asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the burden imposed on commercial vehicles under the increased taxes, he will consider either that the tax be paid in two instalments instead of in full at the commencement of the year, or, if paid in full, whether some rebate can be granted?

I have been asked to answer this question. I regret that I do not see my way to adopt my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion. I would, however, remind him that at the present time quarterly licences can be obtained, if desired, upon payment of a surcharge of 10 per cent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what countries have since the War, in addition to Great Britain, returned to the gold standard?

under the rules of Schedule E, and not under Schedule D.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of chicory imported from abroad and the duty on it, as well as the quantity of this product grown in this country in 1913–14 and each of the last five years?

Particulars in the exact form asked for are not available, but the following statement may be of service to my hon. and gallant Friend.

In addition to Great Britain, Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, India and other Dominions and Colonies, have restored their currencies to pre-War gold parities, or have maintained them at or above that parity. The same applies to the following foreign countries:

into exportable gold or into foreign gold standard currencies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any estimate of the stock of fuel oil now in the country; and for how long this stock will suffice, at the present rate of consumption, to keep British industry at work?

No precise figures are available as to the stocks of fuel oil in this country, but they are probably sufficient to meet normal requirements for some months. Only a small part of British industry uses oil as fuel.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the present price in this country of synthetic indigo and alizarine sky blue; and the prices at which these dyes can be obtained from Belgium and Germany?

I am informed that the present price for British synthetic indigo is 10d. per lb. for ordinary small quantities, with rebates bringing the price to 9d. per lb. for large quantities, and that the present price for German synthetic indigo is

about 8½d. per lb. There is no Belgian production.

As regards alizarine sky blue, I understand that only the B brand is at present manufactured in the United Kingdom, and that the price quoted is 20s. 3d. a lb., and that the present German price is between 13s. and 14s. a lb. There is no Belgian production.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received any representations from commercial sources urging the need of repeal of the Dyestuffs (Import Regulations) Act?

I have received no recent representations to the effect indicated in the question, except a resolution passed by the Council of the Blackburn and District Chamber of Commerce on the 9th December last.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the exports from this country to China of bleached, dyed and printed cotton pieces in 1913, and each of the last five years; and the exports from Japan to China of the same articles in the same years?

The following is the answer:

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the Government propose to give facilities during this Session to the Government Bill dealing with the prevention of fraudulent bankruptcy?

The Bankruptcy (Amendment) Bill, to which I presume that my hon. Friend refers, is at present awaiting the Royal Assent.

asked the Minister of Health in respect of the following local Government areas, County Borough of South Shields, Urban District of Blaydon, Urban District of Whickham, Urban District of Gosforth, Urban District of Newburn, and Urban District of Whitley and Monkseaton, how many houses have been built by the local authorities in these local Government areas since the War; what were the prices paid by these authorities for the land for such houses; what are the rents charged for the houses so built; and how many houses have been built since the War in these areas by private enterprise, with or without subsidy?

The information desired by the hon. and gallant Member,

I have no information as to the rents charged for houses erected by private enterprise and by the local authorities under the Housing Acts of 1923 and 1924.

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses at present sanctioned for construction under the various Housing Acts, and similar figures for a year ago?

Up to the end of May, 1926, 292,067 houses had been authorised for erection under the Housing Act of 1923 and 126,138 under the Act of 1924. The corresponding figures for May, 1925, were 205,030 and 58,359 respectively.

asked the Minister of Health how long Frank Taylor, of Lowton, has been retained in an institution at Calderstones, Whalley, Lancashire; whether he will inquire into his case, with, a view to restoring him to the care and protection of his parents; and whether, seeing that his

so far as it is available, is contained in the following table:

parents are in a position to guarantee that he shall be provided with medical and other supervision, including useful work, a licence can be granted in this case?

Frank Taylor was charged at Liverpool Assizes with the offence of arson, and ordered to be detained during His Majesty's pleasure. Subsequently, by an order under Section 9 of the Mental Deficiency Act, he was transferred from prison to Calderstones, where he has been detained since the 11th December, 1925. The patient is subject to epileptic fits, but his condition has been greatly alleviated by special treatment at the institution. The power to grant licence rests with the managers of the institution, but the medical superintendent is not prepared at present to recommend licence in this case; he states that the patient requires considerable attention and nursing.

asked the Minister of Health the date at which the Report of the Royal Commission on Lunacy can be laid before the House?

I am unable to state the date on which this Report will be laid before the House, but I understand that the Royal Commission hope to be in a position to present their Report before the end of next month.

asked the Secretary of State for War how the 76 grade 3 and 20 grade 2 posts allotted to Army record offices are being distributed between the various offices concerned?

The distribution of the poets in question, which actually number 21, Grade ii, and 78, Grade iii, is as follows:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has now considered bringing the position of officers in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service into line with that of officers in the merchant service, who, provided they are fit, can carry on their duties to any age; and whether he has further considered the making of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service a pensionable one?

These matters are under consideration, and a decision will be given as soon as possible.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has considered the case of established men, discharged at the age of 60, who are not allowed to extend their service in order to complete an extra full year's pensionable service, and who, therefore, get no advantage of the contributions from their wages towards pension during the odd months of their service; and whether he has considered refunding the moneys deducted?

As the hon. and gallant Member has been informed on previous occasions, no actual contributions or deductions are made from the wages of established workmen towards their pensions. The latter part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the President of the Board of Education, if he can indicate upon what particular departments of elementary education the increased grant to local education authorities of £1,023,208 is to be expended; and also the particular departments of secondary education in which the saving of £532,500 is to be effected?

Grants to local authorities are made in respect of elementary or higher education as a whole, and not in respect of particular departments of either. Details will be dealt with in the Memorandum on the Board's Estimates, which my right hon. Friend hopes to issue shortly. The figures quoted in the question relate, not to grants for the year, but to the estimated cash disbursements of grant by the Board to local education authorities within the year. If the hon. Member will examine the Estimates a little more closely, and will read page 28 of the Notes, he will see that the grants to local education authorities for higher education for the year 1926–27 are estimated at £5,075,000, which, as compared with the year 1926–26, show a reduction, not of £532,500, but of £25,000, and that this reduction is far more than accounted for by the final stage in the extinction of duplicate grants, the local expenditure assumed being, in fact, greater than in any previous year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Scotland has been traced to infected pig carcases imported from Holland, he is taking steps to prevent any similar source of infection continuing, and, if so, what they are; and whether, as vegetable produce is also coming to our ports from Holland, what steps it is proposed to take to secure that it will not also be a source of importing disease to our herds and flocks?

The recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Scotland have definitely established that infection has been introduced into this country through imported carcases of pigs, and after careful consideration the Government has decided that there is no alternative but to prohibit the importation of carcases from the Continent as the only means of preventing this risk. I have accordingly made an Order in pursuance of my powers under the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894, to carry out this decision.

The Order prohibits the landing in Great Britain of a carcase or part of a carcase as defined in the Order, brought from any country on the Continent of Europe (other than Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man). The only exceptions from this prohibition are:

( a ) fully cured bacon and ham, lard, or rendered fat, cooked or preserved meats or meat essences, and

( b ) hides and skins which have been dried, dry-salted or wet-salted. In the cases of wet-salted hides or skins, they must be accompanied by a certificate to the effect that they have been wet-salted for a period of 14 days.

The term "carcase" for the purposes of the Order means the carcase of any cattle, sheep, pigs or goats, and includes meat, hides, skins, hair, bones, bonemeal, hoofs, hoofmeal, horns, hornmeal, offal, blood, dried blood and blood meal, or any other part of a carcase separately or otherwise or any portion thereof.

In the absence of any convincing evidence that vegetable products from Holland and other parts of the Continent have caused outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in this country, I do not feel justified in proposing any action with regard to such articles, but the possibility of the introduction of infection from such a source is being carefully watched.

asked the Home Secretary how many persons were arrested during the period of the Emergency Powers Regulations from 1st to 29th May; the nature of the offences alleged to have been committed by such persons; the terms of imprisonment or other penalties inflicted; and the number of cases in which the persons charged were discharged by the magistrates?

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement on this subject which I made in the course of Debate last night.

asked the Home Secretary how many persons were arrested in the Bow and Bromley area and also in the South Poplar division during the four weeks ended 29th May and charged with offences under the Emergency Powers Regulations; the nature of the charges against such persons; the penalties imposed by the magistrates; and the number of prisoners who were released without punishment or penalty of any kind?

I will gladly give the hon. Member the figures he desires, but as the returns made to me were arranged according to police divisions, it may be a day or two before I can give the figures for the areas referred to in his question.

asked the Home Secretary by whose authority an aggregate meeting of Battersea workers, organised by the National Minority Movement and proposed to be held in Battersea Town Hall on Monday last, the object of the meeting being to discuss the lessons of the general strike, was prohibited by the police; how many persons were arrested in the borough of Battersea for offences against the Emergency Powers Regulations, the penalties imposed on such persons, and the number discharged by the magistrates without the imposition of any penalty?

The meeting in question was prohibited by my authority, in accordance with Regulation 22 (1) of the Emergency Regulations. As regards the latter part of the question, 21 persons were arrested in Battersea, of whom six were discharged, one bound over, six fined, one fined and sentenced to imprisonment, and seven sentenced to imprisonment.

asked the Home Secretary how many motor tenders fitted with wireless apparatus were used by the special constabulary in the Metropolitan police area between 1st and 14th May, 1926; whether the wireless apparatus used on these tenders is the property of the Police Department or whether they were lent or hired to the Department; and, if the latter, what was the amount paid or to be paid for this hiring, and to whom?

No tenders fitted with wireless apparatus were used in connection with the special constabulary. The rest of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Undersecretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he is aware of the unsatisfactory nature of the Hyde Tax Offices, at 1, Corporation Street, in respect of floor space, heating, lighting, and wall cleaning; whether, on the expiration of the present lease on 25th December of this year, the provision of more suitable alternative accommodation is under consideration; and whether any action is contemplated in connection therewith?

I am aware that the existing accommodation of this tax district is inadequate for the staff now employed, and the provision of alternative accommodation is under consideration.