asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will lay a White Paper showing, for every local education authority for higher education in England and Wales, the number of and average expenditure on maintenance allowance awards at secondary schools and other institutions of higher education granted by local education authorities under the regulations for maintenance allowances during the financial year, 1923–24, together with the total expenditure incurred thereon and its relation to the population, and the average number of children in attendance at the public elementary schools in the area?

I shall have much pleasure in acceding to the hon. and gallant. Member's request.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that the officers of the Board have recently investigated the salaries of teachers in the employ of the Wes, Ham education authority, and have decided that the increments of salary in the case of certain teachers of handicraft shall take effect as from 1st August instead of 1st June, which has been the date recognised by this authority, and that for many years past the examinations of the City and Guilds of London Institute have be-en held during the month of May. and any increases of salary clue to passing these examinations have always been passed as from 1st June: whether be is aware that the West. Ham authority has made representation that those teachers who passed the examination prior to 1924 should be allowed to continue to receive their increments of salary from 1st June instead of 1st August and whether he is prepared to concede such request?

Local authorities were informed in Circular 1234, of October, 1921 (of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy), shortly after the present salary scales became operative. that the Board would be unable to recognise increments of salary for periods of service rendered before the date upon which the teacher was recognised by the Board in the particular grade to which his salary is related. According to my information, the diploma of the City and Guilds of London Institute is not awarded until the 31st July in each year, and until the award is made a teacher does not become eligible for recognition in a grade which may carry a higher rate of salary. In the circumstances, I see no reason to make an exception to the rule in the case of the teachers referred to.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the Board of Education have recently decided they will be prepared to consider proposals of eucation authorities to recognise for salary purposes the sere ice of women teachers who served as nurses in naval or military hospitals and were awarded the victory medal, providing the service in respect of which the medal was awarded commenced before 14th June, 1917, that being the date on which the Board of Education, with the concurrence of the Ministry of Labour, impressed upon women teachers that their work in the schools was of the greatest national importance; whether he has been advised that, when the need for nurses was urgent, the West Ham education authority granted a limited number of their women teachers leave of absence to take up nursing duties in the same way as they had granted leave of absence to men tethers to serve in the forces, and the payment which they received as nurses was made up by the West Ham education authority to the amount which they would have received if they had continued active teaching. and their increments of salary were granted as they accrued in the ordinary way, and that particulrs of the service of the West Ham teachers who undertook nursing duties and who obtained the victory medal have been supplied to the Board, together with particulars of teachers who performed similar duties but did not obtain the victory medal, and the education authority have regarded nursing service as equivalent to teaching service for salary purposes; and whether, in view of the effect on those teachers who rendered service during the national emergency if they are not allowed to count such service for increment of salary, he will favourably consider the position of the West Ham education authority upon this matter?

I am aware of the position as set out in the first part of the hon. Member's question, with regard to the treatment for salary purposes of the War service of women teachers. The matter has formed the subject of the most careful and repeated consideration by my predecessors, and I am not in a position to extend the arrangements which have been made in this respect.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the West Ham Education Authority granted leave of absence without pay to four lady assistant teachers to proceed to Canada for one year under the interchange scheme arranged by the League of Empire, and have agreed to accept the services of four Canadian teachers in exchange; that the Board of Education have decided that leave of absence without pay cannot, be regarded as recognised service for the purposes of the School Teachers' Superannuation Act, but if such leave of absence was granted with pay the service could be accepted as recognised service; whether he is informed that the League of Empire stated that the Board of Education had decided that Canadian teachers while serving in England could receive from the English authorities salaries on the Burnham scale, subject to such salaries not being in, excess of those received by the teachers in whose places they were serving, and that this information was confirmed by his Department to Mrs. Marshall, secretary of the League of Empire, on 16th and 28th May, 1923. and 24th April, 1924, and to the West Ham Authority on 8th October, 1924; and whether, having regard to the fact that these West Pam teachers were allowed leave of absence under arrangements approved by the Board of Education, he will agree that their service in Canada be recognised for the purposes of the Superannuation Acts in the same way as if they had been granted leave will! pay?

I am aware of the circumstances to which the hon. Member refers. I am, however, advised that I have no power under the Superannuation Act to do what the hon. Member desires in the case of teachers who go to Canada under the existing arrangements for interchange. The new scheme of interchange which was recommended by the Imperial Education Conference, 1923, was expressly designed to obviate this particular difficulty among others; and if effect is given to the scheme, the service under it of English teachers on interchange in Canada can be treated as recognised service for the purposes of superannuation.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that the flight officers' rate of pay has been recently reduced from 25s. per day to 23s. 8d. per day to allow for the reduced cost of living, and that since this reduction lies taken place the cost of living has steadily risen; and if, in view of this fact, he will reconsider the position and restore to these officers the original rate of 25s. per day?

