asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the regulations to be issued by the Board of Trade under the Weights and Measures (Amendment) Act, 1926, which would control the sale of petrol from petrol pumps, have not yet been published; if he can give the cause of such delay; and if he can give assurance that action will at once be taken so that the law no longer remain inoperative to the detriment of the motoring public?

A provisional draft of these regulations is in the Press, and will shortly be published, in order that the views of the various interests concerned may be considered before the final code in drawn up.

asked the Minister of Transport whether lie has received complaints regarding the new system of parking motor cars in Lincoln's Inn Fields; and whether, in view of the fact that the parking space is thereby greatly reduced and the facility of ingress and egress impeded. he will consider the advisability of reverting to the former plan?

The experience gained during the past few years has led me to the general conclusion that, in normal circumstances, vehicles should only be allowed to be "parked'' in the streets in a position parallel to the kerb, and I see no sufficient reason for departing from this principle in this particular case.

asked The Financial Secretary to the Treasury the average annual wastage in the established clerical classes of the Civil Service from the following sources: Promotion, retirement, resignation, and death, respectively?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answers given on the 27th February and 13th March last to the hon. Member for Edge Hill (Mr. Hayes), of which I am sending him a copy, giving certain particulars of deaths, and retirements on account of ill-health. Corresponding particulars for retirements on reaching the age limit are as follow:

Established Clerical Grades.			1923–24.	1924–25.	1925–26.
Men	…	…	74	101	103
Women	…	…	10	14	16

Owing to the abnormal age distribution of the Service at the present time, resulting from the methods of recruitment of the clerical classes adopted since the War, I fear that it is not possible to deduce from the particulars as to earlier years an accurate estimate as to the probable average annual wastage in the established clerical classes of the Civil Service under present conditions.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has under consideration any proposal to pay the salaries of civil servants every week instead of monthly or quarterly as at present?

No, Sir. I have no evidence of any desire on the part of civil servants on annual salaries, who are paid monthly, for any change in the existing arrangement. Civil servants on weekly rates are paid weekly.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that a Northern Ireland taxpayer wrote, on the 24th January last, to Mr. P. J. Gregg, Secretary of the Board of Inland Revenue, Somerset House, asking for an interview in Belfast in reference to certain matters in connection with Income Tax; that another taxpayer wrote to the same official on the 10th February last making a similar request; that these letters were not even acknowledged; whether he is aware that dissatisfaction exists in Northern Ireland regarding the administration of the Income Tax Acts in Northern Ireland; and As hat steps he proposes to take to deal with the matter?

The officer to whom the hon. Member is understood to refer is acting as Director of Statistics and Intelligence to the Board of Inland Revenue. It is no part of his duty to afford interviews to taxpayers either in Belfast, or elsewhere. The answer to the third part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Health the number of casual wards that have been closed in the Metropolis and the names of the unions concerned?

I would refer the hon. Member to the note supplied to him in connection with my reply to his question on the 16th ultimo, and would explain that for the whole of the Metropolitan area the relief of casuals is undertaken by the Metropolitan Asylum Board, and not by the several boards of guardians.

asked the Minister of Health the names and counties of the casual wards which any vagrancy committee has suggested to him for closure?

The only application of this kind now before me has been submitted by the North Western Joint Vagrancy Committee, and is for the closing of the Cockermouth casual ward.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of small-pox have occurred amongst vagrants visiting casual wards during the past 12 months; when the last case occurred; and whether any measures are still being taken to prevent the spread of infection?

I have no definite information as to the number of cases, but small-pox is known to my Department to have occurred in some 60 casual wards during the present year. The most recent cases were reported on the 26th March. As regards the last part of the question, I have renewed the instruction that, with a view to detecting cases of small-pox, all persons admitted to the casual wards of Poor Law institutions shall be medically examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the Glasgow Parish Council is paying £30,000 per year in maintaining the wives and families of men who have emigrated; and whether the Government are prepared to relieve this and other parish councils and boards of guardians from this burden?

I am aware that Glasgow Parish Council is paying approximately £35,000 per annum in poor relief in respect of the wives and families of men who have left Scotland to look for work abroad, and who either neglect or are unable to send sufficient money to maintain their dependants in this country. The maintenance of necessitous families whom men have left unprovided for has always been part of the ordinary duties of parish councils under the Poor Law Acts, and while the expenditure at present may be abnormally high, I can see no reason for differentiating it from any other expenditure on poor relief.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction which has been aroused among approved societies and other bodies of insured persons by reason of the provisions of the National Health Insurance Bill in special relation to dental clinics and the powers proposed to be taken under regulations to be formulated after the Bill becomes law, whereby the existing right of selection of a dental clinic by the insured is liable to be abolished, and in substitution of a whole-time official without regard to the convenience or wishes of the insured person: and will he make a statement as to the way in which he proposes to meet these objections?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on the 15th March to the hon. Members for Moss Side (Mr. Hurst) and for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. E. Wood). The matter will be fully dealt with by me when the National Health Insurance Bill comes up for Second Reading.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if the Committee referred to in his statement explanatory of the Navy Estimates, 1928, have yet presented their Report: and, if not, when it is expected that the Report will be presented?

As indicated in my statement, the Committee has made its Report.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, what action is being taken to make the wall guarding the Terrace and the gardens adjacent to the Palace of Westminster safe against future floods?

The wall of the Terrace itself has been repointed on the river front and is considered capable of withstanding conditions similar to those which obtained on the 7th January last. The wall on the front of the Victoria Tower Gardens has been temporarily strengthened where necessary to meet similar conditions. No further action will be taken until the result is known of the expert investigation now being undertaken by the Liverpool Tidal Institute. Much will depend on whether the river defence level is raised above the present figure of 18.0 O.D.

asked the Minister of Labour whether employment by a local authority, other than a board of guardians, in the removal of snow has been scheduled as an accepted employment under the Unemployment Insurance Act; whether this exception is regardless of the number of days a man is employed; and, if so, will he state the principles on which such an exception is based, seeing that men are detailed by Employment Exchange officials for this work and are paid at the rates prevailing in the district for similar employment?

Under paragraph (j) of Part II of the 1st Schedule to the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, and the Subsidiary Employments Special Order, 1925, Unemployment Insurance contributions are not payable in respect of employment by a local or other public authority in the removing of snow in or about any streets or other public places.

asked the Minister of Labour when he expects to have a Report from the Industrial Transference Board?

asked the Minister of Labour whether the Industrial Transference Board has been instrumental in placing in employment any men for whom the usual machinery of the Ministry was inadequate; and, if so, whether the experience gained will necessitate any changes in the organisation of the Department?

I would refer the hon. Members to the answers given by my right hon. Friend, on the 7th and 19th March, to the hon. Members for Aberdare (Mr. G. Hall) and Leith (Mr. E. Brown), respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is proposed to resume relations with Russia at an early date?

I would refer the hon. Member to the speech made by the Prime Minister at the Guildhall on the 9th November last, in which he said:

"Whenever the Russian Government are prepared to observe the ordinary decencies of international intercourse, to abstain from interference in our domestic affairs and from a policy of intrigue and hostility elsewhere, they will find us ready to meet them in that spirit of liberality and good will which inspires our whole foreign policy."