asked the Minister of Pensions the number of pensioners in whose cases it has been found that a serious and permanent error was made in the final award and in which, as a result, a further grant has been made under special sanction?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the detailed answer given on the 22nd March to the hon. Member for the Elland Division (Mr. Robinson), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Health the number of deaths that have taken place in the administrative county, including the City, of London, for the three months ended to the last convenient date, from all causes, specifying especially the deaths from whooping cough and influenza?

I would refer the hon. Member to the Registrar-General's Return for the quarter ended December last, in which he will find the information available on this subject.

asked the Minister of Health the number of slum-clearance schemes that have been submitted from the city of Liverpool during the last 12 months; the number of schemes approved by the Ministry; the number of tenants likely to be dispossessed under such schemes; the number of tenants to be rehoused; the suggested type of dwelling; and the estimated cost?

During the past 12 months, no new schemes have been submitted by the City Council, but they have been engaged in carrying out the schemes for which approval had already been obtained, which involve the displacement of 3,308 persons and the provision of alternative accommodation for the same number. As an instalment of this scheme, plans for the erection of 101 tenements at an estimated cost of £64,922 have been approved during the past year and a further 250 tenements are to be taken in hand in the next few months. I understand that the council have under consideration the making of a scheme with regard to another large central area.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of letters or parcels carried by air mail from England to France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany for the three months ended to the last convenient date, giving figures for the comparable period 1926?

The estimated number of letters and the actual number of parcels carried by air mail to the countries mentioned during the first quarters of 1927 and 1926 are as follows:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the value of the work proposed to be given out to private contractors in the current financial year under the following headings; machinery for ships, etc., hulls of ships, armour, gun mountings, material, naval armaments, and works?

Excluding works, in respect of which a final decision has not yet been reached, the value of the work proposed to be given out to private contractors under the heading indicated is:

asked the President of the Board of Education the result of the latest tests of coal slack under the auspices of the National Physical Laboratory and the prospect of the production from British coal of an oil that is comparable in efficiency with imported oil?

My right hon. Friend understands that the National Physical Laboratory do not conduct tests of coal slack. Experiment have shown that it is possible to produce oil from British coals comparable in efficiency with imported oil, but no Pronouncement can be made as to the Possibility of doing this under commercial conditions. My hon. Friend can find further information on this question in general in recent reports of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, notably Fuel Research Technical paper No. 17, and the annual Report of the Fuel Research Board for 1925.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the numbers of farmers who have been declared bankrupt in the years 1923 to 1926, respectively?

The figures for Scotland are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the value of the work proposed to be given out to private contractors in the current financial year under the following headings: technical and warlike stores, works, buildings, and lands?

The approximate expenditure on contract work during the financial year is estimated as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that lobsters in this country are unmarketable unless they are nine inches in length, whereas foreign lobsters of eight inches and under are marketable in this country; and, if this is so, will he take steps to make the Regulations apply equally?

The position with regard to the capture and sale of lobsters is as follows: Under Section 9 of the Fisheries (Oysters, Crabs and Lobsters) Act, 1877, it is illegal to take, have in possession for sale, expose for sale, consign for sale, or buy for sale, any lobsters less than eight inches long, and that enactment applies to lobsters whether they are of British or foreign taking. Under bye-laws made under the Sea Fisheries Act, 1888, it is illegal to catch lobsters under nine inches in length in certain sea fisheries districts, including that covering the part of Yorkshire which my hon. Friend represents. These bye-laws are made by the Local Sea Fisheries Committees with the object of protecting and maintaining the stock of lobsters in the interests of the fishermen, and I have no power to alter them unless invited to do so by the committees concerned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) the approximate amount of saving it is estimated will be effected by the abolition of the Ministry of Transport and the Departments of Mines and of Overseas Trade;(2) how many members of the clerical staffs of the Ministry of Transport and the Departments of Mines and of Overseas Trade will be dismissed without compensation; how many will be dismissed with compensation; and how many will be transferred to other Departments?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on the 26th April by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for North Tottenham (Mr R. Morrison).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is in a position to state with any exactness what will be the net financial gain to the Treasury in the case of each of the three Ministries to be merged in other Departments?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on the 12th April to the hon. Member for Finsbury (Mr. Gillett).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of national savings certificates sold for the week ended Saturday, 23rd April, and also the figures showing the grand total sold to date?

The gross sales to date are £632,298,310 of which £542,996 represents sales in the week ended 23rd April. The figures are issued to the Press weekly. The net capital amount actually outstanding is about £372,000,000.