asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that a man named Carr, a former storekeeper at the Llanbradoch Colliery, aged 65 years, who is paralysed on one side, was on 5th May summoned by telephone to the local Employment Exchange and instructed to enrol for railway patrol duty or forfeit his unemployment insurance benefit; whether such an order was given on the authority of his Department; and, if not, whether he will give instructions that such orders are not again issued?

I am having inquiries made into this case, and will let the hon. Member know the result as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many small holdings have been resumed by resumption processes in the Land Court since 1912, the counties in which these resumptions have taken place, and the total acreage of such resumed holdings.

I shall endeavour to obtain the information asked for in the question, and I shall inform the hon. Member of the results of my inquiries.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he had an opportunity of considering the points submitted by a deputation representing the Auxiliary Sorters' Association on the 12th February last; and, if so, whether a favourable answer can now be given?

The points raised by the deputation have received consideration, and a reply is now being sent.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether, before the lease of the Russell Building, Liverpool, is renewed for occupation by the staff of the Inland Revenue, he will cause investigation to be made of the complaints submitted on the grounds of the absence of general cleanliness, the defective lift service and the inconvenience of the store-room; and whether he will consider what steps can be taken to minimise the dirt due to the proximity of an incinerator?

No complaints have been received as to any lack of cleanliness in the building. The Inland Revenue Department are themselves responsible for cleaning the staff rooms. The lessors of the building clean the entrances and staircases, and I am informed that the present condition of these is satisfactory. No complaint regarding the lift service has been received since September last, when a small repair was necessary, which resulted in the lifts being unavoidably out of action for a day or two. The storeroom is adequate and is situated in the basement, which is the appropriate place for it. The complaint made about smoke from a neighbouring chimney will be investigated before the question of renewal of the lease is decided.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, under recently altered procedure, claims for old age and blind pensions are required to be sent first to the Ministry of Health instead of, as formerly, to the pension officers for the localities in which the claimants reside; and that, in consequence of the provisions of Section 6 (1) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1919, the new procedure will in some cases lead to loss of pension in respect of the first week or weeks of currency contemplated by that Sub-section, and whether he will specify the statutory justification for such action; and, whether he will again amend the procedure so that every claimant shall receive the full amount of pension contemplated by the Subsection?

I am aware that all claims for old age pensions and blind persons' pensions are now sent in the first instance to the Ministry of Health, but my hon. Friend is under a misapprehension in thinking that this arrangement may lead to the loss of a week's pension in some cases. It has been arranged that, for the purposes of Section 6 (1) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1919, the date of receipt of the claim in the Ministry shall be treated as the date of receipt by the pension officer.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the maximum age at which regular officers of the Royal Air Force are permitted to qualify as pilots; the maximum age at which any regular officer has so qualified during the past three years; and the estimated cost of training regular officers for pilot qualification?

The answer to the first part of the question is that no maximum age is laid down, for the reasons explained in my answer to the hon. and gallant Member for South-wark Central (Colonel Day) on 21st April. The answer to the second part is 49 years. The officer in question learnt to fly at his own request at his unit, where he was employed on technical duties, at no additional cost beyond petrol, oil and ordinary wear and tear. As regards the last part, no exact costed figure for the training of a Service pilot is available, but as a rough estimate the cost may be taken as in the neighbourhood of £2,000.