asked the Minister of Health in view of the fact that the Long Ashton rural district council have not yet adopted a scheme for the assistance of private enterprise in building and of the serious shortage of houses and the willingness of private persons to build if provided with a subsidy, whether he will take some steps towards enforcing the adoption of some scheme by this council or, alternatively, is he prepared to make grants direct to the builders in this district if they make application to to his Department themselves?

A scheme, for the assistance of private enterprise by the local authority has been approved, and I have so far authorised under this scheme the subsidising of 110 houses. I was informed recently that the district council had resolved to grant a lump sum subsidy in 39 cases for which applications had been received, and a loan was sanctioned on the 6th February to enable the council to make the grants.

asked the Minister of Health the number of widows with children in receipt of outdoor relief for each of the Poor Law unions in the administrative county of London at 31st December, 1924?

The number of widows with dependent children in receipt of domiciliary Poor Law relief on 1st January, 1925, in each Poor Law union in London, was as follow:

Union.		Number of Widows.	Number of Children.
Bermondsey	…	417	810
Bethnal Green	…	90	229
Camberwell	…	397	947
Chelsea	…	15	31
Fulham	…	76	173
St. George-in-the-East	…	56	127
Greenwich	…	431	1,004
Hackney	…	192	422
Hammersmith	…	80	180
Hampstead	…	51	57
Holborn	…	91	251
Islington	…	226	640
Kensington	…	2	4
Lambeth	…	326	851
Lewisham	…	169	376
Limehouse	…	90	187
London, City of	…	—	—
St. Marylebone	…	19	54
Mile End Old Town	…	237	358
Paddington	…	64	171
St. Pancras	…	159	392
Poplar	…	729	1,390
Shoreditch	…	132	289
Southwark	…	278	691
Wandsworth	…	352	776
Westminster, City of	…	22	58
Whitechapel	…	57	105
Woolwich	…	162	360
Totals	…	4,920	10,933

asked the Minister of Health the amount of rates in the £ levied in each of the Metropolitan boroughs for the year 1924, and the produce of a penny rate in each borough?

:The desired information in respect of the financial year 1924–25 is as follows:—

Name of Metropolitan Borough.	Amount in the £ of rates levied.		Estimated produce of each 1d. in the £ of rates levied.
1.	2.		3.
	s.	d.	£
City of London	9	11	26,422
Battersea	13	0	4,240
Bermondsey	16	6	4,095
Bethnal Green	14	10	2,275
Camberwell	11	5	5,700
Chelsea	11	6	3,778
Deptford	14	4	2,576
Finsbury	10	6	4,435
Fulham	11	0	4,031
Greenwich	*13	4	3,089
Hackney	11	10	5,260
Hammersmith	12	0	3,770
Hampstead	12	0	4,750
Holborn	*11	0	5,508
Islington	11	5	7,889
Kensington	10	5	10,956
Lambeth	11	6	8,251
Lewisham	11	2	4,686
Paddington	10	4	6,782
Poplar	23	0	3,743
St. Marylebone	10	3	9,924
St. Pancras	11	0	7,475
Shoreditcb	13	3	3,496
Southwark	*12	0	5,076
Stepney	*14	9	6,750
Stoke Newington	10	9	1,416
Wandsworth	10	10	9,606
Westminster, City of	9	9	34,287
Woolwich	*13	3	3,959
*Column 2.—In these cases the amount given is the average rate in the £ for the borough. In the other cases there is an uniform rate over the whole borough.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the Government of India makes any payments to British mail steamers which carry Indian mails; if so, what amount is paid annually and to what steamship companies; and for what term of years the agreement is in force?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. As regards mails from and to this country, the Government of India do not make any payments directly to British mail steamers, but contribute to the subsidy which is paid by the Postmaster General to the Peninsular and Oriental Company for the Eastern Mail Service. The amount of the contribution in 1924 was £33,500. The contract is terminable on two years' notice. As regards other Indian mails, the particulars asked for by the hon. Member are shown in the Annual Report of the Indian Posts and Telegraphs (Appendix XI), of which I shall be happy to supply him with a copy if he so desires.

asked the Postmaster-General what percentage of trunk telephone wires are now underground?

Of the total mileage of wire in use for trunk telephone purposes on the 31st December last 47·9 per cent. consisted of underground conductors.

asked the Postmaster-General what the cost of upkeep on overhead trunk wires for 1924 was compared to that of underground wires for the same period?

Figures for trunk wires, as distinguished from other wires, are not available. The cost of upkeep varies with the gauge of wire, number of wires on the pole route or cable and other factors. Broadly speaking, it may be said that where many wires follow a given route, underground wires involve lower costs of upkeep per circuit than overhead wires.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will inquire into the circumstances attending the dismissal of Mr. J. Jordan, saddler, from Woolwich Dockyard; and whether, as this man is a disabled ex-service man and has very long service with the Department, he will suspend the notice or transfer this workman to another Department?

The position of the saddlers under notice of discharge from the Army Ordnance Department at Woolwich Dockyard was explained in my answer of the 24th instant to the hon. Member for East Woolwich (Mr. Snell), to which I would refer the hon. Member. Mr. J. Jordan has served in the Department for seven and a half years. Much as I regret the necessity for these discharges, I fear that no alternative is open to me.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether all the facilities necessary for the administration, equipment and training of the East Lancashire Royal Engineers Supplementary Reserve have been provided?

The County Association's plans for the housing of the East Lancashire Supplementary Reserve Royal Engineers Unit, in place of the present temporary arrangements, have been approved. Instructions have been issued for the supply of the technical equipment, and the Territorial adjutant will be given special assistance to cope with the extra work of training the Supplementary Reservists.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the present surplus of soldiers at the Bramley camp are to be used to do the work now performed by the civilian storemen at the camp?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for the Clay Cross Division of Derbyshire (Mr. Duncan) on 17th March.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether there are any pre-War Army pensioners whose pensions have not yet been reassessed; if so, how many; and what would be the aggregate cost to bring these pre-War pensioners into line with those whose pensions have already been reassessed?

Exact figures are not available, but it is estimated that there are about 19,000 pre-War Army pensioners who, not having given further service in the Great War, are not entitled to have their pensions reassessed on the post-War scale. Of these, however, a large proportion have had their pensions increased under the provisions of the Pensions Increase Acts of 1920 and 1924, and a special investigation in detail would be required to ascertain the cost of the proposal in the last part of the question.

asked the Minister of Pensions the counties of England that are under the administration of the staff in London in respect of local offices, treatment, and administration, as apart from the normal duties carried out by the Ministry headquarters staff?

The work of the local area offices has for some considerable time been under the direct control of the headquarters staff in London. The work of pension awards is still controlled from provincial centres in certain counties, namely, in the case of the counties of Stafford, Shropshire, Hereford, Worcester, Warwick, Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Huntingdon, Lincoln, Nottingham and Derby, from the centre at Birmingham; in the case of the counties of Westmorland, Lancashire and Cheshire from the centre at Manchester; and in the case of the counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Durham and Yorkshire from the centre at Newcastle. A regional staff is also still maintained in these three centres for the purpose of medical administration, but the bulk of the work connected with clinical treatment and hospital administration is under the direction of the Ministry headquarters staff in London.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether his attention has been called to the case of Mrs. White, 25, Poplar Street, York, widow of the late Corporal J. A. White, No. 75,222, Royal Army Service Corps, whose application for a grant towards the expenses of the education of her son was recommended by the local war pensions committee to the Special Grants Committee; whether the recommendation was properly refused by the latter; and, if so, whether he will propose an amendment of the Regulation under which the recommendation of the local committee was refused?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the latter part, my right hon. Friend regrets that he would not feel justified in recommending a general extension of the Regulations of the Special Grants Committee governing their power to give supplementary assistance out of public funds.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual cost of war pensions in the Irish Free State borne by the Imperial Exchequer?

