asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will give the figures showing the number of established and hired men employed in Devonport dockyard in each of the months from June, 1927, to January, 1928?

The required figures are:

These figures relate to Vote 8 Departments, and are in correspondence with those given in reply to the hon. Member's question on 1st July, 1927.—[OFFICIAL REPORT, Columns 766–7.]

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that he has discretion under the constitution of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board to appoint four persons to the Board, will he give an undertaking that in the event of a vacancy or vacancies occurring amongst the two members representing Liverpool interests he will fill one or both of such vacancies by the appointment of a, representative or representatives of labour, and thereby give effect to the promise made by his predecessor in the late Conservative Government?

I cannot find that any promise to appoint a representative of labour on the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board has been given by my predecessors, and when the question was raised in 1923 in connection with the Mersey Docks and Harbour Bill of that year the Transport and General Workers' Union were informed that the Minister's unbroken practice has been to re-appoint the members nominated by him on the expiration of their term of office, and that he would not feel justified in filling any vacancy among his nominees which occurred otherwise than by death or resignation without first ascertaining whether the retiring member desired re-appointment. I do not now see any reason for modifying this view, but in the event of the death or resignation of one of the two members of the Board mentioned by the hon. Member, I should be prepared to give sympathetic consideration to proposals submitted by representative labour organisations for filling the vacancy by the appointment of a suitable representative of labour interests. The hon. Member will no doubt appreciate that it would not be possible for me now to give a more definite undertaking with regard to the filling of a vacancy which may not arise for a considerable time, and may occur in circumstances which cannot be precisely foreseen.

asked the Minister of Health the grounds on which the Crickhowell Board of Guardians have been surcharged in respect of expenditure during the year ending 31st March, 1927?

I understand that the auditor has surcharged certain members of the Board in respect of expenditure on out-relief given to able-bodied miners during the coal stoppage.

asked the Minister of Health whether it is intended to make such provision under the National Health Insurance Act as will enable a deposit contributor to receive the same benefit from contributions as a member of an approved society or, alternatively, to take away from the approved societies the right of refusing admission to an applicant over 50 years of age, seeing that it is provided that an approved society may not be run for profit?

I would suggest that the hon. Member should await the introduction of the proposed National Health Insurance Bill. I may, however, point out with regard to the hon. Member's second alternative that Approved Societies have never had the right to refuse any applicant for membership on the ground solely of age.

asked the Minister of Health the amount expended per annum under the National Health Insurance Acts on sickness and disablement, medical, dental, ophthalmic, hospital, and convalescent homes; and the number of insured persons to whom such benefits are available?

The amount expended per annum under the National Health Insurance Acts and the number of insured persons vary from year to year.

In the year 1926 for Great Britain the amount expended on sickness and disablement benefit and on medical benefit respectively and the mean number of persons to whom those benefits were available were approximately as follow:

The precise amount expended on each of the additional benefits specified in the question cannot be given separately, but the total amount expended on all additional non-cash benefits in the year 1926 was £1,864,000.

Inasmuch, however, as the present schemes of additional benefits only commenced in July, 1926, for the great majority of insured persons, the expenditure in 1927 on such benefits was considerably higher and is estimated to have been about twice that for 1926.

(The annual amounts available as at 1st July, 1927, in England only for certain benefits, and the numbers of members of Societies given such benefits, were approximately as follow:

asked the Minister of Health the number of blind persons 50 to 60, 60 to 65, 65 to 70, and over 70, in receipt of pensions; what proportion of the blind population these represent; the number of blind persons under 50 in various age groups; the present cost of pensions; and whether any estimate of future numbers and cost is available?

On the 31st March last there were 14,563 blind persons between 50 and 70 years of age in receipt of pensions granted under the Blind Persons Act, 1920, and it is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 blind Old Age pensioners over the age of 70. No statistics are available as to the number of blind pensioners in each of the several age groups mentioned in the question. The total number of blind pensioners represents 52 per cent. of the total blind population, and 84 per cent. of the total blind population of an age eligible for pensions. According to returns made on the 31st March last the numbers of blind persons under 50 in England and Wales in the various age groups were as follow:

It is computed that the present cost of pensions to blind persons under the Blind Persons Act, 1920, and the Old Age Pension Acts, is £615,175 per annum. It is not possible to give any reliable estimate of the future numbers of pensioners or of the cost of pensions.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has received a copy of the report of the medical officer of health regarding the excessive flooding of certain areas of the parishes of Poulton-with-Fearnhead and Winwick-with-Hulme, near Warrington; and whether, as these floodings are a menace to public health, he can state what steps he is taking to see that the local authorities concerned rectify the nuisance without delay and obviate such floodings in the future?

I have received a copy of the report. The conditions in the locality have already been brought to my notice, and I am taking up the matter with the local authorities.