asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the number of temporary staff employed as Grade 1 and Grade 2 shorthand typists and Grade 1 and Grade 2 copying-typists, respectively, in each of the following offices: His Majesty's Treasury, Offices of the Cabinet, Committee of Imperial Defence and Committee of Civil Research, University Grants Committee, Trade Facilities Act, Advisory Committee,

Department.	Numbers Employed.
	Shorthand Typists (T).		Typists (T)
	Grade I.	Grade II.	Grade I.	Grade II.
H.M. Treasury	3	—	4	1
Offices of the Cabinet, Committee of Imperial Defence, and Committee of Civil Research.	3	—	2	—
University Grants Committee	1	—	—	1
Trade Facilities Act Advisory Committee	2	—	—	—
Privy Council Office	1	—	—	—
Charity Commission	1	—	3	—
Friendly Societies Registry	1	—	2	1
Royal Mint	—	—	2	—
National Debt Office	—	1	—	—
National Savings Committee	12	3	6	11
Public Works Loan Commission	—	—	8	—
Royal Commissions	4	3	2	1

No temporary shorthand-typists or typists, Grade I or II, are employed in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, the Paymaster-General's Office, Privy Seal Office, Civil Service Commission, Exchequer and Audit Department, Government Actuary's Department, Public Record Office, Government Chemist's Department.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of writing assistants in headquarters departments of the Civil Service who have been promoted to the clerical classes without examination since January, 1925?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on the 5th July.

The following are the particulars asked for:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of ex-service professional and technical temporary men in the Civil Service; how many of these have been in the Civil Service for more than five years; and how many non-ex-service professional and technical men have been established in the Civil Service since the end of 1919?

I regret that the detailed information asked for is not available, and could only be obtained as a result of inquiries which would involve much labour.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the recommendations of the recent International Economic Conference have now been considered by the appropriate organs of the League of Nations by which the conference was convened; and, if so, whether His Majesty's Government have had sufficient opportunity of studying these recommendations, and whether it is proposed to adopt them?

The Council of the League considered the recommendations of the International Economic Conference on 16th June last, and commended them to the consideration of all Governments, at the same time inviting the Economic Committee to study those relating to Customs tariffs, particularly with reference to unification of tariff nomenclature. That committee is now in session. As stated in reply to the right hon. Member for West Swansea (Mr. Runciman) on 27th June, British policy and practice in matters of commerce are already in general accord with the recommendations in question.

Class, etc.	Consigned from or to
	Russia.	Finland.	Estonia.	Latvia.	Lithuania
	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand	Thousand
Total Imports:	£.	£.	£.	£.	£.
Class I	8,423·6	1605·9	739·6	1,285·5	77·2
Class II	8,313·0	9,220·5	1,155·7	3,318·6	452·8
Class III	7,390·6	2,460·5	337·5	993·8	105·9
Total*	24,127·9	13,287·8	2,233·1	5,600·5	637·4
Exports (Produce and Manufactures of Great Britain and Northern Ireland):
Class I	14·0	511·2	172·7	432·2	21·6
Class II	788·2	286·5	71·9	87·2	23·2
Class III	5,031·1	1,936·9	301·9	613·6	97·0
Total*	5,858·3	2,771·1	551·6	1,147·8	150·6
Exports of Imported Merchandise:
Class I	304·0	88·6	14·3	14·7	3·9
Class II	7,367·2,	379·7	58·9	79·8	1·6
Class III	874·3	286·9	11·9	31·8	4·5
Total*	8,545·5	755·3	85·2	126·3	10·0
* Includes Classes IV and V, i.e., "Animals, not for food," and "Parcel Post, etc." respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the provisional figures showing the trade of Great Britain and Norther Ireland in 1926 with Russia, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, under the three headings, firstly, food, drink and tobacco; secondly, raw materials and articles mainly unmanufactured; and, thirdly, articles wholly or mainly manufactured.

(pursuant to his reply, OFFICIAL REPORT, 12th July, 1927; col. 1967, Vol. 208) supplies the following figures, showing for the year 1926 the declared value of the total trade of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with Russia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, distinguishing the imports and exports of food, drink and tobacco (Class I), raw materials and articles mainly unmanufactured (Class II), and articles wholly or mainly manufactured (Class III).

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the desirability of encouraging tourist traffic to the Western Isles, he will take further steps to improve the transport facilities to the islands?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend on the 6th December last, and to the reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Caithness and Sutherland (Sir A. Sinclair) on the 12th instant.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated shortage of houses in rural districts in Scotland; and which county councils have now prepared schemes under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926?

In Scotland there is no recognised definition of rural districts but according to returns completed by medical officers of health the estimated shortage of houses in non-burghal areas was, approximately, 21,000 at the 31st December, 1925, the latest date for which statistics are available.In the above areas, schemes under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926, have been prepared so far as I am aware by the following local authorities:County and Local Authorities.Aberdeen:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it, is usual for the payment of hard-lying money to be withheld from a ship on surveying duties in foreign waters; whether he is aware of the grievance felt by the crew of His Majesty's Ship "Ormonde" during the recent commission on the North American and West Indies station owing to the fact that hard-lying money was not paid to them during the periods the ship was under refit at Bermuda; and whether he will take steps to remove this grievance?

While it has been customary to pay hard-lying money to ratings in surveying ships when employed on sea service, the allowance has not been paid during periods of refit. No reason is seen for exceptional treatment in the case of the "Ormonde."

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why, seeing that pensions to widows of officers of warrant rank has been increased from £25 to £35 and to widows of commissioned officers of warrant rank from £35 to £45, pensions to widows of lieutenants and lieutenant-commanders still remain as they were before the War, namely, £50 and £70; and if he will consider granting an increased pension to widows of lieutenants and lieutenant-commanders?

The improved pensions granted to the widows of warrant officers and commissioned officers from warrant rank were the natural sequel of the improved status granted to officers of these ranks during the War. I regret that I can hold out no hope of any increase in the rates of pension to widows of lieutenants and lieutenant-commanders. The scales of widows' pensions were carefully reviewed after the War, and the present rates apply to the widows of officers of relative rank in all the fighting forces.

asked the President of the Board of Education the cost per child of education in central schools and senior tops as distinguished from ordinary elementary schools?

No, Sir. The accounts submitted by local authorities do not show separately the maintenance costs of individual schools and parts of schools.

asked the President of the Board of Education the present capital value per child of the existing elementary school buildings and secondary school buildings, respectively, in England and Wales?

I am unable to give the information for which the hon. Member asks. To obtain it would involve, among other things, the ascertainment of the original cost of every public elementary and secondary school, and an examination of each school by experts in order to make the necessary allowance for depreciation.

asked the President of the Board of Education, the average cost per plate provided, in England and Wales, of new elementary and secondary school accommodation, respectively?

since the War building costs have shown such wide variations, and have depended so largely upon particular local factors as well as upon the size of the school, the method of construction, and the amount of special accommodation provided, that it is not possible to give any reliable general figures.

asked the President of the Board of Education the estimated annual cost for England and Wales of raising the school-leaving age to 15; and how the estimated cost is allocated as between additional building cost, training of teachers, salaries of teachers, loan charges, other expenses of maintenance, and administration?

I am afraid that any estimate of this kind, based on present information, would be so hypothetical as not to justify the very considerable amount of time and labour which it would involve, but the hon. Member will. I think, find some useful data in the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams) on the 30th June, 1925, a copy of which I am sending him.

asked the Minister of Health why he will not publish the Report of the Committee which sat under the chairmanship of Sir Frederick Andrewes to inquire into case of encephalitis following vaccination?

The Committee under Sir Frederick Andrewes was not appointed to inquire into cases of encephalitis following vaccination, but for the purpose described in the answer to a question put by the hon. Member for Central Southwark (Colonel Day) on the 5th instant, to which I would refer the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health why the lymph used in vaccination against small-pox is not included in the list of vaccines set forth on page 16 of the Statutory Rules and Orders, No. 486, re therapeutic substances.

Vaccine lymph is not included in the list of vaccines to which the hon. Member refers, because it is dealt with in a special Schedule, which will be found on the same page.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that nine mouths have now elapsed since the Urban District Council of Cowes, Isle of Wight, agreed, in consequence of a complaint by two justices of the peace for the county under the enactments relating to housing, to erect 20 working-class houses in their area and to close 20 houses in their district near the water, and that more than two years have elapsed since the attention of the Department was first drawn to the matter; whether the new houses have yet been finished and, if so, at what rents are they let; whether closing orders are in force as respects the houses of which the closing and demolition were undertaken by the council; and whether the farther undertaking given by the council that in selecting tenants for the new houses preference should be given to the occupiers of the condemned houses has been duly carried out?

I am aware of the circumstances of the case to which the hon. Member refers. I understand from the district council that it is expected that the 20 new houses approved in October last will be completed by the end of September next, that the Council decided on the 31st May last to issue closing orders on 20 of the houses which were the subject of the complaint, and that further action with regard to these properties will be taken in due course.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has received a communication from the Chester City Council with regard to an alteration of the rents of houses built under the Addison scheme; whether he has agreed to this alteration; whether he is aware that the change has already taken effect; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

In cases in which the Chester City Council give permission to the tenants of their houses to take lodgers, they propose to make an addition to the weekly rent charged for the houses to cover the extra wear and tear involved. I have raised no objection to this proposal.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if, in the negotiations for long-term credits, he will bear in mind the question of allowing those who have borrowed money under the Agricultural Credits Act, 1923, to convert to the latest Act if they so desire?

No, Sir, I do not think that would be either practicable or in the interests of the borrowers.