asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether British imports of silk and artificial silk fabrics into the Dominions and America will be charged Import Duty upon a price which will include any drawback allowed here?

I have been asked to reply. In the Irish Free State, Australia and New Zealand, the value on which duty is leviable is the value after deducting any drawback allowed. In Canada and Newfoundland, however, and also, so far as I am able to judge, in the United States of America, no deduction from the sale value in the home market is allowed on this account. The Customs Acts of the Union of South Africa appear to contain no provision for the deduction of drawback for the purpose of determining the dutiable value, but I have some reason to think that such a deduction may, in fact, be allowed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give figures showing for each branch of the Supply Services, and giving separately in the case of the Civil Service, public education, the Ministry of Pensions, old age pensions, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour, and police and prisons, the cost of salaries and wages, and travelling and incidental expenses of the staff in the years 1914–15, 1920–21, and 1924–25, respectively?

Following is a statement showing the net cost of salaries, wages, travelling, legal and incidental (administrative) expenses for the years 1914–15 (pre-War), 1920–21 and 1924–25.

( Note. — The figures for 1914–15 and 1924–25 are taken from the Estimates for those years. The figures for 1920–21 represent the audited expenditure, as in that year, owing to the abnormal conditions then prevailing, estimates and actual expenditure differed widely in many cases.

In view of the transfer of most of the Irish Services since 1920–21, the figures throughout (except in the case of the Post

( a ) Owing to the introduction of cost accounting in the Army a number of items of expenditure are classed as headquarters expenditure in 1920–21 and 1924–25 which were not so classed in 1914–15. If the 1914–15 classification had been adopted in 1920–21 and 1924–25 the amounts shown for those years would have been less by some 25 per cent, in each case.

( b ) Excluding arrears of civil pay relating to the War years and early post-War years, for which provision was made in Supplementary Estimates in 1924–25.

( c ) Including salaries, etc., for the administration of Old Age Pensions borne on the Revenue Departments' Votes.

Office, where there are insufficient data on which to form an estimate), relate to Great Britain only.)—

( d ) Excluding salaries, etc., for the administration of Old Age Pensions and including superannuation charges.

( e ) Relates to the Departments which in 1914–15 administered the services now administered by the Departments named.

( f ) Excluding cost of services, e.g., the valuation of pensioners' assets, the figures for which are not available for all the three years. The estimated cost of those services was £10,000 in 1924–25.

( g ) In 1924–25 the whole cost and in 1914–15 and 1920–21 part only of the cost of administering Unemployment Insurance was recovered from the Unemployment Fund.

The figures, excluding unrecovered cost of administration of Unemployment Insurance, are—

The figure for 1914–15 excludes the cost (not separately recorded) of administering a number of labour services which in that year were administered by other Departments, mainly the Board of Trade. The expenditure in 1920–21 was due largely to the administration of schemes for the training and resettlement of ex-service men and of the out-of-work donation (His Majesty's Forces).

( h ) These amounts include the salaries, etc., of the officers engaged in the audit of the accounts of local authorities in England and Wales. Fees, in the form of stamps, are charged to cover the expenses of audit, but no deduction has been made from the gross cost of the salaries, etc., of the Ministry of Health for these fee stamp receipts, which amounted to £62,000 in 1914–15, £90,000 in 1920-21 and £170,000 in 1924–25.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, after the imposition of the proposed duty on foreign hops, adequate bonded warehouse accommodation will be available to enable hops to be imported in bond?

If applications be made for the approval of bonded warehouses for the deposit of imported hops, they will be duly considered. I may add that bonded warehouses are not provided by the Crown, but are privately owned, and subject to the approval of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated revenue obtained by the 10s. Licence Duty on sellers of methylated spirits; whether, in view of the need for more revenue and the increased use of the spirit for potable purposes, the Treasury have inquired into a duty on the spirits sold; and if he can state what is the present consumption?