My right hon. Friend has been asked to reply. The cost of war pensions administered by the Ministry of Pensions, for the year 1924–25, is, approximately, £2,346,830.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that during the past 14 months some 370 men have taken their discharge from the Ministry institution for neurasthenics; how many were discharged at their own request; what were the principal reasons given for desiring discharge; whether he is aware that some of the men are more than 350 miles from their homes; and if he can arrange for men from Scotland, Ireland and the North of England to be placed in an institution nearer their homes?

The hon. and gallant Member refers, I presume, to the Ministry Institution at Saltash. During the past 14 months 310 patients (not 370 as stated in the question) have been discharged from this institution. Of these 171 either discharged themselves contrary to medical advice or did not return from the leave that had been granted them. No record is kept of the reasons for the discharge in the latter cases, but I am advised that they are ordinarily accounted for by the mental instability and restlessness associated with the condition for which they are receiving treatment. It is the policy of the Ministry as far as possible, and subject to medical requirements, to treat neurasthenic cases in institutions near their homes, and in fact out of 791 cases of neurasthenia under treatment from each of the portions of the kingdom referred to in the question the great majority are in institutions in those parts and only 37 are at Saltash.

asked the Secretary for Scotland the number of prosecutions and convictions for illegal trawling in Scottish waters during 1924, distinguishing convictions for first and for repeated offences?

There were 24 prosecutions and 18 convictions during 1924 for illegal trawling in Scottish waters. Ten convictions were for a first offence, six for a second offence, one for a third offence, and one for a fourth offence.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can give the number of cold storage depots which exist in or near any seaports for the preservation of fish; and if he has knowledge of any further depots being, or to be, built for that purpose?

There are cold storage facilities at practically all the fishing ports of any importance, but they are used for general refrigeration purposes and not specially allocated to fish. At some places a considerable amount of cured fish is placed in cold storage but the use of cold stores for fresh fish is very limited.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information regarding the placing of orders for locomotives by foreign Governments in this country and Germany, respectively; whether he is aware that British tenders are in every case 33½ per cent. above the prices quoted by German firms; and what are the causes of this disparity in costs of production?

I am aware that, in a number of instances, German tenders for locomotives have been very much below British prices. I do not know of any special circumstances in regard to German costs of production in the locomotive industry, as distinct from other German engineering industries, which account for the disparity.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can give the House any further information about the tenders for the Furniss Withy motor boats; how many British firms were invited to tender; and whether there was any considerable difference between the highest and lowest British tender?

Messrs. Furness, Withy and Company inform me that early in 1924 they issued specifications for these vessels to a number of British shipbuilders, and at that time no tenders were invited from abroad. The prices were prohibitive, and it was decided to postpone placing the orders in the hope that in the course of a few months prices would fall. A few weeks ago the owners received intimation of much lower prices from Germany, and to put the matter to the test they issued their specification to the German yard, and at the same time invited five of the largest shipbuilding groups in this country to tender on exactly the same specification. The British quotations ranged between £60,000 and £100,000 in excess of the German price. The earliest delivery mentioned in the case of the German quotation was 10 months, and in the case of the British 14 months. The contracts were offered to British shipbuilders at £10,000 per ship in excess of the German price. Sir Frederick Lewis has already given evidence about these contracts before Sir Arthur Balfour's Committee on Trade and Industry, and has appeared before the Shipbuilding Employers' Federation; he has also expressed his willingness to meet the unions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the five ships recently ordered by Messrs. Furness, Withy and Company to be built in German yards will be subject to the duty of 26 per cent. under the German Reparations Recovery Act?

