asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will consider the advisability of continuing a war pension for orphans for a further period of five years after the age of 16 has been reached, especially when the child is under apprenticeship, thereby preventing the present war orphans from seeking a blind-alley occupation at the age of 16?

It is already the practice of the Ministry, under the terms of the Royal Warrant, to extend the pension beyond the age of 16 in cases where a child is receiving education or a nominal wage under apprenticeship.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the number of naval service pensioners who are also in receipt of a disability pension issued by the Ministry of Pensions; whether these pensioners will have to complete a separate identity form and life certificate in respect of their service pension, and what persons are authorised to witness the signature of the pensioners; whether separate orders will be issued to the Post Office in respect of service pensions, where the issue office will be situated, and what will be the cost to the Admiralty; and whether provision was made in the Navy Estimates to meet the additional cost involved?

Separate pensions for service and for disablement are in issue by the Admiralty land the Ministry of Pensions in a limited number of cases, but I regret that information as to the actual number is not readily available. Such pensioners are required to furnish separate life certificates to the Admiralty and the Ministry and the certificates may be attested by the persons authorised by Treasury Warrant to attest. The service pensions are payable at post offices named by the pensioners. The additional cost of the separate issue of the service pensions is inconsiderable and has not resulted in the necessity for special pro- vision in the Navy Estimates. Moreover, I understand that any additional cost incurred by the Admiralty would be more than balanced by a saving to the Ministry of Pensions.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, seeing that Regulations for a competition among candidates for established technical posts in the Air Ministry allow non-service technical officers the concessions laid down in paragraph 45 of the Lytton Committee's recommendations, and that this will have the effect of establishing non-service staff at the expense of ex-service men, he will consider revising these Regulations?

Paragraph 45 of the Third Lytton Report, 1921, must be read in conjunction with paragraph 11 of the Second Southborough Report, 1923. It is in consequence of the latter recommendation that it has been decided that certain non-service staff must be given the opportunity of competing for establishment; but the Regulations of the competition provide that preference shall be given to candidates who served in His Majesty's forces in the War. I see no ground for revising them.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the reason why the old "Agamemnon" is being scuttled in deep water instead of being broken up to provide employment?

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension if he supposes that it has been decided to scuttle the "Agamemnon," which is in use as a target ship.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether naval ratings enlisting for service are supplied with a free kit; and why candidates for re-entry into the Navy or Marines are requested to sign a certificate that they are prepared to pay for their kit?

A naval rating receives on first entry a free kit, and subsequently an annual allowance to enable him to maintain it. When he leaves the Service under normal conditions, He keeps his kit and he can deal with it as he wishes. He is, therefore, expected to provide his own initial kit if he decides to rejoin, and is required to sign a certificate that he is prepared to do so. After rejoining, he receives kit upkeep allowance as before. A Royal Marine enlisting or re-enlisting is given a free kit, which is maintained by periodical issues in kind. There is an exception to this rule where a man discharged to pension immediately re-enlists for further service. As there is no actual break in service, a new kit is not issued, and the man continues to use the kit already in his possession. His kit, however, continues to be maintained at public expense. He is required to sign a certificate that he understands the conditions of his re-enlistment, of which this is one.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give orders that the practice of painting out the men's messes and men's decks at such times as the men are forced to sleep there shall be discontinued, the practice being both unhealthy and inconvenient to those concerned?

I can assure the hon. Member that this is never done when it can be avoided. Opportunity is generally taken to paint the mess decks when part of the ship's company is on leave.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give orders that where hooks are provided in chief and petty-officers' messes these shall be used for the purpose provided, and whether he is aware that the prevailing practice is to deny those concerned the use of these hooks?

If the hon. Member will send me further particulars, I will have the matter looked into.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what was the tonnage of British coal used for the Navy for the year ending 31st March, 1914, and for the year ending 31st March, 1925?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of the 8th April last to the hon. Member for Wednesbury (Mr. Short).

asked the Minister of Health whether the widow of a railway clerk, who was exempt from the provisions of the National Health Insurance Act under a scheme provided by the employing railway company, will be entitled to the benefits proposed under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Bill for herself and children?

