asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what was the quantity of oil coke used during the past 12 months in His Majesty's ships; whether oil coke is coke impregnated under pressure with oil; whether this special fuel is commandeered by the Admiralty to the exclusion of other consumers; whether the price paid by the Admiralty per ton can be stated, and its relation to the cost of ordinary coal; and for what reason it is being used in His Majesty's ships in preference to coal?

Oil coke, which is the residue after distillation of oil fuel, etc., from crude oil is unsuitable for use in His Majesty's ships and none has been used or purchased during the last 12 months

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether all the oil storage tanks that were constructed for the storage of oil fuel for the Navy in the time of war are required in times of peace; and whether, if they can be leased to reliable firms on condition that they would be surrendered when required in good order, there is any objection to such a course?

All tanks constructed during the War and since found surplus to requirements have been handed over to the Disposal Board. The possibility of leasing tanks temporarily surplus to requirements is always borne in mind, but such occasions are not likely to occur often.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will consider the case of Gunner Peter Houghton, No. 1423331, 210 Room, Royal Garrison Artillery, 1st Training Battery, Woolwich, who joined the Army on 19th June, 1922, through industrial depression; that his father is over 60 years of age, has under- gone three operations, is now a confirmed invalid, and has not worked for 2½ years, that his mother is unfit to follow any other work than household duties, and the two other children are a girl aged 15 years, earning 10s. a week when she works a full week, and a boy aged 12 years, the full income of the home being 10s. per week from the girl and 7s. 6d. per week National Health Insurance for the father, their home address being 51, Little Lane, Pemberton, Wigan; and whether, in view of the fact that the colliery where he worked is now working better time and that the manager has promised to employ him at his own work as a coal cutter if he can get home again, he will consider the case on compassionate grounds, and, if possible, grant his discharge?

I have no information on this case beyond that given me by the hon. Member, but I am inquiring into it, and will inform him in due course whether discharge on compassionate grounds can be allowed.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether last year a motor lorry driven by a Government servant ran into a group of men near Blackburn, West Lothian, on 1st July, 1921, and seriously injured six men, fracturing the limbs of three of them; that a claim for compensation was intimated on 23rd July, 1921, to the Scottish Command and to the Secretary for Scotland on 27th December, 1921; that, although it has not been contended that the claims are unjustified, no response to the claim has been made; and that compensation for a similar, but fatal, accident which occurred in Bathgate on 23rd April, 1921, was paid on 12th November, 1921; and why the claims which occasion this question have not been settled?

I have been asked to answer this question. The lorry was on hire from a civilian firm on the understanding that the firm would be responsible for all risks. At the same time, the accident arose from circumstances over which the firm's servant had not complete control, and provided that the firm will agree to share the responsibility with the War Department, the claims of the six injured men will be met on such terms as I am advised are fair and reasonable.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many administrative and technical officials, respectively, in his Department are in receipt of emoluments, including bonus, of £1,000 per annum or over; and how many of each category are permanent and how many temporary officials?

The answer to the first question is: Administrative, 37; technical, 20; to the second, that all the former and seven of the latter are permanent officials. Under the heading "Administrative," I have grouped the secretariat, including finance, etc., and have used the term "technical" in the sense of my answer to my hon. and gallant Friend on the 26th July.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that, whilst the salaries of temporary technical officers in his Department have recently been substantially reduced, many permanent administrative officials have just received promotion with substantial increases in salary; how many permanent officials have participated in this increase; what is the amount of the increment in each case; and what is the reason for this discrimination adversely affecting highly-qualified technical officers?

The answer to the first question is that the permanent officials of my Department in receipt of less than £500 a year have recently been regraded, not promoted, and in connection with the regrading, which is the result of a recommendation of the National Whitley Council and applies to the whole Civil Service, have become entitled to certain increases of pay; to the second, 72, these being selected officers out of a total of 532, the remainder of whom have not received increases; to the third, that the increases vary with each individual case and range from £14 to £152 a year; to the last, that there has been no such discrimination as is alleged, the reduction in the pay of the technical officers being less than that suffered by the permanent officials in the periodical re-adjustment of their salaries on the cost-of-living basis.

asked the Minister of Pensions by what authority his Department intervenes to render nugatory the provisions of the Lunacy Act, 1890, re the discharge of an ex-service man who is a private patient, by threatening his petitioner with loss of dependants' allowance, in the event of his wife, as next of kin, exercising her right to direct his discharge, if not dangerous and unfit to be at large; and will he take steps to see that no differentiation is made in this matter between the rights of an ex-service man and a rich patient?

