asked the Minister of Labour whether, in compiling future annual Reports covering the work of his Department., he will state separately the figures covering those who are unemployed and in receipt of benefit and those who are signing on at the exchanges but not drawing benefit; and if he will state separately the percentage of vacancies filled by those in receipt of benefit and those who are not receiving benefit at the date when work is found for them by the exchanges?

An analysis of the live register, showing separately the number of "claims admitted or under consideration," is published monthly in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette." These figures give an indication of the number actually in receipt of benefit on the day of the return, for which the exact figure could not be ascertained separately without all unjustifiable amount of labour and expense. The figures asked for in the last part of the question could not, I am afraid, be obtained without undue expense.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the cost for the year 1927 of unemployment benefit, out-of-work donation, and Poor Law relief to able-bodied persons and their dependants?

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 24th May, 1928; col. 2079, Vol. 217], supplied the following statement:The information desired is given in the following Table, which is a continuation of Table I printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT, 29th March, 1927, col. 1064, Vol. 204, in answer to a previous question by the hon. Member:—

asked the Minister of Labour the amounts of grants given out of Government funds to municipal or other public bodies in connection with unemployment schemes for the year 1927–28.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 24th May, 1928, col. 2079, Vol. 217], supplied the following information:During the financial year 1927–1928, the amount expended in respect of schemes approved by the Unemployment Grants Committee was £2,688,043, which includes a sum of £994,670, in respect of grants paid by the Ministry of Transport.

A.—ESTIMATED NUMBER oF INSURED PERSONS in Great Britain, aged 16 to 64 years, classified as belonging to the building industry and the number of such persons recorded as unemployed.
Occupation.			Estimated number of Insured Workpeople at July, 1927.	Number Unemployed.
				23rd April, 1928.			21at May, 1928.
				Wholly Unemployed.	Temporarily Stopped.	Total.	Wholly Unemployed.	Temporarily Stopped.	Total.
Carpenters	…	…	125,370	9,851	303	10,154	7,926	224	8,150
Bricklayers	…	…	70,850	4,192	220	4,412	3,384	175	3,559
Masons	…	…	22,960	1,600	110	1,710	1,404	64	1,468
Slaters	…	…	5,710	415	17	432	473	16	489
Plasterers	…	…	20,520	2,781	72	2,853	2,322	63	2,385
Painters	…	…	107,690	5,290 |	141	5,431	3,982	70	4,052
Plumbers	…	…	32,030	2,692	124	2,816	2,823	123	2,946
Labourers of above		…	248,410	29,658	864	30,522	26,936	729	27,665
Other Occupations		…	160,070	21,800	786	22,586	20,793	776	21,569
Total	…	…	793,610	78,279	2,637	80,916	70,043	2,240	72,283

B.—NUMBER OF INSURED PERSONS in Great Britain classified as belonging to the cotton textile industry, recorded as unemployed in March, April and May, 1928.
Date.			—		Men	Women.	Juveniles.	Total.
26th March, 1928		…	Wholly unemployed	…	8,845	11,139	389	20,373
			Temporarily stopped	…	9,041	21,042	1,402	31,485
			Total	…	17,886	32,181	1,791	51,858
23rd April, 1928	…	…	Wholly unemployed	…	9,139	11,002	444	20,585
			Temporary stoppages	…	9,809	24,761	1,426	35,996
			Total	…	18,948	35,763	1,870	56,581
21st May, 1928	…	…	Wholly unemployed	…	9,480	12,973	434	22,887
			Temporarily stopped	…	8,601	22,773	1,054	32,428
			Total	…	18,081	35,746	1,488	55,315

asked the Minister of Labour (1) the number of workpeople register,3d as building-trade workers, with the numbers of such workers unemployed in April and May, 1928;(2) the number of men and women unemployed from the cot-ton trade in March, April and May, 1928, respectively.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 6th June, 1928, col. 165, Vol. 218], circulated the following statements:

asked the Home Secretary whether he is now in a position to make a statement regarding the recent decisions of the Courts that certain traditional games at fairs and shows are illegal; and whether he proposes to introduce legislation for the purpose of legalising these harmless amusements.

I have looked carefully into this matter since I answered the Question put to me by my hon. Friend the Member for the Horncastle Division of Lindsey (Mr. Haslam) on 16th May. I cannot find that any harmless and tradition game or amusement, such as darts or coconut shies, has been held of itself to be unlawful when carried on at a fair or show, unless it is so done in a hall or fair where real gambling machines (which are both illegal and undesirable) are in use, and in that event the illegality extends to the whole. My instructions to the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police are to prosecute in respect of real gambling machines, but only to do so in the case of darts, etc., if they are used for objectionable or unfair gambling.

asked the Home Secretary whether there is any objection to individual police officers subscribing whatever sum they may desire towards the expenses of legal aid for the two constables concerned in the Hyde Park case?

The answer which I gave to the hon. Member on the 7th instant would apply only to anything in the nature of an organised subscription.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total number of applications received from persons between 65 and 70 years of age for pensions under the Widows', Orphans', and Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, which have still to be dealt with, and the average number of claims which are disposed of each week by the staff of his Department?

The total number of applications for pensions from persons between 65 and 70 years of age in England and Wales which have still to be dealt with is 18,534, of which more than 20 per cent, are in respect of pensions not yet due, and the average number of claims disposed of each week is 5,540.

asked the Minister of Health in connection with the operation of the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, how many widows have fallen out of benefit since the scheme came into operation and how many claims for widows' pensions have been refused and for what reasons?