If the clerk referred to would have been insurable under the National Health Insurance Act immediately prior to his death, but for the fact that a certificate of exception had been issued to the employing authority, his widow will be entitled to a widow's pension provided she has at least one child who in January next will be under the age of 14.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the guardians of the Wantage Union, Berks, applied in 1908 for permission to impose stone-pounding as a task for casual paupers; that such permission was granted by the Local Government Board: and that the object was to obtain profit from it or to keep destitute wayfarers from applying to the casual ward for necessary relief; and whether it was before or after permission to use stone-pounding that the Wantage guardians imposed oakum-picking as a task for men or women, or both?

A task of stone-pounding was approved as a task for casual paupers on the application of the guardians of the Wantage Union in the year 1906. I am inquiring of the guardians as to the remainder of the question, and will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give, in tabular form, the number of deaths from influenza, scarlet fever, measles, whooping cough,

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that over 4,000 women die per year in Great Britain at childbirth; whether he is prepared to circularise all local authorities to urge the establishment of ante-natal clinics, where the best skilled advice would be obtainable, and arrange, where the prospective mother is too poor to engage the services of a qualified medical man, that this service shall be provided freely; and whether he will cause investigation to be made relating to the present provision of maternity homes?

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a Circular on the subject of maternal mortality addressed to local authorities on the 30th June, 1924, together with a copy of the Report referred to in the Circular which gives statistics relating to maternity mortality in England and Wales. This Circular impresses upon maternity and child welfare authorities the importance both of ante-natal supervision and of the provision of specialist advice and treatment for necessitous patients whenever necessary. Under the Midwives Acts the services of a doctor are available in emergencies without cost to the patient if she is unable by reason of poverty to pay the doctor's fee. The Circular also urges the provision of maternity beds, and in individual cases local authorities are recommended to make good any deficiencies in this respect which are discovered as the result of inspections by my medical officers. I see no need for any special investigation on this point.

chicken-pox, sleepy sickness, and smallpox for each of the last 10 years?

The required figures for England and Wales are as follow:

asked the Minister of Health the number of child welfare centres in the various localities in actual operation at present?

According to the information in the possession of my right hon. Friend's Department, the number of maternity and child welfare centres in England and Wales in operation on the 1st May was 2,368.

asked the Minister of Health what steps he has taken to confer with the county borough of West Ham representatives with respect to the alleviation of the housing conditions of the people in that borough?

My right hon. Friend has already stated that he would be very glad to arrange for his Department to see the representatives of the authority, and discuss their housing difficulties with them if they desire a conference, but up to the present he has not received any request for such a conference.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to two contradictory judgments as to the apportionment of rent under Section 12 (9) of The Rent Restriction Act, 1920, given by Judge Edward Haring-ton at the Windsor County Court, and Judge Terrell at the Folkestone County Court; and whether he will consider bringing in a Bill to define the meaning of this section?

The hon. Member had already drawn my right hon. Friend's attention to the cases in question. It should be pointed out, however, that the question to be determined under Section 12 (9) of the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restrictions) Act, 1920, is one of fact whether or not there has been bona fide reconstruction. This can only be settled by the Courts in each individual case, and my right hon. Friend does not think it would be practicable to introduce legislation on the lines suggested.

asked the Undersecretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, if he has had his attention directed to the need for general cleansing of the chief Birmingham post office, particularly the sorting and parcel post offices; is he aware that the abnormal sickness amongst the staff is attributable to the infanitary condition of the buildings; and will he take steps to have the necessary and promised reforms given effect to?

I find on inquiry that arrangements have already been made for the necessary cleansing to be carried out, and the work is now in hand. I am not aware that any sickness among the staff is attributable to the condition of the building.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the evidence given by Professor McFall, at a Liverpool inquest, on Jeremiah Meggs, who was manager of the Government disinfecting station, showed the gas masks in use for the disinfecting operations of formaldehyde to be inefficient; and if steps will be immediately taken to safeguard the lives of men employed on such tasks?

I have seen the evidence. Professor McFall appears to have been referring to some gas masks without face pieces, which he had seen at the station. These are not used, however, where there is serious exposure to formaldehyde vapour, as, for example, when entering the formaldehyde chamber, but for work in the neighbourhood of the machines, for which purpose I am advised they are efficient. A suitable type of mask for entering the chamber is provided. The protection of the workmen against the effect of fumes receives constant attention. I do not know whether the hon. and gallant Member is aware that the death of the manager was found to be the result of kidney disease of long standing.

asked the Home Secretary the total number of persons killed and injured during the year 1924 as a result of street accidents; the number of children under 14 included in these figures; and in how many of the accidents motor vehicles were involved?

