asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in view of the occurrence of a further case of spotted fever at Eastney Barracks, Portsmouth, what steps are being taken to prevent the spread of the disease?

Only one case of spotted fever has occurred at Eastney Barracks. The following steps have been taken to prevent spread of the disease: 1. No outside residents are permitted to attend any Divisional entertainment. 2. The Divisional Church will be closed except to persons residing within the confines of Eastney Barracks. 3. No football, hockey or shooting matches will take place either at home or away.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, to permit of uniformity in the governance of naval personnel, he will consider the abolition of subsidiary personnel departments at the Admiralty?

I have no reason to believe that co-ordination in naval personnel matters is not already adequately provided for. Not only does efficient co-ordinating madhinery already exist, but all naval personnel matters, whatever branch of the Navy they affect, come under the superintendence of one member of the Board—the Second Sea Lord.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will give an approximate estimate for the latest convenient period of 12 months of the extra sum that would have had to be paid by the officers of the Fleet if wines, spirits, beer and tobacco, exclusive of rum and service tobacco, had paid the rates of duty in force in this country?

The estimated amounts of duty chargeable in respect of wines, spirits and beer allowed by the Customs to be shipped free of duty for officers' messes on His Majesty's ships for the year ended 31st December, 1930, are as follow:

				£
Wine	…	…	…	6,500
Spirits	…	…	…	78,500
Beer	…	…	…	5,000

The estimated amount of duty in respect of tobacco similarly allowed to be shipped free of duty for officers' messes and men's canteens on His Majesty's ships is £187,500. Separate figures are not available as regards the quantities of tobacco shipped for officers' messes and men's canteens respectively. The above figures do not include duty in respect of any shipments of such goods by the Admiralty from the Royal victualling yards, e.g., run and tobacco for ration purposes.

asked the Attorney-General whether any change is contemplated in the method of appointing magistrates and justices of the peace to secure the representation of all classes of the community?

No change is contemplated by my Noble Friend the Lord Chancellor in the method of appointing justices of the peace which is based upon the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Selection and Appointment of Justices of the Peace. In making these appointments my Noble Friend endeavours to include men and women representative of all sections of the community.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the scheme for the extension of the main transmission lines into the Highlands of Scotland has yet been sanctioned; whether he is now in a position to give any particulars to the House; and when work is likely to begin?

Further investigations are still in progress, and the Electricity Commissioners have not yet come to a conclusion whither a scheme under the Act of 1926 for extending main transmission lines into Northern Scotland will be economically practicable.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether building has yet been begun under the Housing and Slum Clearance Act, 1930; whether and, if so, how many houses have been completed; and how many housing authorities in Scotland have framed and adopted schemes under the provisions of that Act?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply on this subject given on the 10th instant to the hon. Member for the Cathcart Division (Mr. Train). According to the latest returns received from local authorities, showing the position as at 31st January, none of the 612 houses, the erection of which has been approved by the Department of Health for Scotland for the purposes of subsidy under the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1930, has been completed; but 298 are under construction.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the number of accidents to school children crossing or playing in the roads in Kilwinning; and what steps he proposes to take to secure their safety?

My attention had not been drawn to this matter but, on inquiry, I am informed that, of 14 children injured in street accidents in Kilwinning in 1930, seven were children of school age. The police are actively engaged in efforts to reduce the number of accidents, and the education committee have recently given directions for the regular instruction of school children in the principles of safety in traffic.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when the work of the Royal Commission on Educational Endowments (Scotland) is likely to be completed; whether any interim reports are to be presented; and, if so, when such reports may be expected and with what endowments they will deal?

I regret that it is not possible to state when the work of the Commission is likely to be completed. The Commission is an executive body, with power to prepare draft schemes for the future government and management of educational endowment in Scotland. I understand that so far it has obtained particulars regarding 1,397 endowments which fall within its jurisdiction, and that it has published 22 draft schemes dealing with 128 endowments in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Border counties. Each year the Commissioners report to the Scottish Education Department regarding their proceedings during the preceding year, and their report is subsequently laid before both Houses of Parliament. The first report was made on 10th May, 1930.

asked the Minister of Health the loan indebtedness incurred by the different boards of guardians in England and Wales in 1928, 1929, and 1930, respectively, for the purpose of relieving unemployment; whether these loans have been taken over by the local authorities who now administer the Poor Law; and how much of them has been paid off?

No loans were raised by boards of guardians in England and Wales in any of the financial years 1928–29, 1929–30, or 1930–31, for the purpose of relieving unemployment. During the first three months of the calendar year 1928, loans amounting to £62,000 were advanced by my Department to three boards of guardians for the purpose of meeting current expenditure. The amounts comprised in this total were transferred to local authorities who now administer the Poor Law; no part of them has yet been repaid.

asked the Minister of Health as to the circumstances attending the application made by Mrs. Wise for herself and her children for admission to an institution on Christmas Eve; and the name of the institution and the reason why they were not admitted?

I have caused further inquiries to be made, but no record can be found of application for admission to a Poor Law institution later than that referred to in the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on Thursday, 12th February.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the fact that there have been 973 applications for cricket pitches in the London parks, though there are only 358 pitches available; and whether, in view of the increasing demand for playing grounds round London and the difficulty of obtaining them, he will consider the desirability of legislation freeing such playing grounds from liabilities to pay rates?

I am aware of the facts as stated, but, strongly as I sympathise with the hon. Member's object, I cannot regard exemption from rating as the right way of attaining it.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the water supply in certain districts in the Holbeach (Lincs) area has been condemned as unfit for human consumption; and what steps, if any, are being taken about it?

I am aware of the unsatisfactory condition of the water supply in this area. A joint scheme for a new supply is proposed by four neighbouring councils, including Holbeach, and a Provisional Order for constituting the joint authority is about to be made and will be submitted to Parliament.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the desirability of appointing a vegetarian to the Health and Nutrition Advisory Committee?

For the reason given in my reply to my hon. Friend's question of 12th February, I regret that I cannot entertain this suggestion.

asked the Minister of Health the number of slum clearance schemes that have been submitted to and approved by him since the passage of the Housing Act, 1930; and whether he is satisfied that adequate progress is being made in this respect?

One hundred and seven areas have been declared to be clearance areas. These declarations do not require my approval. Although considerable progress has been made, I am not yet prepared to say whether I am satisfied that it is, on the whole, adequate.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the action of the London County Council recently purchasing foreign tiles on the ground of cheapness; and whether he will take action to bring to the notice of the London County Council the advisability of buying British goods?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. I have issued a circular on this subject to local authorities, and I understand that the London County Council do in fact give preference, so far as practicable, to British goods.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons who were prosecuted for wrongfully receiving unemployment benefits during each of the last three years; and the number of cases in which guilt was established?

In the year ended 31st December, 1930, the Ministry prosecuted 914 claimants, of whom 872 were found guilty. In the year 1929, 949 claimants were prosecuted and 895 found guilty, whilst the figures for the year 1928 were 1,233 and 1,156 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour by what amount the cost of continuing transitional period benefits for the year 1930–31 has exceeded her estimate; and what she anticipates the cost will be during the forthcoming year, assuming an average number of 3,000,000 persons on the unemployment register?

The estimate for transitional benefit (including the supplementary estimate) in 1930–31 amounts to £22,000,000. The expenditure to 14th February, 1931, amounted to £17,860,000 and so far as can be foreseen the total cost for 1930–31 may be somewhat less than £22,000,000. It is not possible to make any reliable estimate of the cost of transitional benefit in 1931–32 on the hon. Member's assumption.

asked the Minister of Labour what will be the estimated cost by extending transitional period benefit for a further year from April next, with the unemployment register carrying an average of 2,000,000 and 2,500,000 unemployed, respectively?

The cost of extending the transitional period by a further year from April next would fall within the two financial years 1931–32 and 1932–33. Any estimate of the effect of a register of 2,000,000 or 2,500,000 continuing during that period can be little more than conjecture but, if such conditions obtain, the cost of a year's extension is likely to be between £30,000,000 or £40,000,000.

asked the Minister of Labour whether she is aware that members of county councils in Scotland who are unemployed are not only refused allowance for time lost from work but they are refused unemployment benefit on the ground that, by attending county council meetings, they are not available for work; and whether she can take any steps to make unemployment benefit available for such members?

I understand that in two cases claims to benefit made by members of a county council have been disallowed by a court of referees. The insurance officer is submitting an appeal to the umpire, in order to obtain an authoritative ruling on the point.

asked the Minister of Labour the present number of unemployed persons yin the eastern division of Fife, giving the figures for each Employment Exchange area under their separate categories and also the figures for the corresponding period of last year?

I am having the information desired extracted, and will circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as the figures are available.

asked the Minister of Labour the average number of persons covered by the unemployment insurance scheme during 1930, male and female, respectively; the number of such persons who were on the unemployment register during that year, stated in weeks or days; and, if possible, the annual average unemployment, stated in days, over the whole insured population for the same year?

Statistics of the number of persons insured under the tin-employment Insurance Acts are available only in respect of the beginning of July of each year. It is estimated that at July, 1930, there were 12,138,000 insured persons in Great Britain, including 3,769,000 males and 3,369,000 females. The total number of insured persons who made claims to benefit during the year was approximately 5,500,000, of whom 4,000,000 were males and 1,500,000 were females. An analysis of these figures according to the amount of unemployment experienced is not available. It is estimated that approximately 592,000,000 working days were lost in 1930 on account of unemployment, and if this total divided by the number of insured persons, it gives an average of about 49 days each.

asked the Minister of Labour whether she will institute an inquiry into the average weekly and annual earnings of persons drawing unemployment insurance benefit in respect of organised short-time?

I have no power to require either the workers concerned, or their employers, to furnish the particulars that would be necessary for the purpose of such an inquiry.

asked the Minister of Labour the approximate number of persons employed in this country in cracking or refining imported petroleum products?

Statistics giving the information desired are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour when it is proposed to ratify the Forced Labour Convention on behalf of Great Britain and the non-self-governing dependencies; and what other European Powers have already ratified this convention?

As regards the intentions of the Government towards this convention, I would refer to the answer I gave on 18th December to the hen. Member for Huddersfield (Mr. J. Hudson). I am sending a copy of that answer to the right hon. and gallant Gentleman. So far as I am aware, no European Power has yet ratified the convention.

asked the Minister of Labour whether her Department propose to carry out an investiga tion with a view to determining a new average family budget for the purpose of compiling index numbers?

The question of such an investigation is under consideration, but no decision has yet been reached.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the names of the wool growers co-operative associations which have received Government loans; what amount has been advanced in each case; what amount has been advanced free of interest; and for what period in each case?

Under the Ministry's schemes for making loans to co-operative marketing enterprises, a loan of £3,500 has been made to the Southern Wool Growers Ltd. for 12 years, being free of interest for the first two years. A loan of £3,500 has been approved, and will shortly be paid to the Yorkshire and Northern Wool Growers Ltd. for 10 years, of which the first two years will be free of interest.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give statements

Name of Company.	Original Guarantee.	Period of Repayment.	Year of final payment.	Repaid.	Outstanding 31st March, 1930.
	£			£	£
Anglo Scottish Beet Sugar Corpn., Ltd.	370,000	12 years.	1937	140,500	469,500
	240,000	11 years.	1937
Second Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corpn., Ltd.	865,000	9 years.	1934	123,600	741,400
West Midland Sugar Company, Ltd.	150,000	13 years.	1938	55,800	94,200
Central Sugar Company, Ltd.	185,000	9 years.	1934	125,200	59,800
Lincolnshire Sugar Company, Ltd.	225,000	7 years.	1934	64,400	160,600
Orchard Sugar Company, Ltd.	80,000	13 years.	1938	(d)	(d)
	100,000	4 years.	1930	(d)	(d)
	2,215,000			509,500	1,525,500
(d) This Company went into liquidation on 30th March, 1928, and the amount of £171,180 taken up in respect of this guarantee was repaid by the Treasury.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that com-

The following statement shows the general financial position of the beet sugar factories and particulars of the guarantees of capital under the Trades Facilities Acts, as at 31st March, 1930:

	£
Issued Capital	4,658,140
Loans and Debentures Outstanding (c)	2,635,622
Total Capital Expenditure to 31st March, 1930	8,407,548
Depreciation Written Off	2,328,781
Preliminary Expenses Out-standing (a)	56,792
Accumulated Surplus (b)	1,901,639

(

I have been asked to reply. I am aware that complaints have recently been made regarding the dues which are being charged on the Suez Canal, and I am in consultation with the shipping interests on the matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give any estimate of the amount of Income Tax which would, on the basis of the average Income Tax arising from such trade, have been paid to the Treasury on the £300,000,000 of retail trade done annually by the co-operative societies had such trade been done by stores or multiple shops in private ownership?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that a concert at the Dominion Theatre last Sunday evening, all the proceeds of which were to be devoted to charity, had to be cancelled; and, in view of the fact that the cinema theatres in the West End of London were open on that night, in violation of the law, what action he proposes to take in the matter?

I understand that the Lord Chamberlain decided that, in view of the recent judgment in the Court of Appeal, he had no alternative but to cancel the licences he had hitherto given for Sunday entertainments in the theatres under his jurisdiction. The licensing of the cinemas referred to is a matter for the London County Council, and I have no authority to take any action.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he proposes to make available to teachers in primary schools, at a reduced price, the report of the Board's consultative committee on the primary school?

The price of this report was fixed specially at the reduced rate of 2s. 6d. a copy, and my right hon. Friend is not prepared to recommend any further reduction.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many Government Departments are at present recruited on a system of nomination or by selected entry; how many additions have been made during each of the last five financial years to the staffs of each of these Departments; and what proportion of vacancies in each case was filled by entrants from Oxford and Cambridge Universities?

All the Government Departments have grades which are filled by nomination, or by limited competition among persons selected by the Department who are usually already in the employment of the selecting Department. The numbers of persons appointed in each calendar year, and the manner of their appointment, are stated in the Annual Reports of the Civil Service Commissioners. In the year 1929, the latest for which complete figures are available, the numbers of persons appointed by the agency of the Civil Service Commissioners otherwise than by open competition were as fallow:

By competitions limited to candidates selected by the Departments concerned	1,080
(Of these, over 600 were girl probationers in the Post Office competing for posts of sorting assistant, and outdoor officers (postmen, etc.) competing for posts on the indoor staff.)
By promotion of established civil servants	665

asked the Prime Minister whether he is prepared to set up a Select Committee to inquire into the provision of railway travelling facilities for hon. Members at an early date?

An opportunity for discussion on this matter may arise at an early date, on the Supplementary Estimate for the House of Commons, which is now before the House, and includes additional provision to meet the cost of the travelling facilities afforded to hon. Members.