asked the Minister of Health the result of his inquiry into the request of the Darlington Board of Guardians to those who have received relief that they should now repay it?

Yes, Sir. The hon. Member would appear to have been misinformed. The guardians are not asking for repayment except from persons in employment, and are making every reasonable allowance in cases where the wages earned are low.

asked the Minister of Health the largest number of persons in receipt of relief in England and Wales on any one day during the month of January, 1929?

I am not supplied with daily returns of the numbers relieved. The largest number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief in England and Wales on any Saturday in the month of January, 1929 (excluding lunatics in asylums, persons in receipt of domiciliary medical relief only, and casuals), was 1,141,997 on Saturday, 12th January. The number of persons in the excluded classes was 127,000 approximately.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the largest number of persons in receipt of relief in Scotland on any one day during the month of January, 1929?

The information desired is not available. I would refer to the reply on this subject given to the hon. Member on 26th February which contains the latest available particulars.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of persons in receipt of relief, exclusive of vagrants as at the last convenient date?

As at 15th September, 1928, the number of persons in receipt of relief in Scotland, exclusive of vagrants, was 209,461.

asked the Minister of Health whether the use of foreign roofing slates disqualifies houses for the subsidy?

No, Sir. Section 10 of the Housing (Financial

Local Authority.	Scheme.	Number of persons who own properties in the areas and of any lessees of such properties.	Number of persons carrying on businesses in the areas.
Plymouth Town Council	New Street and Castle Street.	29	12
Wolverhampton Town Council	Brick Kiln Croft	48	45
Dudley Town Council	Birmingham Street	63	25
Ipswich Town Council	Currier Lane	55	12
Brighton Town Council	Carlton Hill	79	30
Derby Town Council	Nos. 1 and 2 areas	38	7
Stoke-on-Trent Town Council	John Street, Longton	32	13
Knaresborough Urban District Council.	Beech Hill	6	3
Exeter City Council	No. 4 area reconstruction scheme.	5	6

asked the Minister of Health the number of lunatics in county and borough asylums, hospitals, or licensed houses at the last convenient date?

The number of insane patients on 1st January, 1929, in county and borough mental hospitals, registered hospitals, and licensed houses in England and Wales was as follows:

asked the Minister of Health the number of persons who own properties in the respective areas represented by local authorities to be insanitary, schemes relating to which have been submitted for his approval, and the number of persons owning businesses in such areas, respectively?

The following statement gives the information desired:

In county and borough mental hospitals	115,690
In registered hospitals	2,034
In licensed houses	2,615
	120,339

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to a grievance felt among midwives over non-payment for emergency work; and whether he will take steps to amend the law so that the services of midwives who attend emergency maternity cases will not go unrewarded?

I do not find that any special representations have been made to me on this subject, but I understand that the matter will receive consideration by the Departmental Committee appointed to inquire into the working of the Midwives Acts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total exports of coal through the port of Immingham since the introduction of the five-counties scheme; and if he will give the exports for the similar period for each of the years since 1921?

The figures are as follow:

Eleven months ended February.	Quantity of Coal Exported.
	Tons.
1929 (provisional)	1,357,000
1928	521,888
1927	150,030
1926	1,044,980
1925	1,019,553
1924	2,343,437
1923	1,552,324
1922	105,332

In comparing the results for the 11 months ended February, 1929, which is the period covered by the scheme, with those for previous periods, it must be remembered that national disputes in this country, and the occupation of the Ruhr, affected the figures considerably.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of ½d., 1d., and 1½d. stamps that were sold in Great Britain for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

During the year ended 31st December, 1928, there were issued for sale in Great Britain and Northern Ireland about 2,226,000,000 ½d. stamps, 1,015,000,000 1d. stamps, and 2,652,000,000 1½d. stamps. The actual sales do not differ materially from the issues.

asked the Postmaster-General if his attention has been drawn to the case of Mr. Standfield being called upon to perform duty which on annual leave and the refusal of his postmaster of Dorchester, to allow him to appeal to the Secretary, General Post Office; whether staff rule 152 can be enforced at Dorchester so that sorting clerks and telegraphists may in future enjoy uninterruptedly their annual leave; and whether Mr. Standfield can be afforded some compensation for the inconvenience caused to him on the occasion of his having to break his leave in October, 1928?

My attention has been called to this case, and I am inquiring into the circumstances. I will write to the hon. Member when my inquiries are completed.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs how much money has been contributed by each of the Dominions and Crown Colonies towards Naval Defence during the year 1928; what proportion of the money contributed by each of the Dominions and Crown Colonies during this period bears in each case to their total import and export trade and per capita of their population, respectively; and how these figures compare with Great Britain's contributions under those heads?

The contribution of the Dominions to Naval Defence takes the form of maintenance of their own naval forces and establishments by His Majesty's Governments in Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa. The amounts provided in the Estimates of the undermentioned parts of the Empire for the year 1928–29 are as follow:

Great Britain	£57,300,000
Canada	$2,725,000
Commonwealth of Australia	£3,386,999
New Zealand	£710,861
	(including £125,000 instalment of the contribution to the Singapore Base).
Union of South Africa	£98,200

The proportion of expenditure on Naval Defence to the total import and

export trade of these parts of the Empire is as follows:

	Per cent.
Great Britain	2.81
Canada	.12
Commonwealth of Australia	1.17
New Zealand	.70
Union of South Africa	.06

Expenditure per caput of population:

Great Britain	£1 5s.	1d.
Canada	$0.20
Commonwealth of Australia	10s.	9d.
New Zealand	9s.	9d.
Union of South Africa (European population only)	1s.	2d.

NOTES.—(

asked the Minister of Labour the estimated numbers of workpeople insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts in Great Britain on 31st December, 1928, or at the last convenient date?

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total number of miners who were unemployed in the North Wales coalfield over the three months ending 16th February, 1929; what is the total number of vacancies filled during that period through the medium of the Employment Exchanges, and how many of the vacancies so filled have been taken up by coal miners from North Wales, South Wales, and elsewhere, respectively; and what are the reasons for the importation of miners from outside the North Wales coalfield when there are so many local miners out of work?

The following statement gives such of the information asked for as is available:

It is provisionally estimated that there were approximately 11,682,000 persons aged 16 to 64 inclusive insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts in Great Britain at the end of January, 1929.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the total number of boys who have beer entered in each of the Government instructional centres in South Wales since their inception; and how many of these boys have, so far, been placed in employment from each of these centres, indicating, if possible, the principal trades in which jobs for them have been found?

The following table shows the number of boys who have attended the Juvenile Unemployment Centres in South Wales, and number of boys transferred to employment in other

Juvenile Unemployment Centre.			Date on which Centre was opened.	Total number of boys who have attended at any time.	Number of boys transferred to employment in other districts since February, 1928.
Aberdare	…	…	19.12.1927	895	143
Abertillery	…	…	2.1.1928	530	108
Amruanford	…	…	13.2.1928	721	53
Bargoed	…	…	20.2.1928	600	138
Blaina	…	…	19.12.1927	472	78
Caerphilly	…	…	1.10.1928	295	34
Cardiff	…	…	1.4.1926†	5,308*	47
Ebbw Vale	…	…	19.12.1927	664	34
Ferndale	…	…	19.12.1927	656	74
Maesteg	…	…	20.2.1928	665	58
Merthyr Tydfil	…	…	19.12.1927	442	45
Neath	…	…	4.6.1928	417	58
Pontypool	…	…	19.12.1927	775	72
Pontypridd	…	…	19.12.1927	720	71
Port Talbot	…	…	19.12.1927	1,014	95
Risca	…	…	7.1.1929	125	3
Swansea	…	…	1.4.1926†	3,953	21
Touypandy	…	…	19.12.1927	1,071	166
Totals	…	…		19,323	1,298
* Includes Girls.
† Information prior to this date not available.

Among the occupations in which trans-erred boys have been placed are:

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men transferred from distressed areas to London who were unemployed at the end of February?

I regret that there are no statistics available giving this information.

asked the Minister of Labour what has been the cost for 1927 and 1928, respectively, for unemployment benefits, out-of-work donation, or relief, and also the total number of unemployed for 1927 and 1928, respectively, giving details in connection with an abnormal number of unemployed in each year.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 28th February, 1929; col. 2203, Vol. 225] 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:

Year.	Unemployment Benefit.	Poor Law Relief to able-bodied persons and their dependants.
	Calendar Year.	Year ended 31st March.
	£	£
1927	36,750,000	17,350,000
1928	44,270,000	8,500,000
Nine months to 31st December, 1928.	—	4,880,000

Out-of-work donation is not now payable, and none was paid in the period covered by the Table. The average number of persons on the registers of local offices of the Ministry of Labour in Great Britain in 1927 was 1,111,771 and in 1928, 1,231,109. The increase in 1928 occurred largely in the coal mining, ship-building and ship-repairing, cotton, woollen and worsted, and boot and shoe industries.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of firms in London and south-eastern divisions in trades for which there are trade boards in operation; the number of firms never inspected in these divisions; the number of men and women employed as inspectors in the divisions in question; and whether he will increase the inspectorate so that all the firms can be visited annually?

The official list of establishments in the two south-eastern divisions including London engaged in trades covered by the Trade Boards Acts is 39,346. The number inspected is between 13,000 and 14,000 including all those with regard to which complaints have been made to the Department; many have been inspected more than once. 22 Inspectors—14 men, eight women—are employed in these divisions and during the year ended 31st December, 1928, they carried out 3,943 inspections or 10 per cent. of the total number of establishments concerned. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of firms in Great Britain covered by the Trade Boards Acts; the number of firms that were inspected during the 12 months ended 31st December, 1928; the number of firms not inspected during the same period; and whether he has under consideration such increase of the inspectorate as would permit every firm being visited at least once during a year?

The official list of establishments engaged in trades covered by the Trade Boards Acts contains 107,082 addresses. Of these, 14,438 were inspected during the 12 months ended 31st December, 1928, leaving a balance of 92,644 establishments not inspected during that year. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the average weekly pay of temporary clerks; whether there is any encouragement to efficiency or good service by allowing any annual increment of pay, in view of the fact that these men have neither security nor the prospect of the usual scale of pension on retirement; and how the salary of this grade of civil servant, after about 15 years' service, compares on an average with the figure reached after the first four years of service?

The conditions of service of temporary clerks provide not only for annual increments of pay but also for advancement from one temporary grade to another. I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of the annexe to the current Bonus Revision Circular,

Office.	—	Year of first appointment to rank.	Year of appointment to present po-t.
Treasury	Sir Warren Fisher, G.C.B., G.C.V.O.	1918	1919
Admiralty	Sir Oswyn A. R. Murray, K.C.B.	1917	1917
Air Ministry	Sir Walter F. Nicholson, K.C.B.	1920	1920
Board of Customs and Excise.	Sir Francis L. C. Floud, K.C.B	1920	1927
Board of Education	Sir Aubrey V. Symonds, K.C.B.	1925	1925
Board of Inland Revenue	Sir Ernest Gowers, K.C.B., K.B.E.	1927	1927
Board of Trade	Sir Horace P. Hamilton, K.C.B.	1919	1927
Cabinet Office	Lieut.-Colonel Sir Maurice P. A. Hankey, G.C.B.	1919	1919
Chief Economic Adviser to H.M. Government.	Sir Sydney Chapman, K.C.B., C.B.E.	1920	1927
Colonial Office	Brig.-General Sir Samuel H. Wilson, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., K.B.E.	1925	1925
Comptroller and Auditor General.	Sir Malcolm G. Ramsay, K.C.B.	1919	1921
Controller of Establishments Department, Treasury.	Sir R. Russell Scott, K.C.B., C.S.I.	1921	1921
Controller of Finance and Supply Services Department, Treasury.	Sir Richard V. N. Hopkins, K.C.B.	1922	1927
Foreign Office	Rt. Hon. Sir Ronald Lindsay, G.C.M.G., C.B., C.V.O.	1925	1928
General Post Office	Sir G. Evelyn P. Murray, K.C.B.	1914	1914
Home Office	Rt. Hon. Sir John Anderson, G.C.B.	1919	1922
India Office	Sir Arthur Hirtzel, K.C.B.	1924	1924
Lord Chancellor's Department.	Sir Claud Schuster, G.C.B., C.V.O., K.C.	1915	1915
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.	Sir Charles J. Howell Thomas, K.C.B., C.M.G.	1927	1927
Ministry of Health	Sir Arthur Robinson, G.C.B., C.B.E.	1918	1920
Ministry of Labour	Sir Horace J. Wilson, K.C.B., C.B.E.	1921	1921
War Office	Sir Herbert J. Creedy, K.C.B., K.C.V.O.	1920	1920

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the average number of days of sick leave per head during each of the last three years in the case of women clerical officers, writing assistants, and members of the established

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the names and number of years served in their present appointments of the several permanent secretaries of the various Government Departments?

Following is a list of officers in first class Departments of State holding the rank in the service of permanent secretary (or equivalent title):typing grades, respectively, employed in his Department; and what was the average number of days of sick leave per head in the case of each of the grades concerned taken on account of gastric or nervous trouble, respectively?

The average number of days of sick leave per head during the last three years in the case of women clerical officers, writing assistants and

—				Year ended 31st January.
				1927.	1928.	1929.
Clerical Officers	…	…	…	10·4*	10·6	11·0†
Writing Assistants	…	…	…	13·7	16·9	16·3
Typing Grades	…	…	…	10·1	10·9	9·9‡
* Excluding two women who had 218 and 122 days' sick leave respectively.
† Excluding two women who had 257 and 165 days' sick leave respectively.
‡ Excluding three women who had 180, 134 and 115 days' sick leave respectively.
I regret that I am unable to give the information asked for in the last part of the question, as it could not be obtained without the expenditure of an undue amount of time and labour.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the profit made during the previous 12 months, to the last convenient date, in the Stationery Office printing works?

The profit for the year ending 31st March, 1928, was £96,484 0s. 7d.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of articles of wearing apparel containing silk, imported by private individuals as distinct from traders, upon which specific duty, as distinct from ad valorem duty, has been paid, giving the amount of duty so paid, for the periods 1st August, 1926, to 4th April, 1927, 5th April, 1927, to 4th April, 1928, and 5th April, 1928, to date respectively; the number and declared value of articles of wearing apparel containing silk, imported by traders, upon which the appropriate rate of ad valorem duty has been paid, giving the amount of duty so paid, for the periods 1st August, 1926, to 4th April, 1927, 5th April, 1927, to 4th April, 1928, and 5th April, 1928, to date respectively; and the number and declared value of articles of wearing apparel containing silk, imported by traders and private individuals, upon which the appropriate rate of ad valorem duty has been paid, giving the amount of

Separate figures are not available of the number or declared value of, or the amount of duty paid at ad valorem rates on, articles of wearing apparel, as distinct from other articles, which contain silk or artificial silk. The amount of duty paid at specific rates on articles of apparel containing silk or artificial silk imported by private individuals for their own use was as follows:

	£
From 1st August, 1926, to 31st March, 1927	17,564
From 1st April, 1927, to 31st March, 1928	34,722
From 1st April, 1928, to 31st January, 1929	20,029

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the practice of the Inland Revenue Department to make any and if any, what allowance from Income Tax to the parent or guardian of a young person without means of his own during the period when such young person is studying as a medical student at a medical school or hospital or for any other profession such as an articled solicitor's clerk or training and attendance at a law school?

I would refer the hon. Member to the provisions for deductions in respect of children in Section 21 of the Finance Act, 1920, as amended by Section 16 of the Finance Act, 1928. In the case of a child over 16 years of age, the allowance of a deduction is subject to the condition that the child is receiving full time instruction at a university, college, school or other educational establishment. The question whether in a particular instance this statutory condition is satisfied falls to be determined in the light of the facts of the case. The deduction represents relief from tax on £60 in respect of one child and on £50 in respect of each subsequent child.