The yield of duty from methylated spirit retailers' licences for the year ended 31st March, 1925, was £9,682, and the quantity of mineralised methylated spirits sent out by makers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the same period was 1,388,448 bulk gallons. I am not aware that the drinking of methylated spirits is on the increase and, as the hon. and gallant Member is aware, a duty on methylated spirits does not form part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's. Budget proposals.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can show in tabular form the licence duty paid by tobacco manufacturers contrasted with that paid by brewers with its pro rata increase in proportion to output; and whether he can give any calculation as to the revenue that might be obtained on an assumption that a licence duty was taken from tobacco manufacturers in proportion to output which would bear on profits much as the present licence duty on brewers bears on brewing profits?

The rates of licence duty are as follow:

Information is not available to enable the calculation asked for in the second part of the question to be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will define the attitude of the British Government in the matter of the payment to pensioners resident in the Irish Free State of the pension increases granted by the British Government under the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1924, the cost of which has been stated by the Finance Minister in the Dail to be borne entirely by British funds?

The provisions of the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1924, apply to

The above figures do not represent a net decrease of the existing charge, since new increases are being made from time to time as other pre-1920 pensioners attain the age of 60.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give an estimate for what is in each of the last three years the estimated value of gold raised, the amount of gold consumed in the arts, and the amount of gold required to maintain the gold standard in each of the countries in which it is adopted, respectively; and what was the estimated annual loss by wear and tear when gold was in free circulation before the War.

The total annual gold production of the world has in recent years been as follows:

The total existing gold reserves of the world are estimated at about £1,800,000, apart from what exist in jewellery and foreign fabrics.

pensions not exceeding £100 payable out of moneys provided by Parliament, notwithstanding that the pensioner may be resident in the Irish Free State.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the average annual number of pensions affected by the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1920; the average number of deaths per week; and the average annual amount of increases falling out of payment for Army, Navy, Civil Service, teachers, and police?

Following are the figures:

The amount of gold consumed in the arts is stated in the Report of the United States Mint to be:

For 1924 no estimate is as yet available.

The amount of gold required in the central reserves of the countries on the gold standard must be a matter of opinion and I can offer no reliable estimate. Nor am I aware of any official estimate of the annual world loss by wear and tear of gold coin; but, in any case, it must be relatively insignificant.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the total number of pensions paid to the police, teachers, Army and Navy in 1922, 1923, and 1924; what are the amounts paid in each case each year; and the average pension paid, giving the highest and the lowest?

Following are the figures as far as available:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many persons were in receipt of Civil Service pensions in 1924–25; what was the rate of such pensions; the average gratuity on retirement; the average pension paid

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will make inquiries into the case of Maurice Thurlow (3901), of 11, Albert Place, Tottenham, who is without income but whose wife is employed at 30s. per week; and will he state why Thurlow is only receiving 1s. per week old age pension?

I have made inquiries into the matter, as requested by the hon. Member. Under Section 2 (2) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1911, the means of a person who is one of a married couple living together in the same house are calculated for old age pension purposes as being half the total means of the couple. Mr. Thurlow's means are, therefore, taken to be half the yearly earnings

during 1923–24, giving the highest and lowest pension; and the total cost of such pensions?

Following are the figures:

of his wife, and on this basis he was granted an old age pension at the appropriate rate of 1s. per week.

asked the Prime Minister if he will consent to the appointment of a Committee of three impartial persons to consider the nature of the secret statements which, unsupported by evidence, were made the occasion of the dismissal of Miss Violet Douglas-Pennant from her position in the Women's Royal Air Force?

No, Sir. I would refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given by me on the 6th May in answer to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for Rhondda East (Lieut.-Colonel Watts-Morgan).

asked the Prime Minister whether the consideration of the Muddiman Committee Report on the Government of India is proceeding at the present time; whether any consultations between the Indian Government and Indian political sections have been contemplated; and when His Majesty's Government expect to be in a position to acquaint the House with recommendations on the questions involved, especially the earlier appointment of the Royal Commission contemplated in the Government of India Act?