On the latest figure available for England and Wales, 43,157 widows have fallen out of benefit since the scheme came into operation, of whom 35,381 were widows of men who died before the commencement of the Act and 7,776 were widows of men who died thereafter. The main reasons for cessation in the former class were death, remarriage, and youngest child having reached the age of 14½, and in the latter death and remarriage. The total number of rejected claims for widows' pensions in England and Wales is 62,011, of which 47,276 relate to widows of men who died before the commencement of the Act and 14,735 to widows of men who died thereafter. The main reasons for rejection were, as regards the former class, (1) that there was no child under 11 years of age and (2) that the husband did not belong to the insurable class, and, as regards the latter, (1) that the husband was not an insured person at the date of his death and (2) that the required number of contributions had not been paid by or in respect of him.

asked the Minister of Transport the amount expended by his Department from the Road Fund for the years 1925, 1926, and 1927, respectively, and the income of the Road Fund during each of the above-mentioned periods?

The receipts and payments on the Revenue Account of the Road Fund for the three financial years ended on 31st March, 1925, 1926 and 1927 were as follow:—

	Receipts.	Payments.
	£	£
1925	16,067,608	15,203,332
1926	18,068,161	16,696,425
1927	17,982,754	24,542,654

The payments during the year ended 31st March, 1927, include a sum of £7,000,000 transferred to the Exchequer from the accumulated balances of the Fund, in pursuance of the Finance Act, 1926.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the overcrowding which exists in the carriages upon the London and North Eastern Railway between Leyton and Liverpool Street; whether he has been consulted by the directors of this railway upon a scheme for the construction of a high level railway running into this terminus and of additional: platforms above the present platforms; and whether this or any other scheme has been submitted to his department for relieving the congestion which this railway has enjoyed for many years?

I have received no complaints with regard to overcrowding of the trains between Leyton and Liverpool Street since my hon. and learned Friend made representations on the subject last year, and I am not aware that the railway company contemplate any such scheme as he mentions. I will, however, make inquiries with regard to the present position.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the continued congestion during rush hours on the London and North Eastern Railway between Leyton and Liverpool Street; and whether the railway company is taking any, and what, steps to deal with such congestion?

I have received no complaints in regard to this matter since the representations which my hon. and learned Friend made last year. I will, however, cause inquiries to be made and let him know the result.

asked the Secretary for Mines if he will authorise a Report, on similar lines to the Report issued by the United States Bureau of Mines, which shows the advance on mechanical haulage, so as to show the position on the several British coalfields?

Figures are published in the Annual Report of my Department showing for each coalfield the proportion of mines at which horses are employed, the number of horses employed, the amount of electricity used for haulage and the number of conveyers in use. I hope this information will be sufficient for the hon. Member's purpose, but if not, and he will tell me precisely what additional information he would like to have, I will consider the matter further.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the British steamer "Maltana" left the British port at Valetta on 24th April last under the command of a Greek master; whether he is the same officer who was in command of the s.s. "Dalton" at the time of her loss in February, with regard to the circumstances of which a British Naval Court passed severe comment on the navigation of the ship; and whether he will consider if steps cal be taken in the interests of British seamen and underwriters to make illegal the practice of appointing foreign masters to British ships?

From the office copy of the agreement of the "Maltana," it appears that the vessel was commanded by the master who commanded the "Dalton" at the time of her loss. With regard to the last part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on the 25th April, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is in a position to make an announcement concerning the appointment of a successor to Sir P. Hartog as chairman of the Public Service commission in India?

No, Sir. Sir Philip Hartog is a member, but not Chairman, of the Public Service Commission in India, and his term of office has yet some years to run.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the rate at which harbour dues are charged at Lagos and other West African ports, he contemplates taking any steps to have them reduced?

I have not received any recent representations on the subject of harbour dues at Lagos or other ports. The Governments immediately concerned are, of course, alive to the need of keeping the dues as low as is consistent with a reasonable recoupment of the expenditure incurred on the harbours.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether there is any official Colonial service evening mess-kit in tropical countries; and whether, in view of the conditions prevailing in those countries, he intends to issue any Regulations on the matter?

There is no uniform specially prescribed for wear as mess dress by officers in the Colonial Services in the tropics, except in the case of Governors' staffs, but in many of the Colonies there are local regulations providing for the optional wear of a white evening dress. I have, however, been for some time in correspondence with the Governors for the purpose of considering the desirability of the issue of regulations prescribing a white uniform evening dress, but it has not yet been possible to arrive at a decision in the matter.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will give a list of the artistic, musical and scientific institutions which receive grants from public funds?

The institutions of the nature indicated, besides the national galleries and museums which receive direct grants from the Exchequer under the Scientific Investigation Vote, are specified, with the amount of the grant in each case, in Class IV 8 of the Civil Estimates for 1928. In addition, grants are made from the Education Votes in Class IV to Universities, colleges, schools and many other institutions whose activities are primarily educational, and from the Development Fund to certain agricultural and fishery research societies of which particulars will he found in the Annual Reports of the Development Commission.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the amount of Income Tax in the hands of collectors for collection but unpaid, and the amount of Income Tax held over under appeal as at 31st March, 1928, or for such other recent date?

It is estimated that the amount of Income Tax ate to be paid but not paid at the 31st March, 1928, was £21,300,000. I regret ilea I am unable to say how much of this sum represents tax held over under appeal.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number or Income Tax repayment claims received by the Inland Revenue Department and awaiting payment at the present time?

It is regretted that this information is not available. The bulk of the Income Tax repayment claims are not dealt with centrally, but are received and settled locally by the various inspectors of taxes throughout the country.