asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what work is being carried out in connection with the permanent defences of the Singapore base?

None, Sir. In accordance with the recommendations of the Imperial Conference, 1930, all further expenditure on the military defence works of the Singapore base was postponed for five years.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty under what sub-heads the £690,000 to be voted in 1932 for expenditure on the naval base at Singapore will fall?

As shown in the published Estimates on page 214, the whole amount falls under sub-head B of Vote 10.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what progress is being made with the graving dock at Singapore?

The construction of the entrance of the dock is about one half completed and the excavations for the body of the dock have been commenced.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the cost of appointing a rear-admiral (aircraft carriers) to His Majesty's Ship "Courageous"; and whether he will exercise control over the aircraft carriers attached to fleets other than the Atlantic Fleet?

The normal net cost of this appointment including the rear-admiral's staff, etc., and the additional liability for retired pay and pensions is £8,618 per annum. In present circumstances, however, owing to the saving of half and unemployed pay, the cost is £6,718 per annum. The reply to the second part of the question is in the negative, but the rear-admiral, aircraft carriers, acts as the naval adviser to the Commanders-in-Chief of other Fleets on all matters connected with the Fleet Air Arm.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what Naval pay and allowances are drawn by the store officer and cashier at the Malta hospital in addition to his salary of £912 per annum and quarters?

The amount quoted as salary represents the total emoluments of the officer concerned, and is made up of Naval full pay and allowances.

asked the Secretary of State for India the strength of the Indian Army in the various arms as apart from the British Army in India?

The establishment of Indian ranks of the Indian Army in the fighting services is as under:

Cavalry	…	10,780
Artillery	…	6,772
Sappers and Miners	…	7,409
Pioneers	…	5,935
Signals	…	3,577
Infantry	…	89,827
Total	…	124,300

asked the the Minister of Health when the Government propose to introduce a new Rent Restrictions Bill; and whether he will consider the desirability of making the provisions of any such Bill applicable to houses now decontrolled?

I cannot at present say when it may be possible to introduce amending legislation, but I can assure my hon. Friend that all relevant questions would be considered before legislation was proposed.

asked the Minister of Health the names of the town planning schemes proposed or in operation, the dates of the resolutions to prepare such schemes, the dates when the preliminary statements were submitted for approval, the dates on which approval was given to the preliminary statement, the dates on which the final schemes were submitted, and the dates on which the final schemes were approved?

The information desired by my hon. and gallant Friend will take some time to prepare, but my right hon. Friend will furnish it as soon as possible. Meanwhile I may refer him to the reply given on the 3rd instant to the hon. Member for Nottingham West (Mr. Caporn).

asked the Minister of Health whether the preliminary investigations into the question of the sterilisation of the mentally unfit have yet commenced; who are making the investigations; and when may a report be expected?

As I stated in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for the Denbigh Division (Dr. Morris-Jones) on 18th February, I have not yet determined the precise form of inquiry into the scientific issues involved in this matter which is likely to yield the best results.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the increase of sickness among women workers coming under the National Health Insurance scheme, and especially married women; and whether he can give any accepted explanation of such increase?

I am aware of the increase that has taken place in the claims of insured women workers, and particularly married women, to sickness and disablement benefit, as compared with the experience of some years ago. It is not possible to give a specific explanation of this increase, which is believed to be the combined result of a number of causes acting together. The whole subject of women's insurance is at present engaging my attention.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many marketing schemes have been prepared or are in course of preparation under the Agriculture Marketing Act, 1931?

I have no means of ascertaining how many schemes have been prepared or are in course of preparation. Only one such scheme has been formally submitted to me.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, when guarantees were obtained for loans to the beet-sugar factories under the Trade Facilities Acts, any conditions were laid down as to whether these factories should confine their operations to dealing with British sugar-beet and as to the proportion of the loans which might be subscribed by foreign interests; and whether he will cause investigations to be made into the present activities of these factories and the proportion of their capital which is held by such foreign interests?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part of the question, it is believed that about 20 per cent. of the total capital of the factories is held by other than British nationals, and I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by further inquiry.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the total value of contracts so far placed for the building of the new League of Nations building at Geneva; and what is the number and value of contracts obtained by British firms?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for East Dorset (Mr. Hall-Caine) on 9th December last. I have no later official information, but I have just been informed by a British firm that it has been successful in securing one of the more important remaining contracts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) the average price of coal exported from South Wales, free on board, for 1913 and 1921 to 1931, inclusive; and the prices from October, 1931, to the last available date;(2) what quantity of coal was exported from South Wales in 1913 and from 1921 to 1931, giving each year separately, and giving the quantity exported for November and December, 1931, and for January and February, 1932, or the latest available date; and whether the last few months show an increase or decrease, and the name of the country of destination?