The levy of 26 per cent. under the German Reparation (Re- covery) Act, 1921, is chargeable only on "goods" imported into this country. I am advised that if the ships in question arrive in this country under their own power they will not be "goods" within the meaning of the Act, and accordingly will not be subject to the levy. I would add that the levy is an amount deducted by the importer from the price and reimbursed to the German exporter by the German Government, and is thus not a "duty" in the usual sense of the word.

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes to appoint a Committee to consider the reform of the House of Lords; and whether the terms of reference will include the powers as well as the composition of the Upper House?

I can at present add nothing to the answer which I gave yesterday in reply to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy).

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he will appoint a Departmental Committee to inquire into the position occupied by Scottish history, language, literature, and art in the educational system of Scotland, and to advise how their study may best be promoted in the public schools of the country?

My right hon. Friend is not satisfied that an inquiry of the nature suggested is necessary. But he will be glad to discuss the matter with my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, having regard to the best interests of education, he can make such an alteration in Article 20 of the Boards Regulations for the administration of secondary schools as to enable any free place granted under conditions approved by the secondary school, or any prescribed number of such free places, to be reckoned as qualifying as regards Article 20 for grant from the Board, whether the holders of such free places have or have not been pupils of a public elementary school?

I may refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on 12th February last. I have great sympathy with the desire to avoid discrimination between different types of school, and in principle I should wish to treat all efficient schools as parts of one national system of education, but I do not think it is unreasonable to reserve 25 per cent. of the accommodation in grant-aided secondary schools for pupils from public elementary schools who are unable to pay fees. The point raised by the hon. Member would, however, deserve consideration if it were decided to amend the Regulations in the direction of increasing this percentage.

asked the President of the Board of Education if, for the purposes of superannuation, the period of service of teachers in schools in any of the British Colonies will be taken into account when calculating the amount of pension due to such teachers who, on retirement, are now employed in schools in the United Kingdom?

I would refer the hon. Member to Section 20 (c) of the Teachers' Superannuation Bill.

asked the Secretary for Mines the amount of rates paid in respect of output in the years 1922, 1923, and 1924 by the Chatterly Whitfield Colliery Company and the Sneyd Colliery Company, in the County of Staffordshire?

I have been asked to reply to this question. My right hon. Friend will make inquiries into the matter and inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware that large numbers of owners of small private dwellings and of small shops in the Rhymney Valley, Glamorganshire, are suffering great hardship by reason of the financial loss sustained through the effect of subsidence due to underground working, and that local authorities are similarly spending heavy sums in repairing water courses and public sewers for the same reason; and whether the Government proposes to introduce legislation for dealing with the problem involved?

asked the Secretary for Mines whether, in view of the increasing damage done to health and property, private and public, by subsidence from mining operations, he will represent to the Royal Commission on Subsidence due to Mining Operations the desirability of expediting their Report?

A Royal Commission is at present conducting an inquiry into the extent and gravity of the damage caused by subsidence owing the extraction of minerals, and has been asked to report what steps should be taken by legislation or otherwise to remedy any defects or hardships that may be found to arise in existing conditions. The Government must await the Commission's Report before deciding whether legislation is necessary. In view of the difficulty and importance of this inquiry, I should strongly deprecate any pressure being put upon them to present a Report before they feel ready to do so.

asked the Secretary for Mines the approximate percentage of large and other gradings of coal, with prices per ton of each variety, which make up the summary proceeds per ton disposable commercially in the last four-quarterly statistical summaries; and if he will consider instituting this added information on future Returns?

I am unable to supply the information asked for, and I do not think it would be practicable to collect it.

asked the Secretary for Mines the estimated coal consumption last year under the headings: at the mines (including miners' coal). railways, shipping bunkers, export, domestic, and other purposes, and also the corresponding figures for 1913?

—	1913.	1924 (Provisional figures).
For Consumption at Home—	Million tons.	Million tons.
Mine Consumption (including Miners' Coal)	23·8	23·0
Railways (for all purposes)	14·5	14·9
Coastwise Bunkers	1·9	1·3
Domestic	33·5	141·1
General Manufacturers and all other purposes For Consumption Abroad—	110·1
Exported (including the Coal-equivalent of Coke and Manufactured Fuel exported).	82·0	68·9
Foreign Bunkers	21·5	17·9
Total	287·3	267·1

asked the Secretary for Mines, in view of the fact that many coal mines have already closed because of trade depression, and that many of these mines, situated in wet areas, are rapidly becoming flooded and not likely to be re-opened unless pit-drainage schemes are undertaken, whether he will consider the allocation of public funds for this purpose, and so relieve unemployment in the areas affected, and thereby enable these pits to be quickly re-opened when trade conditions are more favourable?

I regret that I have no power to make grants from public funds for this purpose.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware that the Consett Iron Company have recently had to close down the Garesfield colliery and other pits; what is the number of persons

—	Great Britain.	Germany (Ruhr).	France.	Belgium.
Hours of Labour (below-ground)	Maximum 7 hours per shift.	8 hours per shift	48 hours per week	48 hours per week.
Wages paid per shift	10s. 8½d. (Dec, 1924).	6s. 9d. (Dec, 1924).	5s. 5d. (July-Sept., 1924).	5s. 5d. (Dec, 1923).
Production per Man-shift.	17¾ cwts. (Dec., 1924).	17½ cwts. (Nov., 1924).	11 cwts. (1923).	9 cwts. (Nov., 1924).
Pithead price of Coal per Statute (English) ton.	18s. 10½d. (Commercial Proceeds, Dec, 1924).	17s. 4d. (latter end of 1924).	Not available.	24s. 8½d. (1923).

The information for Great Britain, so far as it is available, is as follows:thrown out of employment by this action; and what were the circumstances which made it necessary to adopt this course?

I am informed that three pits belonging to this company, at which 934 wage-earners were employed, were closed down on 14th March owing to a dispute about conditions and wages. No particulars have been reported to me.

asked the Secretary for Mines the hours worked, the wages paid, the production per man per shift, and the average selling price per ton of coal at the pit-head in the production of coal in Germany, France, and Belgium, together with the comparative figures in respect to Great Britain?

The information, so far as it can be obtained, is set out in the following table. The period for which each item is given is the latest for which a figure is available:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware of the great number of claims that have been put forward for increases of pay and pensions, prospective and retrospective, by various societies and associations of civil and other servants of the State: and whether, in view of the financial burdens now existing and the public desire and need for economy, he can see his way to providing a tabulated statement of all such claims and an estimate of the cost to the State if they-should be accepted?

It is the case that many claims of the kind mentioned are put forward from time to time; but, while the hon. and gallant Member may rest assured that the considerations to which he refers will be carefully borne in mind, I do not think that it would be practicable to furnish a tabulated statement such as is suggested.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what was the total number of officials and staffs at the War Office, Admiralty, Air Ministry, and Civil Services, respectively, on 31st December, 1913, and on 31st December, 1924?

The total number of non-industrial staffs employed in the Services in question at 1st August, 1914, and 1st January, 1925 (the closest dates to those mentioned by the hon. Member for which information is available for all these Services) were as follow:

—	1st August, 1914.	1st January, 1925.
War Office (including staffs at Ordnance factories, Chelsea, Local Audit Offices, etc.).	2,800	4,319
Admiralty (Headquarters and Outports).	5,400	7,948
Air Ministry	—	1,799
Civil Service and Revenue Departments.	245,900	284,930

These figures exclude throughout staffs engaged on Irish Services, the staffs of Army Pay and Record Offices, etc., and Air Ministry outstation staffs.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider the reduction of the price of the Official Report of Parliamentary Proceedings to the pre-War figure; and will he give the average weekly sales of the Report in 1922, 1923, 1924, and the present year?

