asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of minority petitions received during the past 12 months; the number declared non-receivable; the number declared receivable and referred to the Council; the number referred to the committee of three; the number of meetings held by the committee of three; the number of petitions whose examination has been completed; and the corresponding figures concerning the Ukranians in Poland, separately?

I am prepared to request the Acting Secretary-General of the League of Nations to furnish me with such information as he properly can of the nature desired by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the great dissatisfaction which exists in Muswell Hill with regard to the inadequacy of the omnibus service to Highgate Tube Station; and whether, in view of the representations he has received from the Mayor of Hornsey on the subject, and seeing that the London General Omnibus Company are unable or unwilling to provide an adequate service, he will sanction the running of independent omnibuses on this route?

I have received representations concerning the inadequacy of the omnibus facilities provided during the early morning peak hours between Muswell Hill Broadway and Highgate Underground Station as well as details of the proposal of the London General Omnibus Company to augment their service between those points, and arrangements were made for additional facilities being provided as from this morning.

asked the Minister of Transport whether a decision has been reached, as a result of the discussions between his Department, the Admiralty, and the local authorities, in respect of the proposed bridge over the Tamar?

I have nothing to add to the information given in reply to the hon. Member's question of 5th November.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has any information to give the House as to the ban recently imposed by Brazil on luxury imports; and in what ways and to what extent British trade will be affected thereby?

The only information which I have is in the Board of Trade Journal for 4th December of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy. This contains the text of a cable from His Majesty's Commercial Secretary at Rio in regard to the recent imposition in Brazil of restrictions on foreign exchange business for opening credit or in payment for importation of luxuries of certain kinds. As regards the second part of the question, I find it difficult to make a forecast in the absence of more precise information, but it would not seem that this country is one of those primarily interested in the export to Brazil of the luxury goods in question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the annual and total values of British textile manufactures of all kinds, including made-up goods, exported from this country during the years 1909–13 and from the beginning of 1919 to the latest convenient date, showing in each case the values of cotton, wool, and other textile manufactures; and for the same periods, and on the same bases of calculation, the values of all other exported British manufactures, dividing them into their main manufacturing groups?

For detailed particulars of the exports of merchandise from the United Kingdom during the periods specified, I would refer the hon. Member to Volume I of the "Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom" for the years 1913, 1922, 1927 and 1929. A considerable amount of information respecting the principal commodities exported, including the products of the various branches of the textile industry, is published in the 73rd Number of the "Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom" (Cmd. 3465), which contains data in respect of 1913 and each year from 1915 to 1928 (see pp. 356–365), and the hon. Member will find some information in respect of the years 1924 to 1929 in the "Statistical Tables relating to British and Foreign Trade and Industry" (Cmd. 3737) which has recently been presented to Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what are the tariff charges per ton on British manufactured steel girders entering Australia, Canada, New Zealand, America, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark and Holland?

(2) what are the tariff charges on British manufactured artificial silk goods entering Australia, Canada, New Zealand, America, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark and Holland;

(3) what are the tariff charges on British manufactured cotton piece goods per yard or per lb. entering Australia, Canada, New Zealand, America, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, and Holland;

(4) what are the tariff charges on British manufactured woollen goods, per pound weight, entering Australia, Canada, New Zealand, America, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, and Holland?

Owing to the great complication of the tariffs of some of the countries named, I am afraid it would not be possible to produce statements exactly on the lines suggested in these questions. My hon. Friend will, however, find a considerable amount of information on the subject in the Statistical Tables relating to British and foreign trade which have been laid on the Table of the House, and copies of which will, I hope, be available to hon. Members to-morrow.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what countries having a maximum and a minimum tariff apply the maximum tariff to imports from Soviet Russia?

Among the countries which have a tariff with two or more columns of duties, the following, according to the information in my possession, apply to some or all classes of goods from the Soviet Union duties higher than those applied to similar goods from some or all other foreign countries: Canada, Belgium (for matches only), Czechoslovakia, Finland, France and various French Colonies, Syria, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Roumania, Spain and Yugoslavia.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department, (1) what arrangements the British Government have made in the French Colonies to ascertain the conditions under which goods placed upon the British market are prepared or manufactured in these countries;

(2) what arrangements the British Government have made in the Belgian Colonies to ascertain the conditions under which goods placed upon the British market are prepared or manufactured in these countries;

(3) what arrangements the British Government have made in the Dutch Colonies to ascertain the conditions under which goods placed upon the British market are prepared or manufactured in these countries?

