asked the Postmaster-General the average delay in telephone calls passing between Paris and London between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day; and if he is aware of any special reason for the delay so caused?

An average of about one hour during the last 12 months; the delay is largely due to difficulties of maintenance of overhead plant on the Continent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the cost of all the Departments for Scotland in 1913–14; the estimated cost in 1927–28; and the number of officials, respectively, in the years named?

The net expenditure on Scottish Services borne on the Votes in connection with Departments for whose administration I am responsible was, in 1913–14, approximately, £3,917,000, and for 1927–28 is estimated at, approximately, £12,004,000. The term "net expenditure" means expenditure including allied services after deduction of appropriations-in-aid and Extra Exchequer Receipts (but not of the cost of services rendered for other Departments). The 1913 figure includes the cost of the Scottish National Health Insurance Commission, now merged in the Scottish Board of Health, and a proportion of the cost of the Reformatory and Industrial Schools Vote, and of certain grants for which Scottish expenditure was not then separately indicated. The 1927 total includes a subsidy of £10,000 to a steamship company for services previously remunerated from the Post Office Vote, and certain expenditure on Marine Superintendence carried on the Vote of the Fishery Board for Scotland, which was formerly met out of the Marine Deposit Fund and did not appear on the Vote.Numbers of staff cannot in all cases be accurately given, but taking whole-time staff, excluding cleaners, the figures are, approximately, 1,820 for 1913–14, and 2,710 for 1927–28. The latter figure includes the personnel of the Fishery Board's Marine Service (103), formerly paid from the Marine Deposit Fund. Neither figure includes staff paid from lump-sum allowances, and for a true comparison of staffs this factor must be taken into account. On a rough calculation, it appears that the staff in this category is some 200 less now than in 1913. Part-time officials shown on the Votes are, approximately, the same in number now as in 1913. They appear almost entirely in the Legal and Prisons Services.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the rules governing the employment of military bands in private engagements, instituted by the Labour Government, are still in force?

I assume the hon. Member refers to the arrangement under which, before a military band accepted a civil engagement, the General Secretary of the Musicians' Union was asked in each case to advise what would be the charge made at the current Musicians' Union rate. After a full trial, this arrangement was found to be impracticable and was cancelled, but Commanding Officers are required, before accepting band engagement, to satisfy themselves, after reasonable inquiry, that the terms offered are not less than those charged by local civilian bands.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will cause a Paper to be issued showing the engagements undertaken by the eight staff bands in London during the past 12 months; the number of performers employed for each engagement; the fee received for each engagement; and the amount received by the men and the amount received by the bandmaster?

In view of the labour which would be involved in preparing such a return, I do not think that I should be justified in calling for this information.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, seeing that a large number of civilian musicians are totally unemployed, largely as a result of permitting the regimental bands of His Majesty's forces to accept private engagements, he will issue instructions to curtail the number of private engagements that a military band may accept in any one year?

I have no knowledge of the conditions referred to at the beginning of the question. Military bands are only permitted to accept civil engagements because there is a public demand for their services, and they are not permitted to do so on terms which are lower than those which would be offered in the same circumstances to a civilian band. I am not prepared, therefore, to issue instructions on the lines suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, while the total fee paid to military bands for an engagement may be in accordance with trade union rates, the members of the band individually receive less than the trade union rate, and a very large proportion of the fee is retained by the bandmaster; and whether he proposes to take any action to ensure that each bandsman receives payment at the trade union rates?

The allocation of the fees received by military bands for civilian engagements rests, according to custom, with the Commanding Officer. I