Reduction of the price of the Official Report of Parliamentary Proceedings to the pre-War figure of 3d. has been considered, but, as it is estimated that this would substantially increase the already considerable loss to public funds on the sale copies, I do not think that the step is justifiable. The average weekly sales are:

1922	…	3,900
1923	…	5,750
1924	…	7,085
1925 (to date)	…	5,870

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will arrange that for every sum of public money spent on pushing the sale of Dominion agricultural products in this country an equal sum shall be spent in furthering the sale or production of homegrown agricultural products?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to questions on this subject by the Prime Minister on the 17th March, and by me on the 12th March. I cannot add to those statements.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, for each financial year from 1918–19 onwards, the number of persons liable to Super-tax, their aggregate income, their aggregate contribution to the revenue in respect of Income Tax and Super-tax, respectively, and the percentage of their aggregate income which such contributions represent?

The following particulars have been prepared.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, for each financial year from 1918–19 onwards, the aggregate value of property passing at death, the aggregate contribution to the revenue in the form of Death Duties made in respect of such property, and the percentage of the said aggregate value which such contribution represents?

The following table shows the aggregate net capital value of estates on which Estate Duty was paid, the total Death Duties paid in each year, and the percentage which such duties bear to the net capital value. As collection of Estate Duty statistics was suspended during the War, and was not resumed until 1st July, 1919, no details of capital values are available for the year 1918–19 and the first three months of 1919–20. The table deals comprehensively with aggregates it includes both large estates on which duties are high and small estates on which duties are low. The administration and collection of these duties in Ireland was transferred to the Government of Northern Ireland on the 22nd November, 1921, and to the Government of the Irish Free State on 1st April, 1922. In order, therefore, to preserve the comparability of the statistics, the figures in the table have been confined to Great Britain:

GREAT BRITAIN
Year.	Aggregate Net Capital Value of Estates on which Estate Duty was paid.	Total Death Duties*paid.
		Amount.	Per cent, of Net Capital Value.
			£
1918–19	Not available	29,514,254	—
1919–20—
First 3 months.	Not available.	9,652,029	—
Remaining 9 months.	288,772,599	31,384,636	10·87
1920–21	372,889,609	45,169,064	12·11
1921–22	402,085,234	51,206,473	12·73
1922–23	431,197,524	56,432,906	13·09
1923–24	441,895,962	57,500,191	13·01
*Estate Duty, Legacy and Succession Duties, Probate (or Inventory) Duty, Account Duty and Temporary Estate Duty.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of hours worked by, and the weekly wage paid to, the women employed in the pottery stoneware trade in Scotland?

I have no official information regarding the hours and wages of women employed in this trade. I understand, However, that until 30th September last the conditions were regulated by an agreement between the employers' and workers' representatives, and that, since the termination of that agreement, negotiations have been proceeding for the settlement of the conditions in the trade.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the collapse of a five-ton crane in Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, on Thursday last, in consequence of the crane lifting a very heavy load which caused it to overbalance; and if he will cause inquiries to be made to see whether the crane was carrying more than its lifting registered capacity?

It would appear from a preliminary investigation which has been made by the factory inspector that the load carried was well within the lifting capacity of the crane, and that the accident was not due to the overbalancing of the crane by the load. Further inquiry is, however, being made, and I will communicate the result to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the object of printing at the end of the Estimates for Colonial Services (Civil Service Estimates, 1925–26, Class V, Vote 2, page 52) a list entitled extra receipts payable to His Majesty's Ex- chequer (cash); whether the items in this list are in the nature of a return on expenditure included in the Estimates of Colonial Services for previous years; and whether it is intended to indicate that in order to arrive at the net estimated expenditure on this service the total of £1,216,207 should be reduced by the total of extra receipts amounting to £261,573?