The following table shows the total quantity and the average declared value per ton (f.o.b.) of coal exported from South Wales ports during the undermentioned periods:

Period.	Quantity.	Average declared value per ton (f.o.b.).
	Thousand
	tons.	s.	d.
1913	29,785	15	5
1921	12,246	37	5
1922	25,625	24	7
1923	30,045	26	4
1924	25,624	25	4
1925	21,399	23	8
1926	9,279	20	10
1927	22,564	20	2
1928	21,389	17	8
1929	24,677	18	4
1930	23,245	19	1
1931: Year	17,986	19	0
October	1,630	19	7
November	1,450	19	6
December	1,422	19	5
1932: January	1,365	18	7

The above figures do not take into account coal shipped for the use of steamers, etc., engaged in the foreign trade (including fishing vessels). I am not sure what precise information in regard to exports during the last few months the hon. Member desires, but I am sending him a table regarding exports from the Bristol Channel ports for each of the four months ending January last, showing the principal countries of destination.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will ascertain and state whether the composition on the defaulted interest due by the Brazilian Government provides for the sinking funds on the defaulted bonds; arid, if no provision has been made by a deposit in milreis, will he represent to the Brazilian Government that the value of the sinking fund rights under which British savings were borrowed by Brazil should form part of any composition with her British creditors?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the terms of the agreement relating to the Third Funding Loan, which appeared in the Press this morning, by which the Brazilian Government undertake to deposit in local banks the sum necessary to cover default on its obligations. These deposits will be made in respect of (a) interest, and (b) sinking fund. The second part of the question does not therefore arise.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether in view of the fact that the Board of Customs and Excise took executive action in offering to senior members of their general clerical officers transfer to their departmental clerical class with a view to promotion, he will give an undertaking that the promotion prospects of existing members of the departmental clerical class shall in no way be prejudiced thereby; and will he give a further undertaking that in all present and future promotions from the departmental clerical class the promotions panel will take into consideration all recommended candidates of that class?

I am unable to give the undertaking asked for in the first part of the question, but I would point out that the additional work created by the general tariff has resulted in an expansion of the departmental clerical class of the Customs and Excise, and in consequence the existing members of the class, in common with those recently transferred from the general clerical class, have open to them an increased number of higher posts. As regards the further undertaking asked for in the second part of the question, all recommended candidates in a class are taken into consideration, when promotions are made in that class, under the normal procedure of the promotion board.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that a large number of industrial assurance policies are being forfeited by reason of the inability of the policy holder to keep up payment of premiums by reason of the cut in unemployment benefits and the operation of the means test; and whether he can give any estimate of the number of such policies which have lapsed through these causes?

The answer to both parts of the question is in the negative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the yield of Customs duties on foodstuffs during each year since 1919 and the estimated yield of such duties during the present financial year?

The net amount of Customs duty collected on foodstuffs (tea, cocoa, coffee, chicory, sugar, etc., and dried fruits), during each of the years ended 31st March, 1920 to 1931, was as follows:

	£
1919–20	62,842,000
1920–21	49,371,000
1921–22	56,850,000
1922–23	51,370,000
1923–24	50,532,000
1924–25	27,655,000
1925–26	25,721,000
1926–27	24,972,000
1927–28	24,378,000
1928–29	21,246,000
1929–30	13,192,000
1930–31	13,949,000

The final Budget estimate of the yield of these duties (which do not now include tea) for the present financial year is £14,700,000. The figures for the years prior to 1922–23 relate to Great Britain and the whole of Ireland; those for 1922–23 and subsequent years relate to Great Britain and Northern Ireland only.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue it is estimated will be received by the Treasury during the present financial year from the Abnormal Importations (Customs Duties) Act, the Horticultural Products (Emergency Customs Duties) Act, and the Import Duties Act, respectively, and the estimated yield in a full year?

No estimates are available of the yield of the duties imposed under the provisions of these Acts in the present financial year, but as regards the Abnormal Importations and Horticultural Products Acts I would refer the hon. Member to the statement of the actual yield of the duties under those Acts given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for the Isle of Wight (Captain P. Macdonald) on 10th March. With regard to 1932–33, I cannot anticipate the Budget statement.