asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of persons in receipt of poor relief in Scotland at a recent date, distinguishing between indoor relief, out-door relief to the able-bodied unemployed, and other out-relief I

The number of poor in Scotland at 15th May, 1928, the latest date for which details are available, was:information he suggests should be published, I shall be prepared to give the matter consideration in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the experiments recommended by Lord Mackenzie's Committee to determine the relative efficiency of the Danish seine net and the trawl have been carried out by the Fishery Board: and, if so, with what results?

Some experiments have been made upon this question. A strict quantitative comparison between the Danish seine net and the otter trawl is difficult because they are generally used from different types of vessels and under different conditions. The Danish seine net is restricted in its use to the shallower and to the cleanest grounds and it can be operated successfully only during the hours of daylight. It is used only on the smaller steam vessels and on motor boats. The otter trawl is used on larger steam vessels. Subject to these remarks the experiments indicate that the Danish seine net compares favourably in efficiency of catching power with the otter trawl, and that the seine net allows a greater proportion of undersized fish to escape.

Month.				Number of Houses built in
				1925.	1920.	1927.	1928.	1929.
January	…	…	…	—	12	12	43	24
February	…	…	…	—	14	4	53	—
March	…	…	…	—	—	4	51	—
April	…	…	…	—	2	60	30	—
May	…	…	…	2	25	158	138	—
June	…	…	…	4	48	35	34	—
July	…	…	…	—	16	31	97	—
August	…	…	…	—	37	42	33	—
September	…	…	…	—	58	6l	32	—
October	…	…	…	—	34	32	73	—
November	…	…	…	—	8	75	97	—
December	…	…	…	—	18	19	39	—

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what amounts have been paid from the special Highland fund for educational purposes under the proviso to section 1 of the existing regulations to each of the Highland counties

—		1920–21.	1921–22.	1922–23.	1923–24.	1924–25.	1925–26.	1926–27.	1927–28.	1928–29.
		£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
Argyll	…	—	3,130	6,585	6,400	4,450	3,500	2,400	2,400	2,000
Caithness	…	—	524	590	350	725	1,800	3,300	2,450	3,300
Inverness	…	13,319	13,003	12,009	14,100	11,100	14,100	17,000	17,000	17,000
Orkney	…	3,400	—	38	120	1,625	800	1,500	2,900	4,000
Ross and Cromarty	…	15,951	13,212	11,387	11,000	12,950	14,500	17,000	16,500	18,000
Shetland	…	14,479	12,203	8,615	9,050	7,500	9,200	10,500	11,350	11,000
Sutherland	…	6,143	7,177	9,278	8,900	6,150	8,700	9,400	12,000	14,000

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any statistics that will show the number of deaths due to influenza in Scotland for the previous four weeks?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of houses built in agricultural parishes, under the Act of 1924, in each month since the Act came into operation?

The number of houses built monthly in agricultural parishes in Scotland under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, since the Act came into operation is as follows:since education authorities came into existence?

The following table shows the sums additional to the normal grants, paid to each of the education authorities named, under the proviso referred to.

Returns showing the number of deaths caused by influenza during the four weeks 20th January to 16th February are limited to the 16 principal towns and similar information for all Scotland is not yet available. These returns show that cause of death certificates naming influenza numbered 1,017, but this number imperfectly shows the effect of the epidemic. The total deaths in the 16 towns numbered 5,984, and those from respiratory diseases (exclusive of those where influenza was specified) numbered 2,156, while in the corresponding period of last year these two numbers were 3,061 and 583 respectively, and a large proportion of these excesses, 2,923 and 2,554, may be attributed to influenza.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how much money remains due to bondholders in this country in respect of debts incurred by American States now forming part of the Union in respect of loans raised for purely industrial purposes.

I would refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Govan (Mr. Maclean) on 10th July last, from which he will see that such information as is available on this point will be found in the Annual Report of the Council of Foreign Bondholders for 1927.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the embargo on the exportation of war munitions to China by European Powers has been raised as a whole or in part; if so, on what lines; and what measure of such embargo is still existing and operative?

The China aims embargo has not been raised, and the Embargo Agreement of 1919 is still in existence and operative.

asked the Minister of Health the approximate number of persons within the city of Manchester who are now drawing old age pensions, civil widows' and children's pensions, and orphans' pensions, respectively, as the result of legislation passed during the life of this Parliament?

The information asked for is not available as the records of pensioners are not arranged on a territorial basis.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give figures showing how many widows and how many orphaned children, respectively, have received pensions under the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, and how many persons, male and female, have secured their old age pensions at 65?