The primary purpose of the Estimate is to indicate what sum of money Parliament is requested to Vote under the head Colonial Services. Where, in addition to making a supply grant, Parliament is asked to authorise the application of receipts towards meeting expenditure, those receipts are described as appropriations-in-aid and are shown as such in the Estimate which thus exhibits a net figure. All other receipts are paid direct to the Exchequer and are called extra receipts. They do not affect the total of the Vote in any way, and they are mentioned only to complete the statistical information given to Parliament. The need for such statistical information arises from the fact that for several reasons the net expenditure in connection with a particular service does not correspond precisely to the net total of the Vote. For example, there is a superannuation charge in connection with Colonial Services, estimated at £14,097, but the House does not vote that money under the head "Colonial Services," as it prefers to vote all superannuation charges under a single head elsewhere (Class VI, Vote I, Superannuation and Retired Allowances).Thus the Estimate for 1925–26 shows:

asked the Home Secretary whether any foreign-built chassis intended for London omnibuses have recently been submitted for the approval of Scotland Yard; and whether approval has been given?

Several such chassis have been submitted. One type has received provisional approval, but no omnibus of the type has been licensed.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of miles of unclassified roads, according to the latest Returns, showing the counties of England, Scotland and Wales, separately?

The number of miles of unclassified roads in the counties of England, Scotland and Wales is 108,462, 16,323 and 14,211, respectively.

asked the Secretary for Scotland for what public purpose the ground at and adjoining the parish church, Ardrishaig, is being retained by a Government Department; and if it is likely to be required by the State in the immediate future?

I have been asked to reply. The ground referred to is apparently a piece of land forming part of the property of the Crinan Canal which is now vested in the Minister of Transport by virtue of the Ministry of Transport Act, 1919. The land in question is at present let for grazing purposes, and as I informed the hon. and learned Member in December last, I do not consider that it would be to the public advantage to dispose of the land or any part of it at the present time.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has reached a decision with regard to compulsory insurance by motorists against third-party risks?

As I have previously explained, I have this matter under consideration, but I am not in a position to make any statement.

asked the Minister of Transport how much was paid in grants to county councils in Scotland for the upkeep and improvement of their Class I and Class II roads; and how much in addition was allocated for the improvement of unclassified roads in the rural areas of Scotland?

I assume that the question relates to the financial year now ending. During this period grants have been made from the Road Fund to county councils in Scotland, for the upkeep and improvement of roads and bridges, approximately to the following amounts:

	£
Roads and Bridges in Classes I and II	1,123,000
Roads and Bridges Unclassified	97,000

In addition, a sum of over £500,000 has been set aside for the reconstruction of the Blair Athol-Inverness section of the Great North Road, work on which has recently been commenced. The hon. and gallant Member will appreciate that the amounts mentioned do not include the moneys set aside in previous years for works of road improvement which are still in course of execution.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) whether the report of the officer who investigated the cause of the railway disaster which occurred in January last at Tirphil, Glamorganshire, has yet been received; and, if so, whether it will be made public;(2) whether he is aware that a serious accident took place some time ago on the Rhymney Valley branch of the Great Western Railway, at Tirphil, Glamorganshire, involving the death of two of the employés; that the accident was due to the collapse of portion of the line; whether the landslide was due to erosion or subsidence; whether he is aware that another portion of the line below Bargoed is said to be similarly in danger; and whether he has power to authorise any officer of his Department to make an independent inspection of the lines in the upper end of this valley above Pengam, with a view to restoring the confidence of the public in the safety of that portion of the railway for passenger or other traffic?

The report made by the railway inspecting officer of his inquiry into the causes of the regrettable accident which occurred at Tirphil in January has now been issued, and I am sending the hon. Member a copy. As regards the condition of the line below Bargoed, I understand from the railway company that a small slip took place at Gilfach Fargoed on the 3rd instant, but that the necessary repairs have been carried out, and, in the opinion of the company's engineer, there is no reason to believe that the line is unsafe in any respect. I do not think that in the circumstances any inspection by officers of my Department is required.