asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that, although there are in the county of Kerry 1,600 ex-service men, no houses have been built in accordance with the agreement of 1924; and what steps toe responsible authority proposes to take in the matter?

I have no knowledge of any Agreement of 1924, and I am informed that the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust who, under the provisions of the Irish Free State (Consequential Provisions) Act, 1923, are responsible for the completion of the scheme for providing houses for ex-service men in Ireland, are also unaware of any such agreement. I understand from the Trust, however, that they have already taken preliminary steps towards the provision of houses in County Kerry, but have experienced great difficulty in securing sites at reasonable prices.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the Godstone, Surrey, Rural District Council have given notice to tenants of council houses that unless compliance is made with the amended tenancy agreement, stipulating that decorative work in the houses shall be carried out at the expense of the tenant, in so far as labour is concerned, steps will be taken to terminate the existing tenancy; and, in view of the hardship inflicted upon such tenants, will he consider an amendment to Section 67 of The Housing Act, 1925?

The hon. Member has drawn my attention to the conditions of tenancy imposed by the Rural District Council of Godstone, but I have no power to intervene in view of the fact that the control and management of the houses are vested by Statute in the local authority. I do not consider that any amendment of the Statute in chic: respect is called for.

asked the Minister of Health if he will inquire into the circumstances attending the refusal, under the Widows', Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, of a pension to Mrs. Ward, the widow of the late William John Ward, of 176, Mayor Road, Stratford, E.?

I have made inquiry and find that the widow's application shows that her husband was born on 15th April, 1853. He was therefore over 70 at the commencement of the Act and his widow is only entitled to a pension if the conditions of Section 19 of the Act are satisfied. One of these conditions is that there should be living at the death of the husband at least one child under the age of 14 and, as the application shows that there were no children under 14, the claim cannot succeed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been secured by the Silk Duties in each month since their inception under the following heads: the Import duty on raw material, both real silk and artificial, the Excise on artificial silk, and the tax on manufactured articles respectively?

The information requested by my hon. Friend is contained in the following table:

asked (1) the Minister of Health what is the number of writing assistants with over and under six years' service, respectively, but with more than two years' service, who have been classified as A, or above-average, for promotion purposes in his Department; and what is the number of shorthand typists and typists, respectively, with over five years' service who have been similarly classified;(2) the Minister of Labour what is the number of writing assistants with over and under six years' service, respectively, but with more than two years' service, who have been classified as A, or above-average, for promotion purposes in his Department; and what is the number of shorthand typists and typists, respectively, with over five years' service who have been similarly classified?

asked (1) the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, taking the Paymaster-General's Office, the Inland Revenue apart from Tax Offices, the Customs and Excise Department, the Stationery Office, the Treasury itself, and the tax offices of the Inland Revenue, he will state what is the number of writing assistants with over and under six years service, but with more than two years' service, who have been classified A, or above-average, for promotion purposes; and what is the number of shorthand typists and typists, respectively, with over five years' service who have been similarly classified in the same Department;(2) the Secretary of State for War the number of shorthand typists and typists, respectively, with over five years' service, who have been classified A, or above-average, for promotion purposes in his Department?

These Reports are confidential, and, by agreement reached on the National Whitley Council, are not communicated to individual officers except in the case of a marking which reflects upon the officer concerned. To give the particulars asked for would tend to prejudice the confidential nature of the Reports, and I regret, therefore, that I am not in a position to give them.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the forthcoming examinations for the writing assistant and clerical officer classes (women) have given rise to anxiety on the part of the temporary women staffs; and whether be will give an assurance that it is not intended by the examinations it question to introduce girls from outside the service on such a scale as to adversely prejudice the position of the remaining temporary personnel?

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is able to give an assurance that the forthcoming examinations for the writing assistant and clerical officer grades, for which young girls only are eligible, will not adversely prejudice the position of existing temporary staffs?

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the forthcoming examinations for the writing assistant and clerical officer grades (women) are giving rise to apprehension in the minds of temporary women civil servants who realise that the question of their continued security will be reviewed at the end of the present year; and whether he will give an assurance that it is not intended adversely to prejudice the position of these vomen by the holding of the examinations in question?