The following particulars, showing the position from the commencement of the Act to 31st December, 1928, relate to England and Wales. 268,613 widows were awarded pensions, which included allowances for approximately 324,000 children: 13,687 awards of orphans' pensions were made, covering approximately 19,000 orphans: 382,023 men and 187,024 women between the, ages of 65 and 70 were awarded old age pensions.

asked the Minister of Health the reasons that prevent him from at once carrying out his expressed intention of introducing legislation to amend the provisions of Section 46 of the Housing Act, 1925, relating to the compensation payable by local authorities to owners of property compulsorily acquired in connection with insanitary area schemes?

It is impossible for the Government to introduce legislation on this subject in the lifetime of the present Parliament owing to the magnitude of their proposals in other directions and the limited amount of Parliamentary time available. My hon Friend will realise also that I have been fully occupied with the Local Government Bill.

asked the Minister of Health, what number and what proportion to the whole of the houses built during the life of the present Parliament up to the end of 1928 or later, both as to subsidy and non-subsidy houses, were built otherwise than of brick, giving the figures as to each of the various recognised types of construction and material?

General statistics of houses which have been constructed with materials other than bricks are not available. The only information in my possession relates to the numbers of houses erected under the Housing Acts of 1923 and 1924 with concrete and by other special methods of construction, and this information was first obtained in April 1925. Since that date 45,888 concrete houses and 8,194 houses of other special methods of construction had been completed up to the end of January, 1929, under the two Acts in question. These represent about 9 and 2 per cent. respectively of the total number of houses built during this period under the two Acts.

asked the Minister of Health, whether, in view of the difficulties arising in connection with the inspection of the carcases of animals killed in private slaughter-houses and the impracticability of the establishment of public abattoirs by the smaller local authorities, he is prepared to introduce legislation to make the establishment of public abattoirs the compulsory duty of each borough, urban, and rural district council, either individually or in combination with one or more of the councils of adjoining or neighbouring districts, and for the abolition of all private slaughter-houses upon the establishment of such abattoirs?

No, Sir. I do not contemplate the introduction of such legislation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has any statistics that will show the number of deaths due to influenza in England and Wales, separately, for the previous four weeks?

Weekly figures of influenza mortality for county boroughs and other great towns in England and Wales are published in the Registrar- General's weekly returns; but no further recent statistics on the subject are available.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the Royal Commission on Police Powers and Procedure has ruled that questions relating to corruption or perjury in the Metropolitan Police Force are outside their terms of reference; and whether, in view of this ruling, he can make a statement as to the steps which are being taken to remedy the state of affairs disclosed at the trial of ex-Sergeant Goddard?

I am not aware of any formal ruling on the subject by the Commission, but their view, as I gather, is that as the Commission is not empowered to take evidence on oath they would not be disposed to inquire into allegations of corruption, etc., against individuals. As to the second part of the question, it would not be possible within the limits of an answer, nor, in my view, would it be in the public interest, to attempt to make any statement as to the steps which have been, or are being, taken to prevent a recurrence of an offence similar to that committed by ex-Sergeant Goddard. But my hon. and gallant Friend may rest assured that the importance of the matter is fully appreciated, and there is good reason to hope that the various steps which are being taken will produce the desired results.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of workpeople engaged in the productive industry of this country which is to receive de-rating advantages under the Local Government Bills at present before Parliament to the latest available date this year, last year, and 1924, respectively?

I presume the hon. Member refers to the Rating and Valuation (Apportionment) Act of last year. The only figures which I am able to give relate to industrial heredita- ments, in which it is estimated that the total numbers of insured workpeople aged 16 to 64 were as follow:

January, 1924	…	…	7,646,000
January, 1928	…	…	7,844,000
January, 1929	…	…	7,880,000

These figures include not only work-people employed in factories and workshops, but also administrative and clerical staffs and persons in each industry engaged in transport, warehousing, and similar duties. In the case of the building trade, they include all insured persons in the industry, and not merely those who work in builders' workshops. The industries to which the figures relate are the 100 industries shown each month in the unemployment tables published in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" with the exception or the following: —Fishing; public works contracting; gas, water and electricity supply; railway service; tramway and omnibus service; 'read transport not separately specified; shipping service; canal, river, dock, and harbour service; transport, communication, and storage not separately specified; distributive trades; commercial, banking, insurance, and finance; national government; local government; professional services; entertainments and sports; hotel, boarding house and club services.