asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the disused Army barracks at Bradford Moor, Bradford, are objected to as unsightly by the residents of the Bradford Moor ward; and whether he is willing to negotiate with the mayor and corporation of Bradford for sale, on favourable terms, of the site of the baracks and the parade ground for a housing scheme or other similar purpose?

These barracks are no longer required by the military authorities, who have been in communication with the Bradford Corporation regarding their disposal. An offer from the corporation is at present awaited.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office (1) the cost of flour and the cost of bread, after making full allowance for capital and other costs, in Army bakeries at Aldershot or in any other convenient centre in February, 1914, and in February, 1931, respectively;(2) the average cost per quartern loaf of bread baked in the Army bakeries at Aldershot, after making full allowance for capital and all other costs, including the cost of pay and maintenance of the enlisted labour employed, the average cost per quartern loaf of bread supplied on contract in the London area by the canteen board and by private contracts, respectively, and the corresponding retail price of bread of similar quality across the counter in ordinary retail shops in Aldershot and in London, respectively?

I regret that information as to the costs of Army bakeries in 1914 is not on record, but the latest available information for the present day is:

• Cost of flour to the Aldershot bakeries: 8s. 11½d. per 100 lbs.
• Cost of 4-lb. loaf there: 4½d. approximately.

It would not be in accordance with custom to state the exact contract price of bread supplied to the Army in the London area, but the average recent price is fractionally over 4d. The canteen organisation does not tender. As the Department does not deal with retail shops, I regret I cannot answer the last part of the second question.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can now make any statement concerning an improvement of the conditions of lad writers at the Royal Arsenal who reach the age of 21 years?

Following the consultation with representatives of the staff which I mentioned in my reply to a question by the right hon. Member on the same subject on 14th May last, an undertaking was given that, in the absence of any material and unforeseen change in the situation, which might make it necessary to reconsider the matter, none of the remaining lad writers at the Royal Arsenal would, if efficient, be discharged on reaching the age of 21 if they wished to remain after that age in temporary adult employment.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been directed to the railway rates charged on potatoes, which in the case of the consignment of 18 cwts. dispatched by rail from Forfar to Holyhead amounted to 61s. 6d., the value of the potatoes being 126s. 9d.; and whether, in view of the importance of enabling farmers to secure a supply of Scotch-grown seed, he will take steps to secure lower rates?

A communication from the hon. Member on the subject has been passed to me. Jurisdiction over railway rates rests with the Railway Rates Tribunal, and on inquiry from the railway company I am informed that the rate charged in this case is the standard rate applicable to potato traffic passing in small quantities between the points. The Railways Act, 1921, affords means by which traders can apply to the Railway Rates Tribunal to modify standard charges or to fix new exceptional rates, and the matter is not one in which I could properly intervene.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Paris police authorities are introducing an electric light to be worn in the cap-peak of traffic police officers; and whether this has been considered for the Metropolitan traffic police?

The Commissioner of Police informs me that the suggestion that a light should be carried on the helmet of traffic police officers has been considered, but it has not been deemed advisable to adopt it. Local authorities have installed spot lights at a number of traffic points, and this is regarded as the most satisfactory way of making the police officer easily visible.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is prepared to accede to the representation submitted to him asking that the Rent Restrictions Act be revised with a view to allowing the court power to fix a fair and reasonable rent; and, if so, can he indicate when such legislation will be introduced?

I would remind the hon. Member of the fact that the operation of the Rent Restrictions Acts is under the consideration of an inter-Departmental Committee appointed by myself and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland. The Committee will no doubt consider the point raised in his question.

asked the Minister of Health what number of additional houses is required in Newcastle-on-Tyne in order that there may be available one house per family in the city; whether he proposes to take steps to ensure the early provision of this accommodation; and what estimated number of workmen can be employed in building the additional houses in question?

I am afraid the information sought in the first part of the question is not available. As regards the second part, the corporation are proposing to provide 5,182 houses in the next five years, and it is estimated that the average number of persons employed in building these houses will be 1,400.

asked the Minister of Labour how many unemployed coalminers have been transferred from Northumberland during the past 12 months; to what areas they have been transferred; and what class of work has been found for them?

As stated in my reply to the right hon. Member for Tam-worth (Sir A. Steel-Maitland) on 26th February, statistics giving the numbers transferred from particular areas are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many building-trade operatives there are, stating their various trades, registered at the Employment Exchanges of Plymouth and Devon-port, respectively?

The following table gives the information desired:

INSURED PERSONS classified as belonging to the Building Industry recorded as unemployed at the Employment Exchanges at Devonport and Plymouth at 23rd February, 1931.
Occupation.		Devonport.	Plymouth.
Carpenters	…	30	124
Bricklayers	…	4	22
Masons	…	8	21
Slaters	…	—	1
Plasterers	…	8	26
Painters	…	48	113
Plumbers	…	4	4
Labourers to above	…	53	93
All other occupations	…	56	145
Total	…	211	549

NOTE.—Juveniles living in Devonport are included in the figures for Plymouth.

asked the Minister of Labour how many clerks, permanent and temporary, are employed in the Employment Exchange, Hull; how many are classified in grade 2 and also in grade 3; and what are the weekly wages received by those employed in grade 2 and grade 3, respectively?

There are 53 permanent officers below the grade of third-class officer and 94 temporary clerks employed at the Hull Employment Exchange. Of the 53 permanent officers, 10 are "P" class clerks, grade III. Of the 94 temporary clerks 76 are men, grade III, one a woman, grade II, and 17 women, grade III. The average salary of the "P" class clerks is £3 1s. 11d. per week, of the male temporary clerks £2 12s. 7d. per week, and of the grade III women clerks £1 14s. 7d. per week. The salary of the grade II woman clerk is £2 6s. 1d. per week.

asked the President of the Board of Education what local education authorities grant maintenance allowances, supplementary to free places in secondary schools, at a flat rate only without taking into account differences in the family income?

All maintenance allowances provided by local education authorities under Section 71 (c) of the Education Act, 1921, are awarded only to pupils who are ascertained to be in need of assistance. According to the information at the Board's disposal, the following authorities, after satisfying themselves that this condition is fulfilled, grant maintenance allowances supplementary to free places in secondary schools at one flat rate only and not at rates varying in accordance with differences in the family income:

Cambridgeshire.*	Middlesex.
Barrow-in-Furness.	Reading.
Derby.	Rochdale.
Dewsbury.	Tynemouth.
Grimsby.	Walsall.
Huddersfield.	Warrington.
Kingston-upon-Hull.	West Bromwich.
Oldham.	West Hartlepool.
Portsmouth.	Wigan.
* Applies only to pupils taking advanced courses, that is, normally between the ages of 16 and 18.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many local authorities have taken advantage of the increased building grants and to what extent; and whether, in view of the defeat of the Education (School Attendance) Bill, he will consider returning to the former scale of grant?

Since September, 1929, some 250 local authorities have received approval to proposals for capital expenditure which are eligible for grant at the special rate which was introduced as from that date. The estimated expenditure on these proposals is £10,971,000 to be met out of loans and £607,000 to be met out of revenue. The continuance of the increased grant will be a matter for consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether a civil servant leaving the Civil Service at the request of the Government before reaching the age limit is treated as forfeiting all, or any part of, pension and other cognate rights?

In the circumstances apparently contemplated in the question, the "other" service would probably be regarded as "approved employment" under the Superannuation Act, 1914. The approved employment would not reckon for pension, but if it came to an end owing to ill-health or the attainment of the age of 60, an award could be made in respect of the previous Civil Service of a pension and allowance not exceeding the pension and allowance which could have been granted had the civil servant retired on the ground of ill-health at the date of taking up the approved employment. No grant, however, could be made if the approved employment came to an end otherwise than on account of ill-health or age, nor would the legal personal representatives be eligible for gratuity if death occurred during the period of approved employment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to provide that no person shall be able still to draw a pension from the Exchequer or the rates after taking another position under the State or local authority, and that upon relinquishing such position no person shall be entitled to receive two pensions in respect of the two appointments?

The answer is in the negative. Section 20 of the Superannuation Act, 1834, provides that if a Civil Service pensioner is appointed to fill any office in a public Department, his pension shall be suspended or abated, so that he shall receive only so much pension (if any) as is required to make his new salary up to his old salary. There are similar provisions in the Police Pensions Act, 1921, and the Teachers' Superannuation Act, 1925, with regard to the re-employment of police and teacher pensioners. It would not, in my judgment, be possible to extend this arrangement so as to provide for the suspension of a pension earned in one capacity on fresh employment in a quite different capacity. If the second period of service is such as to qualify the officer for pension in respect of it, I can see no reason why he should be debarred from receiving such pension.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many temporary typists and shorthand typists there now are in the Civil Service; and how many of these have been engaged since July, 1927?

The answer to the first part of the question is 3,539, and to the second 1,510.

asked the Secretary for Mince what has been the development of coke-oven plants in England and Wales; if he is aware of any instances where gas is being pumped under pressure from such plants to large cities; and whether the sale of coke and by-products under the existing conditions of industrial depression shows a profit in working the plants?

Statements made in the report of the Departmental Committee on Area Gas Supply issued in March, 1930, indicate that coke-oven development has tended towards an increase of over capacity and the erection of central coking plants serving several collieries. A further development is the substitution of beehive ovens by by-product recovery ovens. Thus in 1913 of the total coal carbonised at coke-ovens in England and Wales, 53.7 per cent. was carbonised at by-product ovens, whereas in 1929, the latest year for which information is at present available, the proportion was 95.6 per cent. In 1929, 10,125 million cubic feet of coke-oven gas were purchased by 29 gas undertakings. A list of these undertakings is given on page 41 of Part I of the Board of Trade Return relating to all authorised gas undertakings in Great Britain for the year 1929. I have no information regarding the last part of the question.

asked the Secretary for Mines how much of the remuneration of Sir Ernest Gowers at £7,000 a year represents the value of his post as chairman of the Coal Mines Reorgaisation Commission, and how much is compensation for his pension rights

The points raised by the hon. Member are covered by the statement which, as I indicated in the reply I gave on Tuesday to the questions asked by the hon. and gallant Members for Gainsborough (Captain Crookshank) and Epsom (Commander Southby), I propose to make on the Report stage of the Supplementary Estimate, Class VI, Vote 6.