The number of accidents resulting in death or personal injury caused by vehicles in streets, etc. in Great Britain during 1924 was: Fatal, 3,631; non-fatal, 94,584; total, 98,215. 3,019 of the fatal and 64,318 of the non-fatal accidents are stated by the police to have been due to mechanically propelled vehicles other than tramcars and trackless trolley vehicles. The numbers and ages of persons involved in these accidents are not known. The Registrar-general's Statistical Review of England and Wales for 1923 shows that of 3,017 deaths caused by vehicles other than on railways, 842 were of children under 15 years of age, and of these totals 2,451 deaths, including 754 of children under 15, were due to mechanically propelled vehicles. Figures for 1924 are not available.

asked the Home Secretary if he will issue a table showing the convictions for drunkenness per 1,000 of the population, and also assaults on the police in the years 1913 and 1923 or 1924 in each town in England with a population between 50,000 and 200,000, and also the percentage of unemployment in each case in the last year?

All figures at the Home Office relating to convictions for drunkenness and assaults on the police are published in the Annual Judicial Statistics and are available for the hon. Member so far as the years 1913 and 1923 are concerned. Returns as to unemployment are not made to my Department. It does not seem to me that any useful purpose would be served by extracting from the Judicial Statistics the particular figures in question, which the hon. Member can do for himself.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether Messrs. J. Lyons and Company, Limited, have any contracts in Government Departments; if so, the nature of such contracts; and whether such contracts contain a Fair Wages Clause?

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

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has anything to indicate that the Memorandum alleged to have been written by him, which appeared in the "New York World," was issued from the Foreign Office; whether any inquiry has been made by him to discover the source of the leakage; and what action he proposes to take to prevent such action in future?

I must refer the hon. Member to the replies which I gave to the right hon. Member for Aberavon (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald) and others on 11th May. I have nothing to add thereto.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been called to the increasing number of complaints as to short weight in coal received by rail from collieries; and, seeing that short weights tend to increase the price of coal to the consumers, does he propose to take any action in the matter?

Very few complaints have been received during the past year; but I hope shortly to receive a report on the subject based on independent inquiry, and I will then consider whether it is desirable and practicable to take any action.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed persons on the Walworth Road Employment Exchange register who have been refused benefit on the grounds that they have not been genuinely seeking employment during the months of December, 1924, and January, February, March and April, 1926?

The numbers of cases of refusal of extended benefit at the Borough Employment Exchange on the ground that the applicants were not making every reasonable effort to obtain suitable employment or were not willing to accept suitable employment were as under:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the yield for each financial year from 1920 to 1925 of 6d. in the £ of Income Tax for all schedules, Schedule A, Schedule D, and Schedule E, excluding incomes of weekly wage-earners, the aggregate income of weekly wage-earners subject to Income Tax, and the aggregate income subject to Super-tax, respectively?

For the reasons stated on page 115 of the 65th Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, it is no longer possible to divide the total

The aggregate amount of Income Tax and Super-tax paid in respect of incomes liable to Super-tax for the four years for which figures are given was approximately £825,000,000. The tax paid in respect of wages of weekly wage-earners (excluding from consideration any other income of those taxpayers) in the same period amounted roughly to £12,500,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of revenue raised by taxes on food in the years 1922, 1923, and 1924, respectively?

On the assumption that in this connection, tea, coffee, cocoa and chicory, as well as sugar and dried fruits are regarded as food, the figures are as follow:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Great Britain is receiving any interest on the war debts owing to this country by our late Allies; if so, what amounts have been received or whether such interest is added to the

yield of the Income Tax between the separate schedules. The following table shows the yield of the tax for every 6d. of the standard rate, the actual income of weekly wage-earners assessed to tax, and the estimated aggregate income liable to Super-tax for each year from 1920–21 onwards:

capital amount of the debt; and whether any proposals have been made or negotiations commenced to pay this interest, and by which countries?

Interest is not being received on war debts, as distinct from relief debts. The interest due is added each year to the principal outstanding. I can add nothing to the statements already made as to negotiations for the payment of these debts.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the opinion of the Berkshire Education Committee that the operation of the rule of the Board of Education that the fees in secondary schools should not increase with the age of the pupil was having a detrimental effect on the schools, and had seriously checked admissions into the lower forms of the schools, he will relax that regulation?

I am informing the Berkshire Local Education Authority that, in view of the high fee charged, I am prepared to consider on their merits proposals for some reduction to be made in the case of younger children.