asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why the Vice-Consul at Callao is included in the Navy Estimates; what is the amount of his retired pay in addition to the salary and emoluments, value £600, that he receives as Vice-Consul; and what duties does he perform on behalf of the Navy?

This officer holds the position of Vice-Consul, but as his duties are mainly connected with maritime affairs, it has been agreed with the

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the amount of the Naval Estimates for the years 1923–24, 1924–25, and 1925–26 of the following

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what date the Forton barracks and infirmary of the former Royal Marine Light Infantry were closed; how many men they accommodate; and to what uses they have been put?

The answer to the first part of the question is, the end of July, 1923. The establishment had accommodation for about 1,000 Marines and is now in process of conversion to a Naval Boys' Training Establishment, funds for which are provided in the Navy Works Estimates for 1924–25 and 1925–26.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total number of the personnel carried on the Naval Votes of the following Powers; United States, Japan, France and Italy, for each of the years 1923, 1924 and 1925.

The numbers allowed for in the Navy Votes are as follow:Powers:United States, Japan, France, and Italy?

The amounts are:

asked the Minister of Pensions whether his attention has been called to the position of numerous disabled ex-service men who, on applying for treatment and examined by the medical referee of the Ministry, are decided to be unfit in consequence of their pensionable disability, but are advised that their treatment should be from their ordinary panel practitioner instead of from the Ministry; whether he is aware that these ex-service men, although decided co be unfit for work, do not receive any treatment allowances, although they may be out of benefit so far as the National Health Insurance is concerned, and are therefore compelled to apply for parish relief or charitable assistance; and whether, in virtue of the fact that the Royal Warrant expressly states that men certified as being in need of treatment will be so provided at the expense of the Ministry and receive the appropriate allowance, he will cause investigation to be held respecting the present procedure, to ensure that the regulation is being carried out?

The hon. Member appears to be under some misapprehension as to the provisions of the Royal Warrant. Article 6 of that Warrant empowers the Minister to grant special allowances only in those cases where a disabled man is certified to need a specific course of treatment in consequence of which he will be rendered incapable of supporting himself and his family. The conditions governing the grant of allowances under Article 6 of the Warrant are not identical with those which determine certification for the purpose of sickness benefit under the National Health Insurance Acts, and it is not the function of the medical officers of the Ministry to determine generally whether a disabled man is fit for work or not. The information before the Ministry goes to show that the provisions of the Royal Warrant are being carried out in accordance with the intentions of the Warrant.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that Harry Ward, a motor driver, of Blackpool, who fought two years and four and a half months in France was granted a disability pension for deafness attributable to war service; that as a result of that disability he was knocked down and killed by a char-à-bane in Blackpool, and that his widow has been refused any pension on the ground that her husband's death was not due to any war service disability; how many victims of accidents due to war-caused deafness and blindness have been recorded; how many widows in these cases have received pensions and whether he will consider granting claims by widows put forward under these circumstances?

The man referred to, who performed service as a, private in the Royal Army Service Corps during the War, was in receipt of pension of 20 per cent. in respect of deafness, not attributable to but aggravated by war service. At the time of the occurrence his occupation was that of a licensed taxi driver, and after full consideration of all the circumstances attending his death, which was shown to be due to an accident, the Ministry were unable to regard the pensioner's death as connected with his war disability. On appeal, the independent appeal tribunal, after hearing the widow's statement of her claim, confirmed the decision of the Ministry. The records of the Ministry do not enable the information asked for in the latter part of the question to be furnished. Each ease is considered on its merits, and the experience of the Ministry does not show that the terms of the Royal Warrant require modification in the direction suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether there are any classes of men and women civil servants in receipt of equal pay; and, if so, why the principle was applied in some cases and not in others?

There are a few medical posts in the Civil Service in which men and women doctors receive the same rate of pay. In these cases special circumstances exist, and no general principle has been applied.

asked the Home Secretary what is the number of the staff employed by the Chief Registrar on the work of examining and checking the annual returns of trade unions; and what is the annual departmental cost, including salaries, of this work?

No particular staff is employed on the annual returns of trade unions. The examination of these returns forms a small part of the work of the Returns and Statistics Branch of the Registry of Friendly Societies, and it is not possible to give the annual cost.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can give the total number of men employed in the mining industry, and the output of coal for Great Britain for the years 1913 and 1924, respectively?

The information is as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour if he has considered the position of the Grocery and Provisions Trade Board (England and Wales); and what action he proposes to take in connection therewith?

This Trade Board, as my hon. Friend is doubtless aware, has been in existence for a number of years without statutory rates of wages coming into force, and I am anxious to reach a final settlement which will leave no doubt as to the future of the Board. After consultation with the representatives of employers and of workers on the Board, I find that it is still a matter of dispute and uncertainty whether conditions in the trade are such as to make the operation of statutory conditions advisable. In these circumstances, I have made arrangements to undertake at once an inquiry into the conditions actually prevailing in the trade, and will reach a decision upon the results of that inquiry.

asked the Minister of Labour the reason for the change made in the March number of the "Labour Gazette" in the tables relating to trade disputes, whereby the amount of statistical information usually published has been reduced by the omission of comparative statistics for other months and of the summary for the year to date?

