asked the Minister of Transport whether, in prescribing loop-ways and alternative routes for traffic in the London area during the summer season, he will cause special regard to be had to proper access being provided for visitors to hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas as well as to places of historical and artistic interest?

In drawing up the scheme of street works in the London Traffic Area for the six months ending 30th September next, in pursuance of Section 4 of the London Traffic Act, 1924, due regard was paid to the necessity of allowing access to buildings and places of the character referred to in the hon. Member's question.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is now in a position to announce the date of commencement of work on the Dartford-Purfleet tunnel; and whether the Kent and Essex County Councils have completed their consideration of approach roads from Sevenoaks and Maidstone, in Kent, and Ipswich and Chelmsford, in Essex?

I hope that it may be possible to invite tenders for the pilot tunnel before the end of the present month. With regard to the access to the tunnel, the lines of approaches connecting it with existing arterial roads on both sides of the river are determined, and grants have from time to time been made from the Road Fund enabling the county councils of Essex and Kent to carry out improvements further afield which will facilitate access to the tunnel. I am not in a position at this stage to say what further works of this character may ultimately be considered necessary by the county councils.

asked the Minister of Transport how many men will be employed and for how long, and what will be the total estimated cost as well as the total estimated expenditure likely to be incurred, respectively, in the acquisition of land and/or other compensation to owners or occupiers for severance, disturbance, easements, and the like, on wages, and on material on the following schemes: road reconstruction from Brownhills to the Shropshire county boundary; the Stafford County Council unemployment scheme for road reconstruction between Stone and Filly Brooks overhead railway; the road reconstruction from Chepstow Lodge to Broad Oak; the reconstruction of King's Bridge, Glasgow; the by-pass at Black-rod, in Lancashire; the Warwick County Council road reconstruction between Denbigh Corner and Bassett's Pole; and the new road and bridges in Nottingham from Radford Road to Valley Road?

The information desired by my hon. Friend as to the cost of certain schemes under

asked the Minister of Health the estimated total number of insured persons suffering from defective vision?

I am afraid that I have no information which would enable me to form any estimate of the total number of insured persons suffering from defective vision.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the nature and source various heads is given in the table below. With regard, however, to the number of men to be employed on each scheme and the duration of their employment, a detailed estimate might prove misleading, but to such works generally the formula can be applied that for every £1,000,000 spent, the employment provided on the site will amount to about 2,000 men-years, while a similar volume of employment will be provided indirectly for workers engaged in producing material in quarries, steel works, etc.of the royalties received by the Post Office?

Royalties are paid to the Post Office by a number of local authorities, companies and private individuals in respect of certain telegraph and telephone services which they are authorised to conduct under Post Office licences. During the year 1929–30 the total amount of the royalties received was about £20,000 in respect of telegraph services and about £16,500 in respect of telephone services.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the number of automatic stamp-vending machines and the number of telephone kiosks?

Stamp-selling machines have been installed on about 2,600 sites throughout the country. There are 34,350 public telephone call offices, 10,040 of which are installed in public thoroughfares, and are available for service at all hours of the day and night.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the total amount expended on airship development since 1920, together with the amount which would be saved during the current financial year if the airship branch of the Royal Air Force were disbanded forthwith?

As regards the first part of the question, the total expenditure on airship development from 1920 up to 31st March, 1931, was approximately £2,410,000, all but a small portion being expenditure on the airship programme commenced in 1924. As regards the second part, provision for a net expenditure of £50,000 has been made in the current estimates. A decision to close Cardington down would not result in an immediate cessation of all expenditure, and the probability is that after making the necessary terminal payments there would not be a very material saving out of the year's provision.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what local authorities and city or town councils have given permission for experiments to be carried out in their areas with regard to ascents and landings by means of helicopter or auto-gyro flying machines on or from roofs of buildings; and what special safety measures have been insisted upon?

No such permission has, so far as I am aware, been granted, but the question of safety restrictions will certainly be considered if and when an application for carrying out roof landing experiments is received.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that civil servants serving in Hong Kong, recruited on a sterling basis, are now paid on the basis of half at the true exchange and half at the artificial exchange; whether civil servants now being recruited are to be paid on the same basis on arrival in Hong Kong; whether a remission to meet the anticipated deficit will be considered; and generally what steps he has taken to meet the position of civil servants serving in Hong Kong arising out of rate-of-exchange difficulties?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the affirmative, but civil servants now being recruited are informed of the rates for converting sterling salaries into dollars. In view of the serious financial position of the Hong Kong Government, no change in the conversion rates is possible at present, but a Commission has been sent to Hong Kong to review the currency position and the whole matter will be reconsidered on receipt of the Commission's report.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of persons employed directly on schemes initiated by the present Government; the amount sanctioned towards the cost of those schemes; and the estimated amount actually expended?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply on this subject given yesterday to the right hon. Member for West Woolwich (Sir K. Wood).

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what tests have been carried out with flying machines capable of vertical ascent and descent from or on the decks of British naval vessels; and what have been the results?

No such tests have been carried out on board His Majesty's ships.