I have been asked to reply. The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. To the remainder I must give the same answer as was supplied to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Newcastle Central (Mr. Trevelyan) on Monday last.

asked the Prime Minister whether pronouncements on defence policy and strategy such as those adumbrated by the Chief of the Air Staff at Cambridge, on 29th April, and by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in London, . on 2nd May, are considered by and represent the collective views of the three Chiefs of Staff, their Ministers, and the Chairman of the Committee of Imperial Defence in accordance with the responsibilities laid down by the Salisbury Committee of November, 1923?

The answer is in the negative. It is clear from the circumstances in which both the pronouncements referred to were delivered that the Chief of the Air Staff and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff were speaking in their personal capacities, and not in virtue of the specific responsibilities assigned to them in their capacity as members of the Committee of Imperial Defence. The statements were made with the knowledge of their respective Secretaries of State.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the present position of the case in the Japanese Courts, brought by Messrs. P. Heath and Company, for payment for large quantities of steel plates ordered during the War by the South Manchurian Railway, which is guaranteed by the Japanese Government; and whether any representation has been made to the Japanese Government with a view to expediting the proceedings?

The case brought by Messrs. P. Heath and Company is not against the South Manchurian Railway but against Mr. Nishikawa and his heirs. It has been decided in Messrs. Heath's favour in the Court of first instance, and is now being heard on appeal. His Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo has given every possible assistance to Messrs. Heath, and will continue to do so.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether ha is aware that English ratings of the Royal Navy, when undergoing treatment at the Royal Naval Hospital, Simons-town, South Africa, are accommodated in the same wards as Kroomen, and that on several occasions English ratings have had to surrender their beds to Kroomen when they have been admitted to the hospital for treatment; and will he take steps to have separate wards for the English ratings, who, when they are convalescent, have to wait on the coloured ratings?

I am having inquiries made on this subject.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether those rope-makers formerly employed at the Ropery, His Majesty's Dockyard, Devonport, who reverted to labourers on the reduction of the ropery staff, are still entitled to take their discharge if they so desire; and whether he will state if on taking their discharge they would be entitled to receive the full allowances as to pensions to which they would be entitled at the date on which they took their discharge?

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

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that officers and men of His Majesty's Royal Navy on the East Indies station are losing as much as 2s. 6d. in the £ sterling owing to the fixed rate of currency on this station; and will he consider this question, with a view to reducing the present hardship, by expediting an answer to Item 14 of the 1924 Welfare Request?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of the 20th May to my hon. Friend the Member for Bodmin (Mr. Harrison).

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the sum provided and voted this Session under the Navy Vote for marriage allowances is in accordance with a scale previously approved of; whether it has been found inadequate under a revised scale; and whether, in such cases, he will, in accordance with established practice, propose a Supplementary Estimate for the difference or will he transfer savings for the purpose?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Devonport on the 6th May.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, with respect to the numbers of secondary school places, he will state how many of the places added since 1913 are new places; and how many are places previously existing but not on the grant list?

The total increase in the number of pupils in secondary schools between 1913 and 1924 was about 171,800. Existing schools admitted to the grant list for the first time since 1913 contained about 28,150 pupils at the time of their first admission to the list.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that greater educational facilities are provided by the State in Scotland than in England and Wales; and if he will take such steps as may be necessary to establish equality in this respect as between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom?

If the hon. Member will kindly send him particulars of the deficiencies which he thinks exist in the public system of education in England and Wales, as compared with that in Scotland, my right hon. Friend will be happy to consider his representations.

asked the Minister of Labour, approximately, what percentage of the people at present in receipt of unemployment benefit are drawing standard or covenanted benefit?

Statistics on this point are not regularly compiled, but have been obtained for a recent date, namely, 18th May. Of the authorised claims to benefit at that date, 52'4 per cent. were in respect of standard benefit.

asked the Minister of Labour for how many men and women, respectively, employment had been found at the Sheffield Exchange and the Attercliffe Exchange during the quarter ended 6th April, 1925?

The numbers of men and women placed in employment by the Sheffield and Attercliffe Employment Exchanges during the three months ended 6th April, 1925, are as under:

also asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women on the Sheffield and Attercliffe Exchanges, respectively, at the end of February, March and April?

The numbers of men and women on the registers of Sheffield and Attercliffe Employment Exchanges were as under:

further inquired as to the number of claims to benefit referred and rejected, respectively, by the Sheffield and Attercliffe Committee since 9th February, 1925?

During the period 10th February to 11th May, 1925, 17,074 applications for extended benefit were considered by the local employment committee for Sheffield and Attercliffe, of which 1,822 were rejected.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will explain the procedure now in operation for giving grants-in-aid of schemes of employment and the conditions on which such grants may be given; and the sums of money allotted to each municipality since the War in respect of such schemes?

Local authorities who wish to obtain Government assistance towards the cost of schemes proposed for the relief of unemployment may make application to the appropriate Grant-making Department. The Departments mainly concerned are the Ministry of Transport in respect of schemes for work on main roads, and the Unemployment Grants Committee in respect of other schemes. I am sending the hon. Member particulars of the conditions on which grants are made by these Departments. As regards the last part of the question, I am afraid it would be a very heavy task to take out the particulars asked for.

asked the Minister of Labour whether and, if so, what applications have been made by the Plymouth town council since the War for grants towards the cost of works in relief of unemployment in Devonport and Plymouth, respectively; what grants have been made; whether any of the works in respect of which grants have been made are now in progress, and the number of men that are now employed on them; and whether any further applications are now under consideration?

I am taking steps to collect, as far as may be possible, the information desired by the hon. Member, and I will forward it to him when received.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can give any statistical information published by the United States Government as to the percentage of unemployment in the area under its control?

No statistics of unemployment are published by the United States Government. The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics, however, compile a monthly report on employment in manufacturing industries. The latest available data of this kind are summarised in the current issue of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette."

asked the Home Secretary whether ex-Superintendent Fred Cooper, of the East Riding Constabulary, now undergoing a sentence of imprisonment for embezzlement, will be allowed any pension or gratuity in respect of his services in the police force, especially in view of the fact that he was entitled to retire on full pension prior to the date of his offence; that he had previously been found a most reliable officer; and that he made full repayment to the authorities of the sum of money subject to the charge and, furthermore, voluntarily surrendered himself to arrest?

I understand that on 6th April last, before there was any suspicion of misbehaviour on the part of ex-Superintendent Cooper, the East Riding Standing Joint Committee gave a direction under Section 6 of the Police Pensions Act, 1921, to the effect that he should be entitled on retiring at any time thereafter to receive a pension not less than that with which he could then have retired. The ex-Superintendent's conviction does not make a pension so secured liable to forfeiture, and it will therefore be paid to him.

asked the Home Secretary what arrangements are made to deal with prisoners who are found to be of weak mentality, but are not certifiable as insane or mentally defective; whether they are assembled together and, if so, at which prison; how many prisoners are so assembled and how many of them are under the age of 21; whether they are long-term or short-term prisoners; and in what respect the treatment they receive differs from the treatment of the ordinary prisoners?

Male prisoners who, although not certifiable as insane or mentally defective, are unfit for the ordinary discipline of a prison, are collected in four prisons; female prisoners in three prisons. Since 1st July, 1924, 91 males, seven of whom were under 21 years of age, have been transferred to the centres from other prisons. Four females were transferred, one of whom was under 21 years of age. All were serving sentences of three months' imprisonment or more. In addition, there were at the centres 50 male and 18 females of the same class. Of these, two males and one female were under 21 years of age. These, also, were serving sentences of three months or more. All such Prisoners in these prisons are located together under special supervision. They are instructed in such work of an industrial character as they can perform, and Brabazon classes have been arranged for those who are unfit for ordinary prison work. Out-door labour, gardening, etc., are carried on as far as possible. The prisoners are under the observation of the medical officers and of a selected staff, and special allowance is made by the officials for the inability of the prisoners to conform to prison discipline. The prisoners receive extra facilities for exercise.

asked the Home Secretary whether his officials have taken any steps to scrutinise the papers-of the large number of alien waiters employed in the West End and elsewhere, with a view to making sure that they have not entered this country by irregular means?

Yes, Sir; -I he papers of all newcomers are carefully-scrutinised when they attend for registration, and test investigations are made from time to time among alien hotel employés with a view to discovering any irregularities.

asked the Postmaster-General, with reference to the further inquiries which he promised to make into the closing of the sub-post office at Glenmore Avenue, Devonport, which has taken place consequent upon the death of the sub-postmistress, whether he is aware that this sub-postmistress left a War orphan, who is a cripple, aged 14 years, under the guardianship of her aunt, Miss Henwood, who has been training to become efficient in postal work, and that there is disapproval in the neighbourhood of the closing of this post office, not only because it serves the needs of nearly 5,000 inhabitants, who are seriously inconvenienced by the closing of a sub-post office which has been open for 23 years to the advantage of the neighbourhood, but because the closing will inflict hardship on the War orphan, above referred to, and upon her aunt, who is struggling to make a living for both; and whether, in these circumstances, he can now say that the original decision can be revised?

I have not yet completed my inquiries as to the case for maintaining a post office in the district. I will communicate with the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the causes of the delay in the deliberations of the Committee sitting to consider the Report on the Allocation of Sorting Office Duties, and whether he can take steps to expedite the decision of this Committee?

The delay has been due partly to the consideration of a scheme of reorganisation which was put forward independently by the staff, but which had a material bearing on the problems before the Committee, and partly to alterations lately introduced in the methods of sorting and the fittings used. The report of the Committee will be expedited as far as circumstances permit.

asked the Post master-General whether Post Office Regulation No. 861 (Pensions and Gratuities) is still operative; if so, whether his attention has been drawn to the case of T. G. Berwick, who retired from Tavis took (Devon) Post Office in 1922 on a pension of £75 per annum, after 16 years' established service and 14 years' unestablished service, and who has not been allowed to count any of his unestablished service towards calculation for pension; and whether he will review this case for the purpose of making an increase in the amount of pension already granted?

There has been no alteration in the Regulations relating to the counting of unestablished service for pension; but the counting of such service is conditional, inter alia, on the service being full-time. In the case referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend the pensioner concerned did not become a full-time servant of the State until the 21st September, 1905. Before that date he carried on a private business in conjunction with his duties as postmaster. On his retirement in July, 1922, he had therefore completed only 16 years of pensionable service, and I regret that it is not possible to increase his pension.

asked the Minister of Health whether the widow, aged 55, of a man who died 11 years ago, and who before his death was a cripple for 13 years and therefore unable to contribute to the National Health Insurance, will be able to become a voluntary contributor to the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Bill with a view to receiving the old age pension at 65 instead of 70.

The answer is in the negative unless the widow herself has at some time since 15th July, 1912, been insured for at least 104 weeks and paid 104 contributions.

asked the Minister of Health if he will order an inquiry to be held by the Board of Control, at which the guardians of the Wandsworth Union can be represented, into the case of Charles William Ward, a patient at Long Grove Mental Hospital, who was found by a committee of the guardians of the Wandsworth Union in bed suffering from injuries alleged to have been inflicted upon him by an attendant; and if he will take such steps as may be necessary to ensure the Board of Control holding an independent inquiry generally as to the treatment of patients at Long Grove Mental Hospital and to ensure that a board of guardians shall be immediately notified of any injury to a patient chargeable to them, so that they may be able to visit the patient, if they so desire, prior to any inquiry being held, and be represented at such inquiry should they consider it necessary?

I am informed by the Board of Control that a full inquiry was held by the visiting committee in this case, and that the guardians were furnished with a copy of the notes of evidence taken, and were not able to suggest any fresh evidence that could be called. In the circum-stances, it is not clear that any useful purpose would be served by the Board of Control holding a further inquiry. As regards the treatment of patients generally at this hospital, I would remind the hon. Member that it is part of the statutory functions of the Board of Control to supervise this, and the institution will be visited by them in due course. I am not satisfied that it is necessary or practicable to take any action in the directions indicated in the remaining parts of the question.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider calling for a return from rural district councils which would give the number of empty houses of an average weekly rental, when occupied, not exceeding 6s. and under, and also include the number of houses, either empty or in an insanitary condition, which have, during the past 12 months, been acquired compulsorily and put in order in accordance with powers invested in local authorities under the Housing Acts?

I have considered the suggestion of the hon. and gallant Member, but I do not consider that the value of such a return would be commensurate with the cost and labour which would be involved by its compilation.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that Thomas Richards, 80, Tir-du Avenue, Morriston, Swansea, an insured person under the National Health Insurance Act, has been deprived of his full benefits; that he became ill on the 8th January, 1925, and continued ill until the 22nd of April, 1925; that he received sickness benefit through his approved society, the Prudential Assurance Company, at the rate of 8s. per week, whereas he claims he was entitled to 15s.; that on making inquiries he finds that his employers, Messrs. Thomas Johns and Company, Morriston, Glamorgan, went into liquidation and failed to affix the 23 stamps from 2nd July to 3rd December, 1923; and that the business during this period was carried on by the trustee in bankruptcy, and Thomas Richards continued in his employment during the whole of that period and up to 17th March, 1924; and will he make inquiries into this case, so that this man may have the benefits he contracted for, and also into other cases of the same nature?

The failure of the firm in question to pay contributions for a certain period was brought to the notice of the Welsh Board of Health, who lodged a claim in respect of the outstanding contributions with the Trustees in Bankruptcy, but it has not been possible to recover any portion of the amount due. It was open to the insured persons affected to pay the contributions themselves for the period of employment in order to avoid subsequent loss of benefit, and any of them who inquired about the matter were advised to this effect. I find that Mr. Thomas Richards did not communicate with the Department, and, therefore, nothing was known of his case, but he has now been given an opportunity of stamping a duplicate card for the period in question, and, if he does this, his society will be instructed to revise his account so as to enable the benefit for his illness in 1925 to be paid at the full rate. Similar action will be taken in any other cases of the same nature that may be brought to notice.

asked the Minister of Health what surplus, if any, accrued from the National Health Insurance Act to the Treasury for the year 1924; whether, in previous years, the surplus accruing under the National Health Insurance Act has been used for other purposes than those specified; and, if so, what are the amounts, the objects, and the years?

No surplus can in any circumstances accrue to the Treasury under the National Health Insurance Act. Any surplus disclosed on the valuation of an approved society can only be applied in the provision of additional benefits for the insured members of the society.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the number of ex-service men dismissed from the Cardington Aerodrome since 1st April as compared with the non-service men?