I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the position when a relative insists on the discharge of a service patient against the advice of the medical superintendent of the asylum. In such circumstances the relative is informed that should application be made for re-admission of the patient to the asylum (which experience shows usually happens very shortly), the question of re-classifying the man as a service patient, and so entitling him to all the privileges of classification, must be considered afresh. This is a reasonable procedure which is exercised with the greatest discretion and solely in the interests of the patient's treatment and prospects of recovery, and in no way conflicts with the provisions of the Lunacy Act referred to.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware that the Regulation which places ex-service men in asylums on the legal footing of private patients removes them from the province of the visiting committees of pauper asylums whose power is limited by the Lunacy Act to dealing with paupers, and that Sections 72–74 of the said Act confer upon the next of kin of a private patient the power to direct his discharge subject only to the embargo of the medical superintendent, in the event of the latter being able to give distinct proof in writing that the patient is dangerous and unfit to be at large; and, since this is the acknowledged legal position of an ex-service patient, will he say on what grounds the question of his discharge is referred to the visiting committee of the public asylum in which the ex-service man is confined?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The arrangement by which Service patients are placed on the legal footing of private patients does not remove the visitors' powers of discharge, but it does confer additional powers of discharge by which the responsible relative of a Service patient may direct his discharge, unless the medical superintendent puts in a "Barring Certificate" under Section 74 of the Lunacy Act.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that ex-service men in receipt of pensions are employed at the White City at a lower rate than men who have no pensions, although doing practically the same class of work; whether any of these men have been trained under the training scheme of the Ministry of Labour; and whether he will take such action as will prevent pensioners being used to work at lower rates at this place?

I do not know what wages are paid at the White City to disabled men or others, nor do I know whether any of them have been trained by my Department. As the work is a private undertaking I have no authority to interfere, but I should regard it as most improper if lower wages were paid to disabled men on account of their pensions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, having regard to Article 232 of the treaty whereby Germany undertakes that she will make compensation for all, damage done to the civilian population and their property during the period of the War, the amount of £5,000,000 allocated by the Government for distribution amongst British claimants for compensation in respect of losses by ex-enemy action is the total sum to be so distributed; or, having regard to the fact that claims under this head aggregate, approximately, £50,000,000, any further sums are to be set aside from German reparation payments to meet the claims, more particularly of British nationals carrying an business in and within territories invaded by the enemy and whose property in those territories was destroyed or confiscated; and, if so, will he give particulars of such sums?

The relation between the liability assumed by Germany under Article 232 of the Treaty of Versailles and the claims of individual British nationals (including British nationals doing business in invaded territories), for compensation in respect of losses by ex-enemy action, was fully set out in the answer (of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy) given by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House in reply to the hon. Member for the Ladywood Division of Birmingham (Mr. N. Chamberlain) on the 4th May, 1920. The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second part in the negative. The third part, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state upon what calculations the Reparations Commission base their claim against Germany; whether such calculations took into account pensions and allowances; and, if so, for what amount?

In reply to the first part of the question, the Reparation Commission fixed the liability of Germany in respect of Reparation after considering the claims of all the Allied Governments submitted under Annex I to Part VIII of the Treaty of Versailles. The amounts of such claims were as set out in the answer (of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy) given by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House on the 8th March, 1921, in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for the Waterloo Division of Lancashire (Mr. D. Herbert). I am unable to supply the particulars asked for in the last part of the question. The liability fixed, which was far below the full amount claimed, was decided by the Reparation Commission on a general survey of all the circumstances, and definite figures were not established in respect of specific items.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that Thomas Davey, Saunders Green, Whitecroft, parish of West Dean, with his wife and seven children, were evicted by the owners of the property, and are now living in a disused stable; that Edgar Adams, living at the Tufts, in Lydney parish, is residing in a disused shed; that both these men are ex-service men; and will he explain the reason why the houses lately erected are not allowed to be occupied?

I have no information as to the particular cases quoted in the first part of the question, nor am I aware of any reason why any of the houses which have been completed should not be occupied. I am making inquiries into the matter.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the Reports of the Poor Law Commission, published in 1909, and Dr. MeVail's evidence, showing the difficulties of obtaining necessary medical and other Poor Law relief in some unions; the number of children in the Starvation Death Lists from 1910 to 1918 (after which the lists were discontinued), inclusive, and also the number of children in the Starvation Death Lists for 1914?

I am aware of the Reports and evidence referred to. The number of children under 16 years of age in whose cases a coroner's jury returned a verdict of death from starvation or death accelerated by privation in the years 1910 to 1918 was 54. The number of such cases in the year 1914 was six.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any arrangements have been made at various ports in Ireland to provide accommodation— for persons forced by circumstances to leave their houses and possessions in Ireland and seek refuge in Great Britain; whether there is any difficulty experienced by such persons in obtaining passages from Irish to British ports; and, if so, whether steps can be taken to ensure that on stated days, suitably advertised, adequate railings will be arranged from certain ports conveniently situated?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and in reply to the second part I have no information to the effect suggested. The third part, therefore, would not appear to arise.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that many local education authorities are terminating the engagements of women teachers because they are married women; if this is done with his knowledge and consent; and, in view of the fact that, since these married women teachers are unable to secure employment elsewhere owing to the present widespread policy of dismissing married women teachers, this practice of the local authorities is tantamount to suspending the teachers' certificate, which is the sole prerogative of the Board of Education, what, if anything, he is prepared to do to prevent local authorities adopting this practice?

With regard to the first and second parts of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for the Moss Side Division of Manchester (Lieut.-Colonel Hurst) on the 13th February last, a copy of which I am sending him. As regards the third part, the suspension of a teacher's certificate involves prohibition of employment in a public elementary school and is certainly not the same thing from the teacher's point of view as failure to obtain employment. I have no authority to interfere with the exercise of the local authorities' discretion in the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the inconvenience of the 10.30 despatch from the parish of Tolleshunt

I am having inquiry made and I shall write to the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the total quantities and values of the articles comprised in the Schedule to the Draft Order made by the Board of Trade in exercise of the powers conferred upon them by Part II of the Safeguarding of Industries Act which were imported into the United Kingdom from Germany in the months of June, 1913, and June, 1922, respectively; and the number of workers employed at home in the manufacture of the same or similar articles to those comprised in the five classes of the said Schedule, respectively, for the months of June, 1913, and June, 1922?

Precise details respecting imports into the United Kingdom from Germany of the several descriptions of commodities enumerated in the Schedule to the Order are not in all cases available as in a number of cases they are included with other goods under more general headings. This consideration affects particularly the figures relating to glass-ware.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the

The following statements show the imports of glass-ware into the United Kingdom, as far as the particulars are available; but, owing to changes in classification, a direct comparison between the imports of 1913 and those of 1920 and subsequent years cannot be made:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the weight and quantities of wrought enamelled hollow-ware imported into Great Britain for the years 1913, 1920, 1921 and the first half of 1922; and what proportion of these totals was of German origin?

The following statement shows the quantity and value of wrought iron and steel hollowware (household, kitchen, etc., utensils) enamelled, registered as imported into the United Kingdom during the periods specified, distinguishing the imports consigned from Germany, as far as the particulars are available:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the total imports of aluminium ware during the first six months of this year; and what proportion of these imports is of German origin?

During the first six months of 1922 the imports into the United Kingdom of domestic hollowware of aluminium amounted to 987 tons, valued at £153,115. The quantity registered as consigned from Germany was 953 tons, and the declared value £143,515.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state how many gallons of benzole were produced in the United Kingdom during the last 12 months?

I have been unable to secure information showing the production of benzole in the United Kingdom for the 12 months ended June, 1922. During the calendar year 1921, the National Benzole Association estimate that the quantity produced by the members of the Association was approximately 9,000,000 gallons, and the output by non-members is believed to be about a quarter of that of members. Owing to the stoppage in the coalmining industry the production of benzole in 1921 was greatly reduced and, according to information furnished to me, the present normal output is at about double the rate estimated for 1921.