I am not aware of any anxiety on behalf of temporary women staffs as a result of the forthoming examinations for writing assitants and clerical class (women) to fill acancies in women's branches. With retard to the latter half of the question, I would invite attention to the undertaking in this matter which I have already given and which is set out in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member or Paddington, North (Sir W. Perring) on the 7th December last by the Assstant Postmaster—General.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Indi whether, in view of the resolution posed by the Legislative Assembly, on 1st September, 1926, favouring the removal of the sex disqualification clause from rules relating to membership of the Legislative Assembly and to the consequent alteration of the rules, the Government of India propose to include women among the nominated members of the present Legislative Assembly?

So far as I am aware the persons selected by the Governor-General to fill the 14 seats available to nominated non-officials include no women, but I have not yet seen the official intimation of the selection for all of these 14 seats.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give figures showing the present ratio of the cruiser strength of Great Britain to that of other naval Powers, with comparative figures for 1913–14?

The figures are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he will state, in respect of the current year, how much money has been contributed by each of the Dominions and Crown Colonies towards naval defence?

I understand that the estimated expenditure on naval defence for 1926–27 in the ease of the various Dominions is as follows:Canada, ․1,500,000.Commonwealth of Australia, £5,300,000 (including £2,500,000 for fleet construction).

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he will give instructions to reestablish in Malta the former practice that all communications to the governor made by the Imperial legal adviser shall be made though the lieutenant-governor, and not without his knowledge or responsibility, in regard to legal appreciations subject to error or otherwise having political consequences and affecting the civil government?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the military adjudications in cases of damge to farmers by manoeuvres in Malta have been accepted without appeal or litigation in 99 per cent. of claims; whether in such matters there has been any complaint against the civil Courts since the dyarchical constitution of 1887; what were the reasons of urgency for promulgating on the 4th of February a military ordinance abolishing in such matters the jurisdiction of civil tribunals, pending a pledge communicated to the Governor and given by representatives of the House of Lords and House of Commons that the Imperial Government would be asked to consider whether the proposed ordinance was helpful or detrimental to defence?

I am aware that the cases in which these military adjudications have not been accepted have been extremely rare. I have no information available as to any definite instances of complaint against the civil Courts in these matters. I would add, however, that the system under which troops were allowed to trespass on the understanding that compensation would be paid to prevent actions being brought was indefensible. With regard to, the last part of the question, I would refer to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend on the 15th February.

asked the Prime Minister whether there is any intention of reducing the disability and service penson rates now in force; and, if so, to what extent they are to be reduced?

There is under consideration a revision of the scale of men's service pensions, to be applicable only to new entrants to the services, but not of disability pensions or of the disability element of combined disability and service pensions. No decision on the matter has yet been reached. As regards disability pensions of the Great War, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given by my right hon. and gallant Friend the Minister of Pensions on the 30th July, 1925, to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Southport (Sir G. Dalrymple White), of which I am sending him a copy

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that the Inter-Allied Assessment Commission in Paris is composed of members who are neither legally qualified nor legally advised, and that the Commission is proceeding to reject certain claims of British claimants without affording those claimants the opportunity to substantiate their claims; and will he consider this situation?

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that at the Inter—Allied Assessment Commission in Paris only claimants of large amounts have their claims referred to jurists, while claimants of small amounts have their claims rejected without the opportunity of a hearing and without opportunity of having a claim of equal merit with a large claim referred to jurists for decision on the very involved questions of law arising under the Convention?

Under Article 4 of the Convention of 23rd November, 1923, for the Assessment of Damage suffered in Turkey, it is for the Inter-Allied Assessment Commission in Paris to lay down its own procedure in such manner as may ensure the prompt settlement of claims. Over 15,000 claims have been submitted to the Commission, and the procedure to be adopted in individual cases is a matter which the Commission alone is entitled to decide. The Commission (one of the members of which is a Judge) are advised by a Committee of Jurists, and I am aware of no foundation for the suggestion that there has been unfair discrimination between different classes of claimants, whether as regards reference to the jurists or as regards an opportunity for the substantiation of claims.

asked the Postmaster-General, whether he is aware that a number of lottery circulars from Denmark have been sent through the registered post; that the practice of sending circulars of this description is increasing; and whether he will consider the making of an order for stopping all letters in the post addressed with remittances to the Continental firms that send out these circulars?

I have been asked to answer this question. I am informed that a certain number of such circulars have been sent by registered post, but I am not aware that the practice is increasing. Such steps as are thought desirable are taken to prevent the use of the post for the transaction of business connected with lotteries.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the distribution in the schools of the City of Carlisle of a War Office booklet entitled "The Army of To-day"; whether his attention has been drawn to the criticism of the Carlisle Education Commttee on the matter; and whether he has any observations to make?

This is a matter for the local authority.