Thirty-five ex-service men and eight non-service men have been discharged from Cardington since 1st April last, but these figures must be read in relation with the numbers retained in employment at Cardington, namely, 60 ex-service and 11 non-service men. I may add that the additional requirements at Pulham have been met as far as possible by transfers from Cardington.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will have inquiries made in the case of G. Hazelwool, ex-Private, No. 30,063, Worcester Regiment, Ministry reference 6/MH/3,326, who received a nil disablement final award on 10th December, 1921; whether he is aware that Mr. Hazelwood submitted a claim under Article 9 of the Royal Warrant in respect of emphysema and that the secretary of the Deritend Ex-Service Men's Guild, who were contesting the case, was informed that the condition from which Hazelwood is suffering was considered to be the same for which a final award was given, thus preventing Hazelwood from exercising his right of appeal to the appeal tribunal and whether he will issue Regulations giving ex-service men the right of- appeal against decisions by the Ministry that a new disease is considered part of that on which a decision has already been given, so that any man dissatisfied with the Ministry's decision may carry the question to an independent tribunal?

The ailment referred to in this case was actually the same disability as that in respect of which the final award was made. Not more than one appeal in respect of a disability for which a final award has been made is provided by Statute. The case has been carefully considered under the special arrangements for the correction of serious errors in final award, but I am medically advised that there is no ground for considering the final award to be erroneous in this case.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that the bonus addition in respect of the increased cost of living now being paid to civil servants and others entrusted with the duty of administering Great War disability pensions amounts to 80 per cent., and that the bonus payable to disabled soldiers in receipt of such pensions amounts to 20 per cent. only, and has not been revised since the introduction of the Royal Warrant of 1919, he is prepared to consider the question of adjusting the position?

I have been asked to reply. The bonus referred to which is payable to the staff employed in the public service is calculated by reference to pre-War rates, and varies from 80 per cent. downwards in inverse ratio to the rate of salary. On the same basis the rates of disablement pension which are at present payable represent an increase, not of 20 per cent., but, on an average, of 130 per cent, above pre-War rates of pension.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether the Royal Warrant for the re-assessment of former war disability pensions of soldiers who served in the Great War has been made known to all concerned, or whether individual applications for increase are expected?

The provisions of the Warrant have been circulated to all area offices of the Ministry, and instructions have been given that all cases in which pensioners are known to be eligible for the benefits of the Warrant referred to shall be dealt with without the necessity of application on the part of the men concerned.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is now in a position to reply regarding the case of Major T. S. Impey, of the Royal Air Force, who was granted temporary retired pay, but was subsequently informed that that pay would be withheld in view of the fact that he had already received a short-service gratuity?

The Royal Air Force scheme for short service, under which Major Impey was granted a commission, precludes payment of gratuity in respect of short service concurrently with the receipt of disability retired pay. In order, however, to obviate hardship in this case, I have arranged for the payment of disability retired pay as from the 31st May, 1924, subject only to deduction by small instalments of the gratuity over a term of years. Payment has already been made to Major Impey on this basis.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will consider taking steps to appoint a Select Committee, constituted so as to have the confidence of all parties in the House of Commons, to inquire into the effect of the existing Regulations of the Ministry of Pensions on ex-service men and their dependants, with a view to reaching an agreed settlement of the problems which, while not putting an unfair burden on the State, will do full justice to the claims of ex-service men and their dependants?

The appointment of a Select Committee is a matter for the decision of the Government. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister in this House on the 26th March last, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of his promise of fair and considerate treatment of ex-service candidates for the Civil Service, he will reconsider his decision that the whole of the vacancies arising in the administrative grade of the Civil Service during the two years from 1st April, 1924, to 31st March, 1926, shall be offered to the non-service candidates at the forthcoming examination next August, seeing that only five of the successful ex-service candidates at the open competition in 1921 have been, offered appointments in that grade?

I am afraid that the hon. Member is mistaken in thinking that the open competition for the administrative class held in 1921 to which he refers was a competition among ex-service men. The list resulting from that competition was finally closed on the 31st March last, after having been kept open for two years beyond the regulation period, and I see no-justification for re-opening it. I would remind the hon. Member that, following the recommendations of Lord Gladstone's Committee, a special series of competitions was held after the War to enable ex-service men to enter the administrative grade of the Civil Service, and from those competitions as many as 198 appointments, of ex-service men were made.