separate record is kept of the number of artificial legs supplied to fit amputations above the knee, as distinct from other classes of leg amputation. The cost of these limbs varies from £15 10s. to £25. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the Ministry's official list of limb makers.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether the award under Burton's Court, reference G.N. 6 K., 19,513, dated 28th April, of 28s. per week from 21st April to 20th July, has yet been issued to the man concerned; and, if not, if he will say what is the reason for the delay?

Payment of the award has now been authorised. I am informed that the delay has arisen because of the failure on the pensioner's part to return the form of life certificate which had been sent to him.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can give the date at which the West India and Panama telegraph cable steamer was handed over for survey to the Government dock authorities; the date of the completion of the work; what was the cost; whether the time and cost have been considerably greater than that for the original building of the vessel; whether injury has been inflicted through the cable steamer being unable to do its repair work in the West Indies; and whether he will use his influence to procure the handing of the Government dock to private enterprise?

This steamer was handed over to the Trinidad Government on 24th January, 1919, but it was not until 24th June, 1919, that Lloyds Surveyor condemned certain portions of the engine room tank. No previous notice of these defects had been given by the ship's engineers and for their repair material had then to be ordered from England. The repairs which have been three times the amount originally represented to the dock authorities are expected to be completed next month and the total cost is likely to be about £55,100. The company have informed me that the original cost of the vessel was £33,819, and that she was built in eight months. As regards the last part of the question, the Secretary of State informed the Government of Trinidad in July, 1919, that if a reasonable price could be obtained for the dock as a going concern it should in his opinion be sold to a private firm.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he will lay upon the Table, before this House discusses the case of General Dyer, copies of all memorials, protests, and declarations sent by Anglo-Indians to the Viceroy and himself regarding General Dyer?

The only message of the kind that I can trace having received is as follows:—Cablegram from the European Association of India to the President. Received in London, 9th June:— 'The Council of the European Association expresses indignation at the dispatches of the Secretary of State and the Government of India on the Hunter Committee's Report. The Council consider the situation in India from 1918 onwards to be much more dangerous than is indicated by that Report, and consider that the Government of India and the Secretary of State have subordinated justice to political expediency. They consider that General Dyer was absolutely justified at Amritsar in considering the whole situation in India and that therefore the doctrine of minimum force does not apply; that General Dyer's action stopped a revolution; that the refusal of Government to support its officers is destructive of sound government, and will place all officers in an impossible position in any emergency in which responsibility has to be undertaken. The Council asks, therefore, that General Dyer should be exonerated from all blame, and should suffer no loss of rank or emoluments, and that Government's proposal to punish the officers who suppressed the rebellion shall be abandoned.' Similar messages addressed to the Viceroy would not necessarily be forwarded to me.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury, in the event of it being decided under Clause 371, Recommendation of Income Tax Report, to make further appointments from the ranks of barristers, solicitors, or ex-inspectors of taxes of at least 10 years' experience, whether he will make it clear that it is not intended to debar present clerks of commissioners from continuing in office or from re-appointment?

Paragraph 371 of the Report of the Royal Commission refers to future appointments, and is not intended to debar from reappointment clerks to Commissioners who at present hold office.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state what were the total casualties of the Royal Navy, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and mercantile marine ratings, respectively, in His Majesty's ships during the War; what were the total casualties of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and mercantile marine ratings, respectively, in merchant ships during the War; and how many torpedo badges were awarded to men of the mercantile marine during the War?

The information required is not available in the form asked for, and to split up the figures into the several classes referred to in the question would involve a scrutiny of the Reports relating to each casualty since August, 1914, entailing a very large expenditure of time and labour altogether incommensurate with the value of the resultant information. Statements giving such information as is available regarding the total casualties from all causes suffered in His Majesty's ships and merchant ships by the officers and men of the Royal Navy and Reserves (other than the Royal Naval Division), and showing those of Mercantile Marine Reserve ratings separately, are given below:

(a) Casualties suffered by officers and men of the Royal Navy and Reserves (including Mercantile Marine Reserve) whilst serving in His Majesty's ships and merchant ships between 4th August, 1914, and th November,

The figures include: (1) Officers and men of Royal Navy, Royal Marine (afloat and ashore), Royal Fleet Reserve, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Naval Reserve (trawler section), Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and Colonial Reserves. (2) Officers and men of the Royal Naval Air Service, up to 31st March, 1918. 2555 (3) Members of the Mercantile Marine Reserve. (4) Civilian canteen employés, men serving in Royal Fleet Auxiliaries, etc.

— Officers. Men. Grand Total. R.N., etc. M.M.R. Total. Killed in action (including died of wounds). 2,074 19,609 1,126 20,735 22,809 Died from all other causes … … 400 11,007 436 11,443 11,843 Wounded in action … … 549 3,887 74 3,961 4,510 Injured, not in action … … 256 370 22 392 648 Still missing … … — 2 — 2 2 3,279 34,875 1,658 36,533 39,812

(b) Prisoners of War and interned officers and men.

The number of officers and men who

— Officers. Men. Grand Total. R.N., etc. M.M.R. Total. Prisoners of War … … … 211 811 13 824 1,035 Interned … … … … 51 138 32 170 221 262 949 45 994 1,256

Prisoners of war and interned officers and men who died whilst in captivity or internment are included both in Table A and B. The remainder of the officers and men in Table B have either been repatriated, released, or have escaped. Officers and men presumed dead are included in Table A.

The difference between the tables now prepared and those contained in Cmd. 451, p. 22—"First Lord's Statement explanatory of the Navy Estimates, 1919–20," are due partly to more precise information since received regarding prisoners of war, etc., and partly to discrepancies in the earlier figures on which the table was

The following are excluded: (1) Officers and men of the Royal Naval Division. (2) Officers and men of the British Mercantile Marine.

were made prisoners of war, or who were interned during the same period were:—

based being discovered during revision, and in some cases to reclassification.

Information regarding the number of officers and men of the Trawler Section of the Royal Naval Reserve, so far as the numbers killed, or who died from other causes are concerned, is contained in the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for Hull (Central) on 23rd December, 1919. The parts of the question relating to casualties in merchant ships of officers and men other than those specified in the preceding statements, and as regards Torpedo Badges awarded, should be addressed to the President of the Board of Trade.