His Majesty's Consular officers in the French, Belgian and Dutch Colonies respectively transmit for publication such information on the subjects mentioned as is publicly available.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether he has considered the proposal of the committee appointed by the Board of Trade to examine the situation as to the British Industries Fair that an exhibit of industrial art should be included; and, if so, what action he is taking in the matter?

The recommendations of the committee are receiving careful consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make any statement regarding the matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of War Debt repayment we have made to America to date over and above the amount received from other countries in War Debt repayments and reparations?

The total sums paid to the United States Government on account of the British War Debt to date, including the payment which is being made to-day, exceed the total sums received in respect of Allied War Debts and reparation by the amount of £140,000,000. The accumulated deficiency is close on £200,000,000 if interest on past payments and receipts is taken into account.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he will inform the House concerning the size of the armed forces stationed in Burma for the purpose of defence against external aggression and of maintaining internal order?

A list of the units of the Army in India stationed in Burma will be found in pages 50–54 of the current issue of the Indian Army List. The strength of the Military Police in Burma at the beginning of this year was 10,059.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether any decision has been come to by the Government of India with regard to co-operation in the organisation and running of an air service from Delhi to Rangoon?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I gave him to Oral Question No. 2.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the fact that the passport of Mr. L. N. Gubil Sundaresan, of Trichinopoly, has been withheld, so preventing him from journeying to England, he will state under whose instructions this action was taken and what were the reasons for it?

This action was taken on instructions given by the Government of Madras, who considered that Mr. Sundaresan's presence in England at the present time would be undesirable.

asked the Secretary of State for India, in view of the assassinations of British officials in India, whether such officials are insured for the benefit of their families, or, if not, whether compensation is granted to their dependants?

In addition to any provision made by the officer through pension funds or insurance, family pensions are granted by Government in the cases named by the hon. Member. The latter are usually assessed under Army Regulations, at double the ordinary rate, the case of a civil officer being dealt with on the basis of a scale of relative rank.

asked the Attorney-General the number of applications which have been made for the fiat under the Prevention of Corruption Acts since 1st January, 1907; the number granted; and the number of convictions distinguishing between England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State before its establishment?

The fiat of the Attorney-General is restricted to offences committed in England and Wales, and I am only able to give figures in connection with such cases. There have been 880 applications, 50 of which were abandoned before the grant of a fiat. The fiat has been granted in 778 cases and reports of convictions have been received in 559 cases. It is not possible to distinguish the English from the Welsh cases.

asked the Minister of Labour the maximum grant given by the Unemployment Grants Committee to local authorities for schemes of accelerated useful work, such as sewage and water schemes; and if, in view of the circumstances of the depressed areas, she is prepared to raise the maximum grant to such authorities?

I will send my hon. Friend a copy of the leaflet which gives particulars of all the grants available. My right hon. Friend cannot hold out any hope that any of the rates of grant will be increased.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons on the registers of the Employment Exchange at Woolwich on each Monday in November, 1930?

The following table shows the numbers of persons on the registers of the Woolwich Employment Exchange in November, 1930.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether compulsory co-operative marketing schemes are in existence in Denmark or in any other foreign country; and, if so, to what produce they apply?

I know of no example of compulsory co-operation, as such, in any foreign country. On the other hand, foreign countries furnish a large number of examples of the compulsory regulation of marketing either by the agricultural industry itself or by the State, and as regards both domestic and export trade.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the recent developments in. the prevention and cure of tuberculosis in cattle by the Spahlinger method and the results which have accrued from those experiments; and whether the Ministry of Agriculture intend to take any steps to investigate these results and make these benefits available for the farming community?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply I gave to-day to a question put by the hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Hurd), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the suffering caused, he proposes to issue further licences to the experimental station at Mill Hill for the purpose of experiments with a view to preventing distemper in dogs?

So far as I am aware, there is no likelihood that additional licences will be asked for for this work. But if the suggestion is that the renewal of the existing licences should be refused, I can only say that in view of the benefit to the animals susceptible to distemper—particularly dogs—which has resulted from these experiments, I should not be justified in interfering with further research on the subject, especially as no appreciable suffering has been caused.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Bemax laboratories are carrying on feeding experiments on animals; and if, in view of the fact that the Bemax laboratories are not registered as a place for experiments on living animals, he will take steps to see that these premises are required to conform to the conditions imposed by the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876?

I had not previously heard of these experiments, but I will look into the matter.

asked the Home Secretary whether he proposes to investigate the operation of the Sunday Observance Act?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on Thursday last to similar questions on this subject.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that cinema theatre owners in Great Britain are liable to heavy penalties under the Sunday Observance Act, 1781, amounting to many thousands of pounds; and, in view of the fact that local authorities have granted the cinema theatres permission to open their theatres on Sundays, whether the Government will consider the introduction of a short Bill to make these penalties retrospectively inoperative?

I am afraid I cannot add anything at present to the answer which I gave on Thursday last.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the inconsistency of the decisions of the various authorities who exercise the censorship over plays, films, etc., he will consider setting up a committee to advise him as to the necessity of recommending legislation on this subject?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to a question on this subject by the hon. Member for the Eastern Division of Dorset (Mr. Glassey) on the 11th instant.

asked the Home Secretary what sentences of one year's imprisonment or less he has advised His Majesty to commute or remit since 1st January, 1930?

Since 1st January last and up to 6th instant, inclusive, His Majesty has been advised on various grounds to remit parts of 41 sentences of imprisonment for terms of one year or less.

asked the Home Secretary what steps he has taken with a view to enabling shops to remain open during the forthcoming Christmas season?

As announced last month in the Press, I have made an Order suspending the operation of the evening closing hours throughout England and Wales from Friday, the 19th December, to Wednesday, the 24th December, both days inclusive. This Order was made after consultation and in agreement with representatives of both the retail traders and the shop assistants. In the notice to the Press, I drew attention to the fact that in view of the extra hours which the assistants will be called upon to work before Christmas, many employers are arranging to close on Saturday, 27th December, either for the whole day or, where that is not consistent with the needs of the public, for part of the day, and I expressed the hope that this example might be widely followed. This suggestion was repeated in a circular issued to its members by the National Chamber of Trade, and I am glad to inform the House that it has met with a very general and gratifying response.

asked the Home Secretary the circumstances under which ex-Inspector Syme has been re-arrested; and whether he is prepared to refer the claims made by ex-Inspector Syme to the Attorney-General for inquiry and settlement?

Ex-Inspector Syme was arrested on the 12th instant for obstructing the police in the execution of their duty, and he was charged on the same day with that offence. He pleaded guilty, and as he refused to give an undertaking to be of good behaviour or to pay a fine of 40s., he was sentenced to 28 days' imprisonment in default. The questions which Mr. Syme asked should be referred to the Attorney-General are questions which had already been considered by the tribunal set up by the Lord Chancellor in 1924. That tribunal consisted of the Honourable Mr. Justice Talbot, His Honour Judge Parfitt and Mr. Rayner Goddard, and the report of the tribunal has been published. Mr. Syme gave an undertaking that he would abide by the findings of this tribunal, and the Government on the other hand undertook that they would implement the findings if they were in Mr. Syme's favour. As is well known, the findings were not in his favour. In these circumstances the Government cannot see their way now to refer the case to the Attorney-General.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many confidential book officers are attached to the Admirals' offices at the three home ports; what is their status under the Naval Discipline Act; and whether warrant writers have been considered for these appointments?

A retired officer, borne specifically for confidential book work, is attached to the Admiral's office at each of the three home ports. These officers are selected from lieutenants, ex-warrant rank, commissioned officers from warrant rank or warrant officers. They are employed as civilians, receiving a civil salary in addition to their retired pay, and are not subject to naval discipline. The present officers are all of the warrant writer class.

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of houses erected by the municipalities of Chatham, Rochester, and Gillingham during each of the last five years?

The following statement gives the number of houses completed with State assistance by each of these municipalities during the years mentioned.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the subsidy to the Opera Syndicate Company will be conditional upon the payment of standard wages to all classes of workers employed?

This is one of the matters at present under consideration.

asked the Postmaster-General if it is his intention to instal a public telephone in the parish of Clawton, North Devon?

A public telephone was brought into use at Clawton on 13th August last.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the total revenue derived by the British Broadcasting Corporation from licences taken out in Wales and Monmouthshire?

Precise figures are not available. The total number of wireless receiving licences in force in Wales and Monmouthshire on 31st October last is, however, estimated at about 128,000, and the revenue accruing to the British Broadcasting Corporation on this basis would be about £43,700 a year.

asked the Postmaster-General the total payments of the Postmaster-General to the railway companies for services rendered in the transmission of parcels post only for years ending March, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1927, 1928 and 1929?

The total payments made to the railway companies for the conveyance of parcels for the years mentioned are as follow:

asked the Postmaster-General what is the number of telephones to be installed annually during each of the next five years; and whether, in the event of the anticipated demand being exceeded, the supply can be adjusted to the demand?

The numbers are not fixed. The Post Office aims at joining up as many additional subscribers as can be induced to accept service. A large margin of spare lines and exchange plant is available for joining up new subscribers; and further provision can readily be made to meet increased demands.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether in order to obviate the hardship and suffering of widows of officers and men who served in His Majesty's forces during the Great War, he will consider the revision of the Royal Warrant to enable pensions and allowances to be paid to all widows of officers and men whose death can be proved to have resulted from their War service?

I am unable to add anything to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Windsor (Mr. A. Somerville) on 17th April last, of which I am sending the Noble Lady a copy.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of ex-service men receiving treatment as inpatients in hospitals, both Ministry of Pensions and private, in respect of War disabilities; and the approximate number of these men who are considered incurable?

The number of in-patients (apart from those in mental institutions) at the end of last month was about 4,100, and the number in mental institutions on the same date was about 6,400. I am afraid I am unable to state the number of cases which might be considered incurable, as classification on this basis forms no part of the Ministry's records.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware that in certain cases pensioners who have been given the entitlement of attributability for their pensionable conditions are dealt with on an aggravation basis, although notified as attributable, and thus are deprived of their right of appeal to the pensions appeal tribunal on entitledment; and whether he will inquire into the matter?

In no case is any change of entitlement affecting pension made, which could form the subject of appeal, without such right of appeal being given.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that in certain cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, although there may be extensive physical signs in the chest, a decision has been given that this does not necessarily indicate a high degree of disablement; that the presence of tubercle bacilli in the sputum does not mean that the man is totally disabled; that pensioners suffering from tubercular disease of the lungs are cut down in their assessments when it is found they are at work; and whether this has been done on the instructions of his Department?

The hon. Member would appear to have been misinformed as to the tenor of the Ministry's medical instructions. Assessment of pension is based on the degree of physical loss or incapacity sustained by an officer or a man in consequence of a particular injury or disease, not merely on the clinical signs present in the case. The statements referred to in the first two parts of the question, while conveying an obvious application of this principle, are far from adequately representing the principles on which medical officers of the Ministry work. With regard to the statement in the third paragraph of the question, it is never the case that an assessment is reduced simply because the man is at work, though the extent, if any, to which the man has shown himself capable of regular work is necessarily some evidence of incapacity.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of permanent awards made by his Department to date in respect of ex-service men who are still alive; the number made during the past 12 months; and the number of reviewable pensions which are still in operation?

The number of permanent pensions in issue to ex-service officers and men of the late War is about 420,000. During the 12 months ended September last, final awards of pension were made in slightly less than 25,000 cases. There are some 55,000 eases which have not yet been found suitable for a final award, though in the majority of these cases awards for prolonged periods are current.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many persons suffering from shell shock and War neurasthenia are in receipt of pensions at the present time; and whether, in view of the ill-effect on general health of worry on the minds of these persons as to the certainty of their pensions continuing, he will consider making these pensions permanent?

The total number of officers and men at present in receipt of pension on account of neurasthenia is about 32,000. It is the policy of the Ministry to make final awards in all suitable cases, and in fact in 28,000 of the total number of cases referred to the awards have been made permanent.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of officers, other than medical, employed at salaries of £500 per annum and upwards who are not ex-service officers or men, and how many are ex-service men; the number of either class at headquarters, and the number of these in the position of entitlement officers or with authority to grant entitlement; and the number of medical officers employed at head-quarters either on salaried or sessional basis who do not come in the category of ex-service, i.e., who served as commissioned medical officers during the late War?

The number of non-service male staff, other than medical, employed at salaries of £500 a year and over, including cost-of-living bonus where applicable, is 121, the number of ex-Service men being 108. Of these, 120 non-service men and 79 ex-service men are employed at headquarters. Entitlement is not granted on the authority of any single officer, the decision for or against a claim being given after examination of all the evidence by medical and lay officers. One sessional medical officer amongst those employed at headquarters on a salaried or sessional basis did not serve as a commissioned medical officer during the late War.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that it is the recognised practice to restrict competitions for professional appointments in the Civil Service to candidates holding appropriate professional qualifications; and, in view of the agreement reached upon a committee of the National Whitley Council in 1925, is he prepared to reconsider the recently issued regulations governing appointments as assistant surveyors in the Admiralty and the Air Ministry in so far as they do not require candidates to be in possession of the appropriate diploma for the practice of the profession of quantity surveying?

It was recognised by the committee of the National Whitley Council, to which my hon. Friend presumably refers, that the methods of recruitment of professional civil servants must be conditional to the requirements of Departments, the facilities for training, and the field of selection. He will be aware that the statement in the first part of his question is subject to considerable qualification. The answer to the second part is in the negative.