The reduction of pay on 1st July last was in accordance with the condition attached to the new rates of pay introduced in 1919, that they should be revised in the light of the cost of living in five years' time and thereafter every three years. Revision at a shorter interval is not considered practicable or desirable; nor, if it were so, would it necessarily operate to the advantage of officers.

asked the Attorney-General whether the Committee appointed in December, 1921, by the Lord Chancellor and the Attorney-General to consider the position of the Crown as a litigant and to make proposals conducing to efficiency and economy have yet made a Report or drafted a Bill; and, if so, whether, in view of the dissatisfaction with the methods of legal procedure now required in actions by and against the Crown, the Government will consider the desirability of introducing forthwith the Bill.

The Committee to which my right hon. Friend refers have not yet presented their Report, though I understand that they have made substantial progress in the: consideration of this very difficult matter. When the Report has been received, the Government will take the matter into their consideration.

asked the Attorney-General what is the number of persons at present in the Commission of the Peace for the County of Nottingham; how many of such number served on any Bench in the last completed year for which records are available; and whether any action is contemplated to remove from the list the names of such persons who have not so served?

The names of 208 Justices appear in the Commission of the Peace for the County of Nottingham. The Lord Chancellor has no information about the attendances on the Bench. If the hon. Member will bring to the Lord Chancellor's notice any Petty Sessional Division in which magistrates have not regularly attended, inquiries will be made into the matter.

asked the Minister of Health how many working-class houses are now under construction; and how many are being built of materials other than bricks?

On the 1st January last, the latest date for which Returns are available, there were 54,027 houses in course of construction in connection with State-assisted schemes. On the 1st of October last, the latest date for which Returns are available, there were 18.512 houses of five rooms or less under construction without subsidy. Statistics are not available showing the numbers being built of materials other than bricks.

asked the Home Secretary the number of prosecutions of casual paupers in connection with the casual ward or the workhouse, or the officials of the same, during 1924; or. if he has not these statistics, for the latest year that he has them: stating the name of the union to whom the workhouse or ward belonged, the date of the proceedings before the magistrates or other Court, and the punishment, if any, inflicted on the casual?

There are no statistics at the Home Office which Dive this information, and it would be a most laborious and lengthy task to collect particulars of this kind from the different Courts of Summary Jurisdiction by which such charges would be heard.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is enforcing the requirement laid down in the Unemployment Insurance (No. 2) Act of last year that applicants for unemployment benefit must have paid at least 30 contributions since the beginning of the last insurance year but one?

Under the Unemployment Insurance (No. 2) Act, 1924, this requirement is to come fully into force on 1st October next. Up to that date the Minister is given power to waive the requirement in particular eases. At present the requirement is waived in the case of applicants who, although they have not paid 30 contributions within the time prescribed, which is from two to three or even four years, have paid 12 contributions since entry into insurance, and also for others in whose favour the Local Employment Committee so recommends. I have not thought it right to make any change in this rule up to now, but I think the time has now arrived when some preliminary steps can properly be taken in anticipation of the general application of the statutory requirement which comes into full force on 1st October. I propose, therefore, that as from Thursday, 19th February, the requirement shall only he waived if the applicant for benefit can show either chat eight contributions have been paid during the prescribed period or, alternatively, that a total of 30 contributions have been paid at any time since entry into insurance. In the case of disabled ex-service men not satisfying either of these conditions, the requirement will be waived if it appears on the recommendation of the Local Employment Committee that the failure to pay the requisite number of contributions is due to the man's disability.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when the Report of the Blanesburgh Committee on Civil Rights for Civil Servants may be expected?

I have been asked to reply. The Committee on Parliamentary, etc., Candidature of Crown Servants resumed its sittings on the 23rd January. It is now meeting regularly, but, while it is hoped that the presentation of a Report will not be much longer delayed, it is not possible to name a definite date.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government has yet come to a decision with regard to the electricity proposals of the last Government: and whether they propose to introduce legislation to restore the compulsory powers of the Electricity Commissioners?

I have been asked to reply. The hon. Member is in a better position than I to know what were the electricity proposals of the late Government. The programme adumbrated by the right hon. Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Snowden) in a speech on. 30th July is receiving the technical examination authorised by my predecessor, which is a necessary preliminary to any decision. A review of the general position is also proceeding in which, among other points under consideration, are the powers of the Commissioners.