asked the Minister of Transport if any protests or representations have been made by local authorities in Scotland against the decision of the Ministry of Transport concerning road classification in Scotland, and, if so, from which; and whether, considering the large road mileage in Scotland and the low rateable value of many county areas, the distribution of funds by the Treasury, arising out of motor spirit and carriage licences, were in just proportion to those granted to English and Welsh authorities, after taking into account the comparative merits of both positions?

Representations of the character mentioned have been made by several highway authorities in Scotland, and they have been informed, in reply, that the classification is a provisional one for the financial year 1921–22, and that the views of all highway authorities will receive full consideration in the revision of the provisional scheme. As regards the latter part of the question, I have nothing to add to the answer given to my hon. and gallant Friend on the 22nd March last, save to say that full consideration was given to the special conditions obtaining in Scotland in the distribution of the Fund.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Whitley Council of the Civil Service is composed of 54 members; whether only two of these are members of the temporary staff, who are in number equal to one-third of the total Civil Service and should have 18 representatives on the Whitley Council; and whether the discrepancies in the treatment of the members of the temporary staff in having their salaries reduced concurrently with the salaries of the permanent officials being increased and war bonuses granted to them are largely due to the abnormal preponderance of the permanent staff on the civil servants' Whitley Council?

The Whitley Council of the Civil Service consists of 54 members, of whom 27 are nominated by the staff associations and 27 by the Government. The allocation of the seats on the staff side is a matter for arrangement between the staff associations concerned, but I understand that regard is paid primarily to obtaining the representations of the various grades in the Civil Service rather than to numbers. While it is true that only two seats are allocated to representatives of the associations of which the membership is limited exclusively to temporary and un-established employçs, I am informed that other associations who have representation on the staff side of the Council include amongst their members a considerable number of such employçs. It is not a fact that the salaries approved for the various grades of temporary staff have been reduced.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, concurrently with war bonuses and increases of salary qualifying for pension being granted to permanent civil servants in the establishment Department of the Disposal Liquidation Commission, who are mainly non-service men, and some of whom are already in receipt of pensions from the Civil Service, and one of a railway pension, reductions are being made upon the pay and salaries of the temporary staff who receive no pensions and no bonuses, and who are all ex-service men; and will he take steps to have this process reversed, and the bonuses and increases applied to mitigate the reductions of the ex-service men?

The emoluments of all officers of the Disposal and Liquidation Commission are kept constantly under review. No distinction is made in this respect between civil servants and temporary officers, the emoluments of individual members of both classes being determined according to the circumstances of the particular case with due regard to any changes in responsibilities or duties. Each case is dealt with on its merits, and I am unable to accept the implication underlying the hon. Member's question that the civil servants are more favourably treated than temporary officers. The only reduction in salaries of temporary officials are in cases where either the responsibilities appertaining to the particular posts have diminished or where temporary officials on the completion of the work on which they had hitherto been employed have accepted posts carrying lower salaries, formerly held by non-service men and women.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue obtained from duties on imported cigars in the year 1919–20; what is the estimated revenue from the same source for the current year; whether the Cuban Government have adopted retaliatory duties against British goods as the result of the injury to the Cuban export cigar trade caused by the high duties now obtaining; and whether the Government proposes to retain the present import charges?

The net amount of revenue received on imported cigars in the financial year ended 31st March, 1920, was £859,000. As regards the second and fourth parts of the question, I must ask my hon. and gallant Friend to await the Budget statement. I have no information in the sense suggested in the third part of the question.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Disposals Board refused to supply direct to the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs 22 small-bore ammunition for rifle practice; the price at which this ammunition was sold to Major P. S. Bapty or his associates; if he is aware that such ammunition is now being retailed through third parties to this national society at a profit; and why this society was not allowed to purchase direct in the first instance from the Disposal Board?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the negative, and the last part of the question does not therefore arise. With regard to the third part, the Disposal and Liquidation Commission has no information on this subject. I may add that I am informed that the society in common with Major Bapty have availed themselves of the opportunities granted them of selecting for purchase the stocks of ammunition available for disposal, and that only as recently as the 17th March last, approximately 1,000,000 rounds of ammunition was sold to the society.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many male employçs, who have been transferred from the Ministries of Shipping and Transport or from the Department of the Food Controller into other Government Departments at the end of March, 1921, are receiving a salary of less than £250 per annum; how many are receiving less than £500, £750, and £1,000 a year, and how many are receiving more than £1,000 a year; and how many female employés, similarly transferred, are receiving more than £3 a week?

I assume that the particulars desired by the hon. Member relate to the staffs transferred from the Ministries of Food, Munitions, and Shipping. The numbers (exclusive of industrial staff) are as follow: Salaries (including bonus). Ministry of Food. Ministry of Munitions. Ministry of Shipping. MEN. £1,000 per annum and over … 31 36 14 £750 per annum and under £1,000 … 34 26 17 £500 per annum and under £750 … 101 113 36 £250 per annum and under £500 … 343 603 179 Under £250 … 434 517 212 WOMEN. Over £3 a week … 256 302 98

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been drawn to the appointment of master and matron of the Hastings institution, in which sanction has only been given for a limited period, in view of the decision of His Majesty's Government to reform the present system of Poor Law administration; whether there are any special reasons in adopting such a course in this case; and, if the reason be justified, why a similar procedure has not been adopted in all subsequent appointments of statutory officers in the Poor Law service?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Guardians desired that the appointment of the master should be temporary, and my Department assented to this course for the reasons stated. In answer to the last part of the question, I am informed that this course has been adopted in those cases, and only in those cases, in which the Guardians have asked that the appointments should be so limited.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is in a position to state the result of discussions that have taken place between representatives of the hair-dressing trade in England and Scotland relating to the establishment of separate trade boards for England and Wales and for Scotland?

It is anticipated that the result of the discussions between the representatives of the hair-dressing trade themselves, to which my hon. Friend refers, will not be available until the beginning of May.

asked the Home Secretary whether a statement was issued to the Metropolitan Police Force during the late police dispute promising them an increase of pay of 13s. per week, together with a war bonus of 12s. per week and 2s. 6d. per week for each child, and a non-contributory pension scheme for the widows of all members of the Metropolitan Police Force, including all ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department and the police pensioners who were recalled; whether this statement was reissued, after the trouble was over, but excluding the police pensioners who had rejoined the service upon the above terms; and, if so, can he give the reason for this apparent breach of faith towards those police pensioners who responded to this call to rejoin the force when they could have obtained more lucrative employment elsewhere?

I think my hon. Friend is under a misapprehension. Under the terms on which the pensioners rejoined the force they continued to draw their full pensions, and received in addition a special rate of non-pensionable pay. Those who were serving on the 31st August, 1918, when the Order in question was issued, received the additional 13s. a week, and were included in the new scheme of pensions for widows under the Police (Pensions) Act, 1918.

asked the Home Secretary whether the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) has purchased, or come under agreement to purchase, a brewery or breweries and/or licensed premises in Newcastle; if so, by what authority they have done so; and what is the sum paid, or contracted to be paid, for such premises in gross and in detail, with the names and loci of the respective premises and breweries?

The answer to the first paragraph is in the negative. The rest of the question does not arise.

UNITED KINGDOM. Year. Horse-drawn Vehicles Mechanically-drawn Vehicles. Pedal Cycles. Total. Fatal Accidents. Non-fatal Accidents. Fatal Accidents. Non-fatal Accidents. Fatal Accidents. Non-fatal Accidents. Fatal Accidents. Non-fatal Accidents. 1913 … 724 13,617 1,375 28,927 — — — — 1914 … 633 13,256 1,529 33,072 168 13,012 2,330 59,340 1920 … 370 7,112 2,293 38,344 174 9,454 2,837 54,910

asked the Home Secretary what were the total numbers of fatal and non-fatal street accidents due to horse-drawn vehicles, mechanically-propelled vehicles, and bicycles, respectively, for the years 1913, 1914, and 1920; and the figures separately, if possible, for adults and for children?

Figures for accidents caused by pedal cycles in 1913 were not collected, and separate figures for accidents to adults and children respectively are not available. The available particulars are as follow: