asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether it is the intention of the Government to include in their contracts with clothing contractors the tunics for drummers or bandsmen, non-commissioned officers, and privates of the Household Guards and Household Cavalry; and if he can state the approximate cost for each kind of tunic made at the Royal Army Clothing Factory, Pimlico, and that undertaken by a clothing contractor?

As regard the first part of the question, experimental orders have been placed with the trade far certain full-dress articles, but pending review of the results of these orders, no decision regarding the future method of obtaining full-dress can be reached. As regards the second part, it would not be in the public interest at this stage to publish comparative prices, but the object of the experiment is to effect economies—and this object will not be lost sight of.

asked the Minister of Labour whether any employés have yet been discharged from the Royal Army Clothing Factory, Pimlico; and, if so, how many are in receipt of unemployment benefit?

I am informed that four men and 140 women and girls have so far been discharged. In order to answer the latter part of the question it would be necessary to trace each individual by searching through the registers of a number of exchanges, and this would be a laborious task. I may say that partial inquiries have been made and, so far as they go, benefit was found to be payable in each case.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has received representations in respect of the imposition of a quota system for imported commodities other than wheat; and, if so, in respect of what commodities?

Apart from wheat, representations or suggestions have at one time or another been made in favour of a quota system being applied to imports of a number of commodities including beef, mutton and lamb, pig products of all kinds, milk and milk products, poultry products, fruit and fruit products, barley and sugar.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will consider the desirability of applying the Merchandise Marks Act to imported fresh milk?

I have no power to make a Marking Order under the Merchandise Marks Act, 1928, except after an application substantially representing one or more of the various Interests concerned, and on a report following an inquiry by the standing committee set up for the purpost.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in determining the amount of financial aid to be given to the beet-sugar industry in Britain in any year additional to that originally fixed by Parliament, the Government have access to the accounts of all the beet-sugar factories and companies; and whether they take cognisance of the issued capital, loans and debentures outstanding, capital expenditure, depreciation written off, and the accumulated surplus of these companies?

Companies which manufacture sugar and molasses from home-grown beet are under a statutory obligation to furnish their balance sheets and profit and loss accounts to the Minister. The Government, therefore, are in a position to take cognisance of the items referred to by the Noble Lady.

asked the First Commissioner of Works what steps the Government are taking to attract the notice of foreign manufacturers wishing to establish themselves in this country to the potentialities of State buildings erected in the War and now unused, including the national projectile factory at Dudley?

The Dudley factory is the only disused Government property which may prove suitable for the purpose of foreign manufacturers, and steps have been taken to advertise it in channels which are likely to attract their attention. As my hon. Friend is aware, I have recently granted the use of this factory for the purposes of a local industrial exhibition, and I hope that additional publicity may thus be secured.

asked the Minister of Education whether he is aware of the difficulties in which supplementary teachers now find themselves, both as regards payment and pension; and whether, as advertisements for these teachers are still being inserted in the educational papers, he will consider the desirability of legislation, if it is necessary, or advice to the educational committee if it is not, to the effect that steps should be taken to improve in both the respects mentioned the plight of these teachers, who in many cases are old and embarrassed in their finances?

I am aware that supplementary teachers are paid at lower rates than teachers with recognised qualifications, and that they are outside the scope of the Superannuation Acts, but I am afraid that the suggestions made by the hon. Member in the second part of the question raise wide issues with which I cannot deal satisfactorily within the limits of a Parliamentary answer.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what reduction, if any, has been made in the Navy Reserve pay and what reduction has been made in the naval officers' reserve pay?

Reserve officers and ratings receive pay only when serving in the Fleet for training or on mobilisation. They are then paid at the same rates as active service officers and ratings and suffer the same reductions. The training fees payable to Royal Naval Reserve officers who have completed certain specified periods of training have been reduced by 10 per cent.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the estimated cost of pensions payable to dependants of those who lost their lives in the submarine M.2 disaster over a period of 12 months, showing the amount payable on behalf of each deceased officer and rating?

The cost of the pensions, etc., payable to the widows and children of the officers and men for 12 months is estimated to be £2,700 (approximately). The total for the relations of men is £2,227 12s. 5d. and for officers £476, but the latter does not include the cost of educational allowances which it may be found possible to grant. The Regulations under which the awards for officers and men are made are set out in the Appendix to the Navy List, and it will be seen that the awards to the widows of men depend partly on their age and partly on the rating held by the deceased. In the case of M.2, the awards for men range from a minimum of 10s. ed. a week to a maximum of 22s., and in addition 5s. a week is payable in respect of each child under 16 years of age. The annual cost of the pensions payable to dependants other than the widows and children cannot at present be stated, as the awards are conditional on the result of inquiry in each individual case.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether be will consider the desirability of permitting ex-chief petty officers in His Majesty's Navy to have their pensions paid to them through a bank in the same manner as is permitted to ex-warrant officers in His Majesty's Army?

The rating of chief petty officer, Royal Navy, is not strictly comparable with the class of Army warrant officer to which the hon. Member refers. The Army warrant officers, first class, who are permitted to draw payment of their pension through a bank, rank with but after warrant officers, Royal Navy. Pensioned chief petty officers, Royal Navy, receive their pensions under the system in operation for naval (seamen and marines) pensioners generally, by which payment is effected quarterly in advance by postal drafts negotiable at any post office in the British Isles which may be selected by the pensioner. A departure from this procedure in favour of members of a particular class would he difficult and uneconomical from an administrative point of view. I regret that, in these circumstances, I am unable to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the desirability of giving instructions that the practice of writing the pension number on the outside of certain envelopes addressed by his Department to ex-petty officers shall be discontinued?

The arrangement by which Navy pensioners were required to write their pension numbers on the outside of envelopes addressed to them was part of the new system, introduced last April in the interests of economy, for the payment of Navy pensions. In consequence of complaints that have been received it has been decided, as an experiment, to eliminate all reference to pension on the envelopes by substituting the word "Number" for the original direction, "State your pension number here." It is essential, to avoid delay, that the envelope shall bear some definite indication which will enable the man concerned to be readily identified. This change will take effect from 1st April next, when the next quarterly payment of pensions becomes due.

asked the First Lord of the, Armiralty whether he will consider issuing a regulation that ex-chief petty officers in His Majesty's Navy who have obtained passing certificates for promotion and recommendations as well, but who have not obtained such promotion on account of reduction of personnel, shall be given on retirement such promoted rank but without any increase in pension?

Careful consideration has been given to the proposal of the hon. Member, but in view of the general policy of the Admiralty to abolish promotion on retirement, I regret that the proposal cannot be accepted.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the quantities of alcohol used by the perfumery trade for the years 1918, 1929, 1930, and 1931, and the amount of excise duties paid thereon in those years?

No figures of the kind were collected for the year 1918. For 1929 and 1930 the approximate figures (which to some extent are estimated) are as follow:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the quantity of bulk and standard barrels of beer produced in Great Britain during each calendar month of the years 1030 and 1931?

I will send my hon. Friend a statement giving the particulars he desires.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the bulk and

asked the Minister of Labour the estimated changes since 1923 in the numbers of registered unemployed in Great Britain due to legislative and administrative changes in unemployment insurance, showing additions or decreases in every case?

An article giving the information desired in respect of the period from February, 1924, to December, 1929, was published on page 50 of the February, 1030, issue of the Ministry of Labour Gazette. In May, 1930, the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1930, was estimated on such information as was available, to have added about 60,000 or 3.5 per cent. to the register. In the light of later information this figure is certainly a considerable under-estimate, and does not make sufficient allowance for the effect of relaxed conditions in attracting claims which would not otherwise have been made, an effect which cannot be measured by statistical methods. Between last October and the end of January, legislative and administrative changes had reduced the register by a figure estimated at about 145,000, or 5.3 per cent. of the total, at the end of January.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what services in Northern Ireland are paid for entirely from the British Exchequer and the total annual cost to this country?

I am able to give the following figures, but I regret that particulars in respect of England by itself are not compiled:

The only services in Northern Ireland which are paid for entirely from the British Exchequer are the provision of buildings for the Parliament and public Departments of Northern Ireland (under Section 34 of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920) and for the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland (under Section 24 of the same Act). The estimated cost of these services during the current financial year is £297,000. This charge on the British Exchequer will cease when all the buildings are completed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will furnish particulars of the amounts of loans or Government stock outstanding, and the interest payable in each case; and particulars of conversions made since 1815?

Full particulars of the various items of the0 National Debt as at 31st March, 1930, and 31st March, 1931, showing also transactions in the course of the year, will be found on pages 66 to 70 of the Finance Accounts for 1930–31 (H.C. 106 of 1931). The amount of interest payable in each case is shown on pages 31 and 32. Conversions made in the course of each financial year are now shown in Appendix VI of the Annual Returns relating to the National Debt; the return for 1930–31 is Command Paper 3959 of 1931. For earlier years I would refer the hon. Member to the following documents:

asked the Prime Minister whether he contemplates any steps to reform the procedure in this House and, in particular, whether he will consider the modification of the present procedure in relation to Money Bills?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Prime Minister on 2nd December, 1931, to the hon. Member for Pontypool (Mr. T. Griffiths). I am not yet in a position to state whether a Select Committee will be set up to complete the inquiry into the Procedure of the House of Commons.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the new Turkish legislation imposing restrictions on the employment of foreigners in Turkey affects to any appreciable extent the interests of British subjects; and, if so, on what lines?

His Majesty's Government have received no information that new legislation, of the nature described by my hon. and gallant Friend, has been passed by the Turkish Assembly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the provisions of the Temporary Commercial Agreement between His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have been extended to any of the Self-governing Dominions and, if so, which, or to India or to any of the Colonies, Possessions, Protectorates, or Mandated Territories; and,if so which?

The provisions of the Temporary Commercial Agreement have not been extended to any of His Majesty's Self-governing Dominions or to India. They were extended, as from 1st December,1930, to the following Colonies: Bermuda, British Guiana, Falkland Island, Jamaica, Malta, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Windward Islands.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that experienced students from the Seale-Hayne Agricultural College, Newton Abbot, have performed urgent work on the farm at Princetown during the recent prison troubles; and whether an appreciation can be conveyed to those responsible for offering the services of the students?

Yes, Sir; and I am glad to take this opportunity of acknowledging the valuable services rendered to the authorities at Dartmoor by the SealeHayne Agricultural College. The Prison Commissioners have already sent a latter of appreciation to the principal.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he will give particulars showing what items of expenditure incurred by the holding of the first and second India Round Table Conference in London were chargeable on Indian and British revenues, respectively?

Indian revenues were charged with the cost of the staff sup plied from India, with the cost of the passages of the delegates and their allowances on the voyage and with a small proportion of their allowances while in England. The major proportion of the latter was charged to British revenues, together with the whole cost of the actual conference at St. James's Palace.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he will give information as to the reason for the delay in the preparation and publication of the returns of the Census taken in India in the earlier part of last year?

The hon. Member will understand that, in the conditions of India, the classification and publication of the Census results is an enormously heavy task. There is no question of any avoidable delay, and it is expected that the time required for the issue of the results of the 1931 Census will probably be somewhat less than in the case of the Census of 1921.