The omission of the "comparative statistics for other months" was due to exigencies of space. The figures have already been given in previous issues of the "Gazette." The "summary for the year to date" will first appear, as it did last year, in the April issue of the "Gazette."

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has yet taken steps to call together representatives of the Dominions to confer with him as to the attitude to be adopted at the Geneva International Labour Conference on the suggested convention on anthrax; and, if so, whether he has been able to secure agreement as to the policy to be adopted in this connection?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply. I would remind the hon. Member that at the International Labour Conference last year, the resolution which was submitted on behalf of the British Government, that the question of a draft Convention on Anthrax should be included in the agenda for this year's conference, was rejected, and the subject therefore will not come up for discussion at this year's conference. As indicated in reply to the question asked on the 26th February by the hon. and gallant Member for the Central Division of Bradford (Lieut.-Colonel Gadie), I am afraid that nothing would be gained by any further attempt on the part of the British Government to re-open this question at the present time.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the representations which have been made to him as to the hardships inflicted on some insured persons, and the added burden thrown on to the local rates in certain areas by the operation of the recent revised Regulations as to the payment of extended benefit, he is now prepared to modify the same?

This matter was fully discussed in the Debate on 9th March, and for reasons which I then gave I am afraid I cannot relax the requirement.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons did not apply for outstanding benefit in the quarter ending 14th January; whether any instructions have been issued to officers not to invite persons to apply for moneys due to them; and whether he will in future request officers of the Exchanges to acquaint applicants of their rights under the Act in this respect?

Statistics with regard to the amount of benefit outstanding and unpaid are not available. It is the practice to pay such benefit on the next attendance of the applicant during the current benefit year. After the end of the benefit year, the claim has to be closed and sent to the Claims and Record Office, Kew, and payment is not made in the absence of express application. The instruction to which the hon. Member refers relates to claims which have been closed and sent to Kew, but I may say generally that it is not the practice to give notice to applicants who have failed to attend for their benefit that an amount is due to them, and I am afraid that it would throw a quite undue burden on the Exchanges to ask them to do this. It is not unreasonable, I think, to expect applicants to attend and claim their benefit.

asked the Minister of Health (1) the number of new houses erected by the Darlaston Urban District Council and by private enterprise, respectively, since let January, 1919?(2) the number of new houses required to meet the shortage of houses within the jurisdiction of the Darlaston urban district council?

Information as to the present shortage of houses in this district is not available, but, according to an estimate made by the local authority in 1919, 300 houses were required to meet the unsatisfied demand during the next three years. Since that date 144 houses have been erected by the local authority and 22 by private enterprise under the Housing Acts. Complete information is not available as to the total number of houses erected since 1919 by private enterprise without State aid, but 22 houses were so erected during the two years ended 30th September, 1924. The Council have formulated a programme for the erection of 200 houses during the next two years, and are proceeding with the immediate erection of 36 as a first instalment.

asked the Secretary for Scotland the number of inhabited houses and the number of families in Scotland as shown by the Census of 1921?

Inhabited houses enumerated in Scotland at the Census of 1921 numbered 1,057,609. The Census does not state the number of families, but the number of separate occupiers was 1,107,631.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health the number of houses under construction with State assistance in Scotland on 1st February, 1924, 1st November, 1924, and 1st March, 1925, respectively, and the number of houses built by private enterprise, without State assistance, on 1st April, 1924, and 1st October, 1924, or on the nearest dates for which statistics are available?

asked the Minister of Health if any financial aid is available to owners of cottages who propose to improve them by the addition of an extra bed room or other room?

No subsidy is available, for this purpose, but I would draw the hon. Member's attention to Section 22 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Ad, 1919, and to Section 5 of the Housing, etc., Act, 1923, which authorise local authorities to advance money for the improvement of existing housing accommodation.

asked the Minister of Health the number of new houses required to meet the shortage of houses within the jurisdiction of the Tipton urban district council?

In 1919 the local authority estimated that 408 houses were required to meet the unsatisfied demand for houses during the next three years. Since that date 170 houses have been erected in the district with State assistance under the Housing Acts. Complete information is not available as to the total number of houses erected since 1919 without State aid. In addition, the

In reply to the first part of the question, the numbers are as follow:council are proceeding with the erection of a further 58 houses under the 1923 Housing Act, and it is understood that additional schemes are in course of preparation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give a list of the local authorities in the county of Somerset who have adopted any of the Acts whereby they can assist private enterprise in house building; which Acts have been so adopted; and what steps the local authorities have taken to make public the assistance they are prepared to render to persons who desire to build?

My right hon. Friend will forward the hon. Member a statement giving the information desired so far as it is available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has any information indicating President Coolidge's intention to expedite the summoning of his proposed international disarmament conference as a result of the British Government's refusal to give its adherence to the Protocol?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the President of the Board of Education the size Of classes in the supported and non-supported elementary schools in the comity of London?

According to the numbers on the registers of the classes on the last day of the school year, 1922–23, the information asked for in the question is as follows: