asked the Under-Secretary of State for India how many women are employed underground in the coal mines of India and how many women are employed underground in other Indian mines; and the reasons why the Government of India has failed to enforce the regulatory powers it has to prohibit the employment of women underground in such coal and other mines?

In 1926 the average daily number of women employed underground was 28,496 in coal mines and 3,393 in other mines. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer to the replies given to the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) on 19th March.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India if any home leave is being granted to British officers or men in India from May onwards; and, if so, whether it is the usual leave or special leave?

I have no reason to suppose that leave will not continue to be granted in the usual way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, during the recent unrest in Arabia, the cross-desert motor service to Bagdad has been suspended or curtailed or has changed its route; and whether there have been any cases of molestation of passengers by desert tribes?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part of the question, I am informed that on the nights of the 12th and 13th March certain native cars were held up and robbed on the trans-desert route by bandits understood to be Druze. One Armenian passenger was wounded. This incident had no connection whatever with the recent Akhwan raids.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the origin of the recent trouble in Arabia is traceable to the action of the Iraq Government in building a fort at the desert wells of Busaiyah; and why, in view of Article 3 of the Protocol of Uqair, the Iraq Government took this step?

I am aware that King Ibn Saud has protested against the building of a post at Busaiyah, which was merely an intelligence post armed by 13 police, and not a fort, but I am satisfied that the action of the Iraq Government in this matter has been perfectly correct and that the construction of this post in no way infringed the provisions of Article 3 of the Uqair Protocol. That Article prohibits the fortification of wells "in the vicinity of the border." The post in question is situated no less than 75 miles from the Iraq-Nejd frontier, and consequently does not fall within the provisions of this Article. The establishment of this post and of similar small police posts at other places equally remote from the frontier was, in fact, originally undertaken by the Iraq Government as a consequence of complaints by King Ibn Saud that a section of the Shammar tribe, recently settled in Syria, was being permitted to raid into Nejd territory through the narrow corridor connecting Iraq and Trans-Jordan. The Iraq Government hoped, by the establishment of these police posts, to place themselves in a position to control the tribesmen and to deal effectively with any attempted raids, and in fact there have been no Shammar raids into Nejd since the establishment of these posts. I may further remind the hon. Member that the present trouble originated with a wanton attack on Busaiyah by Akhwan tribesmen, who massacred its occupants.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonics whether he is aware of the inconvenience to the public caused by the lack of agreement between the Kenya Government and the Eastern Telegraph Company in the matter of cable facilities at Mombasa; and whether he can make any statement?

I understand from the Governor that no sufficient evidence has been submitted of inconvenience to the public from the present system of handling cable traffic at Mombasa as would justify him in modifying his offer to the company that half the net loss of revenue to the Government should be paid by the company. This offer still remains open for the latter's acceptance.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether lie is aware that the rubber captured from smugglers who smuggle rubber from Malaya into the Dutch East Indies is destroyed on capture; and what is the reason for this destruction?

I regret that I have no information with regard to the disposal of rubber captured from smugglers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the estimated quantity of rubber smuggled from Malaya across the Straits of Malacca into the Dutch East Indies during each of the three years 1925, 1926, and 1927; and what was the total quantity of rubber captured from the smugglers in each of those three years by the preventive officers?

The quantities of rubber captured from smugglers in the restriction years 1924–25 and 1925–26 were 395 tons and 84 tons respectively. The figures for 1926–27 have not yet reached me. Any figures relating to the total amount smuggled must necessarily be highly conjectural, and I regret that I do not see my way to venturing on an estimate.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any steps will be taken to develop Cyprus as a tourist resort in competition with foreign Mediterranean winter resorts?

The Cyprus Government is at present devoting a good deal of attention to the development of the island as a tourist resort. Endeavours are being made to improve the local hotel accommodation: and a Government agency has recently been established in London with the object of disseminating information regarding the attractions of the island.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of toll bars still in existence on public roads and bridges in the country; and how many of these are on main roads?

The latest particulars available to my Department showed that in 1924 there were 64 toll roads and 127 toll bridges. Of the toll bridges, 30 were on Class I roads and 18 on Class II roads. I have no record as to how many of the roads affected are main roads?

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has any statistics that will show the number of persons killed and seriously injured in highway accidents in England and Wales for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

I have been asked to reply to this question. I hope to present to the House at an early date the usual annual return which will give the information asked for by the hon. Member for the year ending 31st December last.

asked the Minister of Health whether, under the National Health Insurance Bill, the complete freedom of insured contributors to choose their own opticians will in any way be impeded?

First Valuation:
—			All Approved Societies and Branches valued as at 31st December, 1918.
			Amounts available for Investment to 31st December, 1918.	Percentage of relative value per member.
			£	Per cent.
England	…	…	26,145,000	100
Scotland	…	…	3,778,000	108
Wales	…	…	1,557,000	92
Total	…	…	31,480,000	100

Second Valuation:
—			Approved Societies and Branches valued as to certain units as at 31st December, 1922, and the remainder as at 31st December, 1923.
			Amounts available for Investment from 1st January, 1919 to 31st December, 1923.	Percentage of relative value Per member.
			£	Per cent.
England	…	…	39,261,000	102
Scotland	…	…	5,275,000	101
Wales	…	…	1,706,000	68
Total	…	…	46,242,000	100

The period of the third valuation, as regards units comprising nearly 80 per cent. of the total membership of Societies, does not terminate until 3lst December, 1928.

There is not in the National Health Insurance Bill, nor is there any intention to include in any Regulations to be made under the Bill, any provision which would place an insured person in a less favourable position than hitherto with regard to the arrangements for obtaining ophthalmic benefit.

asked the Minister of Health the amounts, separately in each case, available for investments for each valuation period for England, Scotland and Wales, showing in percentages the relative value per member in each country, male and female, respectively?

The information asked for is given, as far as available, in the subjoined statement. No allocation as between male and female members can be made.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give statistics showing, in percentages, for each year since the National Health Insurance scheme came into operation, comparing the incidence of each of the statutory benefits, male and female separately, covering England, Scotland and Wales, respectively?

Statistics in the form asked for by the hon. Member are not available. I would remind the hon. Member that statements have been published year by year in the Annual Reports of the Ministry of Health and the Scottish Board of Health, showing for England, Wales and Scotland, respectively, during each year from the inception of the Act, the estimated number of persons entitled to benefits and the approximate amounts of the annual expenditure on the several statutory benefits. The footnotes appended to the statements referred to indicate broadly certain factors that would have to be taken into consideration in making any comparison of the incidence of benefit in the several countries, e.g., (i) disturbance of membership numbers throughout the period of the Great War, (ii) change in the normal rates of benefit at July, 1920, (iii) changes in rate varying in each country under schemes of additional benefit (a) following the First Valuation from July, 1921, and (b) following the Second Valuation from July, 1925 or July, 1926. Due weight would also have to be given to variations in age distribution of members, and the extent to which rates of benefit are affected by arrears. To make any

Occupation.		20th February, 1928.			21st February, 1927.
		Wholly unemployed.	Temporarily stopped.	Total.	Wholly unemployed.	Temporarily stopped.	Total.
Carpenters	…	14,139	437	14,576	8,209	399	8,608
Bricklayers	…	7,102	298	7,400	2,949	196	3,145
Masons	…	2,531	234	2,765	1,911	180	2,091
Slaters	…	444	24	468	275	26	301
Plasterers	…	3,738	132	3,870	823	37	860
Painters	…	22,440	507	22,947	23,643	536	24,179
Plumbers	…	2,597	122	2,719	2,679	130	2,809
Labourers to above	…	36,722	1,153	37,875	31,020	1,027	32,047
All other occupations	…	25,533	840	26,373	22,064	864	22,928
Total	…	115,246	3,747	118,993	93,573	3,395	96,968

asked the Minister of Labour the number of shipbuilding workers who were unemployed in February, 1926, 1927 and 1928, respectively?

The following table shows the numbers of insured persons in Great Britain classified as belonging to the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industry recorded as unemployed in February, 1926, 1927 and 1928, respectively.

Date		Number unemployed.
22nd Febuary,1926	…	80,586
21st Febuary,1927	…	66,252
20th Febuary,1928	…	39,318

asked the Minister of Labour how many operatives in the various branches of the building industry were unemployed on 28th February, 1927, and on 27th February, 1928, respectively?

The following table gives an occupational analysis of the numbers of persons in Great Britain classified as belonging to the building trade recorded as unemployed at 20th February, 1928, and 21st February, 1927, respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons, women and men, during the three months ended 25th March have been refused unemployment

APPLICATIONS FOR EXTENDED BFNEFIT considered by Local Employment Committees in Great Britain during the three months ended, 12th March, 1928:—
—	Men.	Women.	Juveniles.	Total.
Applications considered	781,176	85,187	18,795	885,158
Applications allowed	688,994	59,016	13,851	761,861
Applications recommended for disallowance	92,182	26,171	4,944	123,297
Grounds of disallowance:—
Not normally insurable and not seeking to obtain a livelihood by means of insurable employment.	5,475	1,897	182	7,554
Insurable employment not likely to be available	2,240	681	16	2,937
Not a reasonable period of insurable employment during the preceding two years.	38,077	4,817	533	43,427
Not making every reasonable effort to obtain suitable employment or not willing to accept suitable employment.	24,840	7,148	1,503	33,491
Other reasons	21,550	11,628	2,710	35,888

The following table gives the information available: