asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the financial provision which it is proposed to make for the purposes of agricultural development, referred to in the recently issued statement of policy in relation to Palestine [Cmd. 3692]?

I have been asked to reply to this question. The matter is now under active consideration, and a full statement will be made at the proper time.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the instructions given by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to Sir John Hope Simpson, referred to in Sir John Hope Simpson's letter of 22nd August, 1930, prefatory to his recently issued Report on Immigration, Land Settlement, and Development [Cmd. 3686].

I have been asked to reply to this question. Sir J. Hope Simpson's instructions for his mission to Palestine were that he should examine, in consultation with the High Commissioner, and report on the questions of immigration and land settlement and development.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he is aware that practice bombs have been dropped by aircraft on the land in the neighbourhood of Saltfleet; and what steps are being taken to prevent accidents of this nature?

Yes, Sir, I regret to say that a. few practice bombs have been accidentally dropped in the vicinity of Saltfleet. Steps have been taken which, I hope, will prevent a repetition of the occurrence.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether any discharges have been made at the Cardington Aerodrome as a, result of the loss of the R 101, and, if so, how many; whether the men discharged are receiving unemployment benefit; and, if not, what alternative arrangement has been made?

As regards the first part of the question, the loss of the Airship R 101 has made it necessary to issue notices of discharge to 139 men and 94 women employed at the Royal Airship Works, Cardington; in addition, arrangements have been made to transfer another seven employés to other stations. As regards the remainder of the question, the discharges have not yet taken effect and the employés concerned are not, therefore, yet in receipt of unemployment benefit. They have, however, been insured against unemployment, and will on discharge receive such benefit as they may be entitled to under the Unemployment Insurance Act.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what provision has been made for the dependants of those who were lost in the R 101?

The grant of pensions or gratuities to the dependants of those who lost their lives in the R101 is governed by King's Regulations and Air Council Instructions, in the case of Air Force personnel, and by the Treasury Warrant of 17th January, 1919, and the Home Secretary's Aircraft Order of 19th September, 1924, in other cases. The nature and amount of these awards vary according to circumstances, but in every case the widow will be entitled to a pension during widowhood, and in most cases the children also will be entitled to pensions. These children's pensions will be payable in some cases to the age of 21, in others to the age of 18, and in others to the age of 16. The House can rest assured that the matter has received the most sympathetic consideration, and that the regulations will not be interpreted in any narrow or grudging spirit.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is yet in a position to make a statement as to the composition and terms of reference of the departmental committee which is to inquire into the working of the mate scheme of promotion from the lower deck?

The Committee has been formed and has begun its inquiry. It is presided over by Vice-Admiral F. Larken, and the other members are Sir Charles Walker, Deputy-Secretary of the Admiralty, Engineer Rear-Admiral H. L. Parry, Captain A. T. B. Curteis and Commander J. Figgins. The Committee is charged in its terms of reference

"to review the working of the system by which Warrant Officers, Petty Officers and Ratings may qualify for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant and above through the rank of Mate, and to report whether any changes are desirable."

The Fleet is being notified by Fleet Order that the Committee will visit the Home ports and Portland to hear the views of officers and ratings of the Home ports and of the Atlantic Fleet, and that the Commanders-in-Chief have been requested to forward the names of those whose evidence they consider will be of assistance or who may request to be allowed to place their views before the Committee.

It has been thought desirable to extend consideration at the present time over the whole field of recruitment to the commissioned ranks of the Navy. A Committee has accordingly been set up under the Chairmanship of my hon. and gallant Friend, the Member for Central Cardiff (Captain Sir Ernest Bennett) with the following terms of reference:

"To consider whether the present systems of entry of Naval Cadets and Naval Cadets (E) are such as to give candidates of the requisite standard from all types of schools and belonging to all classes of the community a fair opportunity of being considered on their merits for entry as Cadets, and if not, to report what changes are recommended in order to extend the field of selection, subject to the requirements of the Naval Service."

Of the four remaining members of the Committee, two are senior naval officers, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Osmond de B. Brock and Rear-Admiral the Hon. Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, while educational opinion is represented by Sir Edmund Phipps, late Deputy-Secretary of the Board of Education, and Mr. F. R. Dale, Headmaster of the City of London School. I should like to make it clear that the Admiralty are not disappointed with the present standard of entrants. On the contrary, we recognise that we are getting very satisfactory material. We do consider, however, that the existing methods of entry may unduly restrict the field from which candidates are drawn, and we are anxious that candidates of the standard necessary for the Naval Service should have a fair opportunity of being considered on their merits for entry as cadets from whatever schools and from whatever classes of the community they are drawn.

asked the Attorney-General whether his attention has been called to a recent issue of the "Daily Herald" newspaper purporting to disclose certain contents of a despatch from the Viceroy of India to His Majesty's Government; and whether he is taking any action in the matter?

I have been asked to reply. The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the last part in the negative.

asked the Minister of Transport the present position with regard to the projected scheme in relation to London traffic?

I am sending the hon. and gallant Member a copy of the statement which I recently made at a series of conferences with representatives of the local authorities and other bodies concerned. Further discussions will take place at an early date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can estimate what would have been the cost to the Exchequer had a guarantee of 55s. per quarter for millable wheat been in force during the past cereal year?

The cost of guaranteeing a price of 55s. per quarter (504 lbs.) for that part of the British wheat crop of 1929 estimated to have been sold off farms would have been £3,390,000. An extension of the guarantee to the total production would have increased the cost by about one-third.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total amount paid by foreign Governments and foreign publishers in royalties for copying Admiralty charts since 1927?

No such sums have been received. In this connection I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on 1st August last.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can inform the House of the purport of the reply of the British Government to the offer of the Prime Minister of Canada for reciprocal trading preferences within the Empire?

I have nothing to add at present to the information which I gave to the House in the course of the debate on the Address on Tuesday last.

asked the Prime Minister whether it is the intention of the Government to reintroduce the Crown Proceedings Bill this Session, seeing that a considerable portion of this Measure has always been understood to be non-controversial?

In the present state of public business, I am not in a position to make any statement on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Mr. P. Culleton, of 10, Heol Dyfed, Fishguard, formerly· No. 7663, private, Royal Irish Regiment, who was pensioned in 1909 for debility following enteric and whose pension has now been increased to £31 1s. per annum; and whether he will arrange for this pre-War pensioner to receive pension and treatment at the same rate and under the same conditions as Great War pensioners

Mr. Culleton is receiving the appropriate award of pension under the regulations in force when he served, together with the maximum increase payable under the Pensions Increase Warrants. As his disability was not due to war service, I regret that I have no power to deal with him under the conditions which apply to war pensioners.