asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can now give the latest available figures of the imports of fresh milk and preserved milk of various kinds from foreign countries?

asked the Lord Privy Seal the manner in which the warden of Deal Castle is appointed; whether a salary is paid to the warden; and who is the present warden?

There is no warden of Deal Castle, but a captain who is appointed by the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and the present holder of the office is Lord George Hamilton. No salary attaches to the post.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the figures of the production and consumption of beer, wine, and spirits for England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, respectively, for the years 1919, 1920, and 1921, respectively?

The following table shows the quantities of beer produced and spirits distilled, and the quantities of spirits retained for home consumption in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, for the years 1919, 1920 and 1921 respectively. Separate particulars are not available for Wales, nor for the quantities of beer or wine retained for home consumption in the respective countries.

The figures desired by my hon. Friend were circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT on 12th April.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his atten- tion has been called to the unsatisfactory distribution of the supplies of milk now obtaining, particularly in the counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Cambridge and Norfolk; whether the Ministry has investigated the position with the view to benefit the community; and, if so, with what result?

I am not aware that there is any serious difficulty in regard to the distribution of milk at the present time. If, however, the distribution in any area is still affected by the recent dispute in regard to milk prices, I hope it will adjust itself shortly without the necessity for Government intervention.

asked the Home Secretary whether the principal work of the officials of the special branch of the Criminal Investigation Department consists in attending labour demonstrations and taking reports of the speeches, and in watching persons released under the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health) Act; and whether other and more important work can be found for them?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The second part does not therefore arise.

asked the Home Secretary whether it is the intention of the Government to abolish the special branch of the Criminal Investigation Department as a separate organisation and attach the men to the central branch of the Criminal Investigation Department; and whether this re-arrangement would effect a saving of £10,000 annually?

There is no intention of abolishing the special branch. It has been re-organised with the object of securing greater efficiency and economy.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been directed to the recent abnormal prevalence of lawlessness amongst bands of gipsies in the neighbourhood of Sevenoaks and in other parts of Kent, as shown in cases of horse stealing and other thefts of farm property, as well as in the intimidation of peaceful villagers; and if measures can be taken to abate the nuisance?

My attention has not been called to this matter. It is one for the local police to deal with, and no facts have been brought to my notice that call for action on my part.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the difficulty experienced 'by the public in understanding the issues in the milk dispute, he will consider the desirability of publishing at fixed intervals a comparative table showing, in the case of agricultural and dairy products, the prices paid to the home producer and the corresponding prices charged by the distributors to the public?

A comparison of the kind suggested by the hon. and gallant Member would not, I am afraid, be very informative or easily understood owing to the different forms in which agricultural and dairy produce are sold wholesale and retail. Wheat and live stock as sold wholesale by the producer cannot easily be compared with the price of flour, beef, mutton, pork or bacon, and even in the case of those articles, such as milk, eggs, butter, and cheese, which are sold retail in the same form as they leave the producer, there are wide variations in local conditions. In order to meet the hon. Member's wishes, I will, however, consider whether arrangements can be made to quote certain retail prices from time to time in the "Agricultural Market Report" issued by my Department.

asked the President of the Board of Education the cost per child of education in the elementary and secondary schools respectively, and the number of children in secondary schools under 10 years of age?

The cost of education for each unit of average attendance in public elementary schools in England and Wales, in 1921–22 is estimated at about £12. The average cost per pupil in grant-aided secondary schools in England and Wales, in 1920–21, is estimated at about £26. On the 1st October, 1921, the number of pupils in these secondary schools who were under 10 years of age on the preceding 1st August was about 29,000.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will supply Members of the House with a copy of the Report on Rating, in view of the importance of the rating question to the general community?

If, as I assume, the hon. Member is referring to the Report of the Cabinet Committee on Rating and Valuation, I regret that T cannot comply with his request. The Report in question is a confidential document prepared for the information of the Cabinet.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of casual paupers in England and Wales according to the last available statistics; what were the numbers by the last Return made before the outbreak of the War; and whether the recent re-opening of the casual wards of Uxbridge, Staines, and Abingdon was due to special pressure in the districts around these places or representations from the local inspectors?

The number of casual paupers in England and Wales on the night of the 24th March, 1922, was 8,305, and on the 31st July, 1914, 7,400. I am requiring the guardians of the Uxbridge Union to reopen their casual wards in view of representations made by the Middlesex County Vagrancy Committee. I am informed that the casual wards at Staines and Abingdon have not been reopened.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether any scheme for the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in India and Burma is under consideration: and whether, seeing that as a preliminary measure it would be necessary by Act of Parliament to remove the Church in India from the control of the Anglican ecclesiastical authorities, the Government has any intention of taking action in this direction?

Proposals for a new constitution for the Anglican Church in India are reported in the public Press to have been under consideration by the ecclesiastical authorities in India, but up to the present the Secretary of State has not been addressed by the Government of India on the subject, and His Majesty's Government have had no occasion to take any decision.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a more complicated form has been recently supplied by the Inland Revenue to farmers to fill up when claiming relief from Income Tax; and, if so, why has this new form been issued?

Where full accounts have been properly made up, it is not necessary for a farmer to complete the official form of farming accounts for the purpose of claiming relief from Income Tax. In such cases it is the practice to accept certified copies of the farmer's own accounts, supplemented by any other information which the District Commissioners of Income Tax may require. The official form of account is provided for the assistance of farmers who do not keep a complete set of books, and the form has recently been revised to meet difficulties experienced by those farmers. The revised form is more comprehensive but not more complicated than the form previously supplied. My hon. and gallant Friend may be interested to learn that the form was drawn up in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Central Chamber of Agriculture, the Central Landowners' Association, the Land Union, and the National Farmers' Union.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Reparations Com- mission have yet made out accounts in respect of the amounts received by each nation entitled to receive same out of reparations payments up to the 31st March, 1922; and, if so, will he give the particulars of such accounts so far as they have been made out?

The financial year of the Reparation Commission ends on the 30th April. I am informed that, owing to the existence of a considerable number of questions outstanding with the German Government that affect the accounts, it has not yet been possible to make up final accounts, even for the year ending the 30th April, 1921, and that the Commission feels some objection to the publication of accounts containing a large number of provisional items. I understand that the question of publication will be reviewed when further progress has been made in the adjustment of outstanding items.