asked the Secretary for Scotland if his attention has been drawn to a statement in the Press that John Maclean and Sandy Ross, convicted of sedition and sentenced to three months' imprisonment, and who announced when sentence was passed that they would hunger strike, are receiving special privileges, such as food sent in from outside, newspapers, clothes, beds, etc.; and, if this be so, what are the reasons for treating these prisoners in an exceptional way from ordinary prison rules?

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether John Maclean and Sandy Ross are both serving a term of imprisonment in gaol; if so, upon what charge were they convicted; are they allowed certain privileges while in prison, such as the use of their own clothes, books, newspapers, beds, and other furniture; and, if so, whether it is usual to grant prisoners convicted on similar charges such privileges?

My attention has been drawn to a statement in the Press of the nature indicated by my hon. Friend the Member for Dumbartonshire (Sir W. Raeburn). Maclean and Ross were convicted of a contravention of No. 19 of the Emergency Regulations, 1921, namely, causing sedition or disaffection. Following the practice in previous cases of this nature, they have been accorded the treatment prescribed in the rules which apply in Scotland to prisoners convicted of sedition. These rules, which have Parliamentary authority, and which, so far as the privileges conferred upon such prisoners are concerned, are substantially the same as in England, have been in existence for many years. The privileges allowed under them to prisoners convicted of sedition are substantially those set out in the questions. I may add that the treatment accorded to these prisoners has nothing whatever to do with any statements or threats made by them, or either of them, before their term or imprisonment began.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will reconsider the appointment recently made to the Brentford superintendentship of registration of a man without a record of Army service who already holds the appointments of clerk to the guardians and clerk to the assessment committee; whether the alleged saving on the present appointment will in fact take place; and whether there is a large number of ex-service men from whom a selection could be made and a more suitable candidate found?

I am satisfied that there are not sufficient grounds for my intervention in this case, in view of the saving on the rates of £300 to £400 a year which will be effected by the appointment.

asked the Minister of Health how many deaths, as a result of vaccination, were certified by registered practitioners in each year during the past 10 years; how many deaths were uncertified; and how many of the latter deaths were reported to coroners?

According to the Registrar-General's returns, the deaths registered in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years as caused by or associated with vaccination, are as follow:

It cannot however, be stated whether any of the cases in which no inquest was held were reported to a coroner or not.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been called to a recommendation proposed for submission to the Fulham borough council that an offer of £775 be made to the Bishop of London for the use of the Danish moat at Fulham Palace as a rubbish shoot; whether he can see his way to arrest the execution of such a proposal, with the view of ascertaining if the moat can be dealt with in a better way; and whether he will endeavour to arrange for its necessary cleansing by some of the unemployed, thereby furnishing some useful work to many at present in need, and at the same time preserve an excavation of historical interest and importance to the people of London?

I have made some inquiry in regard to this proposal, and am informed that the only material which it is proposed to deposit in the moat is clinker from the destructor. I am advised that there is no objection to this on public health grounds. The matter is, therefore, not one in which I can intervene.

asked the Chief Secretary the number of pensioned Irish national teachers whose pensions are less than £10 per annum; the number whose pensions range from £10 to £20 per annum, the number whose pensions range from £20 to £30 per annum; the number whose pensions range from £30 to £40 per annum; and the number whose pensions range from £40 to £50 per annum; and would he say how many retired national teachers have been in poor-houses in the three years ended the 31st March, 1921?

Particulars are not at present available as to the number of persons, Irish national teachers, drawing pensions of the amounts specified in the question. A return could not be compiled without considerable labour and would in any case be misleading without the addition of much other information to that asked for. The information sought in the last part of the question is not available. From an examination, however, made in one quarter of 1919, of the addresses of these pensioners it was found that no pensioner gave a workhouse as an address; but one woman pensioner died of an acute disease in a workhouse hospital to which she had been removed for medical treatment.

asked the Chief Secretary whether orders have been issued by the military authorities for the closing down of the following 19 creameries: Bansha, with four sub-creameries, Mullinavat, with two sub-creameries, Glenmore, Glenpipe, Devon Road, Ballyclough, Lixnaw, with two sub-creameries, Killflynn, Ballyconry, Gortaclee, and Portally; for what reason have these orders been given; whether this policy of the closing down of creameries is intended to replace the Government's former policy of destroying them; and how many of these are co-operative creameries?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to questions on this subject by the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) and the hon. Member for Harrow (Mr. Mosley), on the 1st instant.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the case of Miss Sheehan, of 7, Eveline Terrace, London Road, Mitcham, an Irish lady of 77 years of age, who was brought over here from Russia by the Government, and who has left the whole of her money, 22,200 roubles, in the Merchants' Bank at Moscow, and is now penniless except for 10s. a week allowed by the board of guardians; what steps the Government is prepared to take to obtain from Russia the amount due to her; and what arrangements will be made by the Government for maintenance pending the recovery of such sum?

I have made further inquiries in regard to this matter, but regret that I am unable to amplify the replies which I gave on the 12th April to questions of a similar nature. In regard to the last part of the question, however, I would draw the attention of my hon. Friend to the Declaration on the Recognition of Claims attached to the Russian Trade Agreement, and I would add that, pending settlement of such claims, His Majesty's Government are not prepared to make any further special arrangements to assist maintenance.

asked the Minister of Labour what further steps have been taken by the Ministry to end the dispute between the General Accident, Fire, and Life Corporation, Limited, and the Guild of Insurance Officials, in view of the fact that a court of inquiry has been twice refused; and whether he would be willing to lay before the House all information in connection with the dispute?

Owing to the absence of the general manager of the corporation from this country, further negotiations have not been possible. The corporation has already stated that, while it is indifferent as to whether junior members of its staff are members of the guild or not, no member of the guild can hold a position of responsibility or trust, and it has also decided not to reinstate the members of its staff who took part in the strike. This attitude has been endorsed by the annual general meeting of the corporation. As regards the last part of the question, I fully discussed the case, and my reasons for not complying with the request to set up a court of inquiry, during the course of the Debate on the Consolidated Fund Bill on 22nd March last.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, if the figures on eight articles of food alone are taken, as given in the "Labour Gazette" for May, and corrected to the prices at which those articles could be freely bought on 30th April, the average percentage increase over 1914 would be reduced to 113 per cent. instead of 132 per cent.?

From the wording of his question, my hon. and gallant Friend would appear to be basing his calculation on prices which are below the average. The figures quoted in the "Labour Gazette," on the other hand, represent average prices for the United Kingdom as a whole, both at July, 1914, and at 30th April, 1921.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will defer the setting up of more Trade Boards for settling the wages of shop assistants until values of commodities and wages in general become more stabilised, so that there may be more likelihood of a more or less permanent settlement?

As I have stated in the House, I am exercising the greatest caution in the establishment of new Trade Boards in the present difficult circumstances, and I shall continue to have full regard to all relevant considerations such as that referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will give the House any information regarding unrest among coolies in Assam?

I received a few days ago a report on this matter from the Government of India, and immediately issued a communiqué to the Press. The following is a copy of the communiqué: