asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can now make any announcement as regards the Government's policy concerning malting barley and, in particular, as to whether any method has been devised for differentiating between malting and feeding barley imported into this country?

As I stated on 10th March in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Hallam (Mr. L. Smith) this matter is being examined. I am not at present in a position to add anything further.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is contemplating any action to control the ravages of Johne's disease among the herds of dairy cattle in this country?

As I stated on 11th February in my announcement on the subject of agricultural policy, the Government have undertaken to investigate the means of securing a reduction of disease among dairy herds: Johne's disease will he included in this investigation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware of the fact that millers are actually selling offals at less money to go abroad than the price at which they are selling for home consumption; and, if so, will he consider taking powers to stop such exports?

I am not aware of the price at which milling offals are at present being exported, but in this connection I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the statement which I made on this subject in moving the Second Reading of the Wheat Bill.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will either remove the relative securities from the Treasury trustee list, or publish a notification about, the recent default of interest on New South Wales stock as a warning that as matters now stand the New South Wales Government are unable to evade further default of oversea interest due in the last quarter of the financial year, sc that private trustees contemplating investing in New South Wales loans may know the present position before investing?

I would refer to the answers given by my right hon. Friend to a number of questions on 18th February and 15th March.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of taxation during each of the past 10 years has been derived from import duties?

I assume the hon. Member refers to Customs duties. Thu percentages are as follow:

Year.	Percentage.
1921–22	15.18
1922–23	15.88
1923–24	16.71
1924–25	14.40
1925–26	15.12
1926–27	16.19
1927–28	16.10
1928–29	17.36
1929–30	17.72
1930–31	17.24

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amounts raised by direct and indirect taxation, respectively, during each of the post-War years; and the estimated amounts which the duties under the Abnormal Importations (Customs Duties) Act, the Horticultural Products (Emergency Customs Duties) Act, and the Import Duties Act will yield during the current financial year and during the next financial year?

The answer to the first part of the question is contained in the following table:

Amounts raised by direct and indirect taxation in each of the years 1919–20–1930 31.
Year.	Direct Taxation.	Indirect Taxation.
	£	£
1919–20	720,622,000	280,264,000
1920–21	703,923,000	328,819,000
1921–22	535,027,000	318,108,000
1922–23	497,232,000	274,588,000
1923–24	456,345,000	262,731,000
1924–25	464,386,000	229,455,000
1925–26	451,303,000	232,320,000
1926–27	425,136,000	234,429,000
1927–28	450,338,000	245,404,000
1928–29	438,709,000	247,134,000
1929–30	434,166,000	242,615,000
1930–31	462,991,000	240,918,000
1931–32 (Revised Estimates).	484,510,000	247,840,000

No estimates are available of the yield of the duties imposed under the provisions of the Acts referred to in the second part of the question 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.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the number of European officials of the agricultural department who are stationed in the settled area in Kenya Colony and in the reserves, respectively?

According to the Estimates of Kenya for 1932, of a total staff of 24 agricultural officers 16 are shown as belonging to the subdivision of native agriculture. No similar division is made in respect of the rest of the staff of the Agricultural Department, which includes the veterinary services.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what was the cost of the Admiralty Office in the year 1913–14?

The cost of the Admiralty Office in 1913–14, as represented by expenditure under Navy Vote 12, was £460,221.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why the First Sea Lord is in receipt of a house allowance of £450 per annum instead of living in the accommodation provided by the Admiralty?

In the interests of economy, the First Sea Lord has relinquished his furnished official residence, receiving instead a house allowance. The accommodation thus released is being used for office purposes and will make it possible to give up hired accommodation elsewhere, with a resultant substantial saving in rent.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the Sheffield Education Committee has decided not to advertise the headmastership of Firth Park secondary school; whether he has issued any advice to educational authorities on this subject; and, if not, whether he will consider making the advertising of such vacancies obligatory by law?

I have been informed that the position is as stated in the first part of the question. The Board's model Articles of Government, which are suggested to local education authorities when new secondary schools are established, contain a clause to the effect that the headmaster or headmistress shall be appointed after due public advertisement; but they have issued no general advice to local education authorities on the subject. I do not consider that there is any need for legislation in the matter.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can give an estimate of the total value of unemployment relief works which have been embarked upon since the commencement of 1919, together with the amount of direct employment in man-years which has resulted therefrom?

The bulk of the expenditure out of public funds in connection with works promoted for the relief of unemployment has been incurred on works assisted from the Unemployment Grants Committee and from the Road Fund. The most recent available information relating to expenditure on and employment provided by these works is contained in the reply given to the hon. Member for Derbyshire West (Marquess of Hartington) on 25th February. I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of that reply.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of claims for transitional benefit received by the public assistance committee in Kettering up to the last convenient date; how many of these claims have been allowed Full benefit, reduced benefit, arid have been rejected, respectively; and how many persons whose claims have been rejected have applied for poor relief?

The following table gives the information desired, so far as available:DETERMINATIONS given by the Kettering Guardians Committee on Application for Transitional Payments—12th November, 1931, to 20th February, 1932.

Number of initial applications	864
Number of renewal applications	1,226
Total	2,090
Allowed at maximum benefit rates	1,035
Allowed at rates lower than maximum benefit rates	919
Needs of applicants held not to justify payment being made	136

I am unable to say how many persons, whose needs have been held not to justify transitional payments being made, have applied for poor relief.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that, according to the latest police statistics, out of 1,853 indecent assaults on females, only 1,116 were dealt with in the courts, although more than half of these were offences against children under 16; and whether, in view of this, he will increase the number of women police in the Metropolitan area in order to protect children outside schools and in the parks and open spaces where the men who make these assaults are found?

The number of indecent assaults on women and girls in England and Wales that became known to the police in 1929 and the proportion that were against girls under 16, were as stated. 1,205 persons were proceeded against, many of them for more than one offence, so that, in all, 1,569 out of 1,853 offences were traced to suspects. The figures for the Metropolitan area alone are in similar ratios. Other factors, as well as this, have to be taken into account in considering whether additions to the numbers of women police are desirable and practicable.

asked the Home Secretary whether the Parkhurst prison staff is maintained at the recognised ratio of staff to prison population as obtained approximately five years ago; and, if not, in view of recent events at Dartmoor, will he give the matter his early consideration so that the safety of the staffs and the civil population of the Isle of Wight may be assured?

Careful attention has been given, and will continue to be given, to the question of the staff required at Parkhurst and at other prisons, but as pointed out in Mr. Justice du Pareq's Report, the trouble at Dartmoor was not due to insufficiency of staff. There is no fixed ratio of staff to prisoners. The ratio varies as a result of many circumstances, including the size and character of the prison population, the number of hours the prisoners are out of their cells, and other factors.

asked the Home Secretary the number of cases of robbery with violence in the past 12 months up to the latest convenient date and the number of cases in which the sentence included punishment with the birch or cat, and similar figures for the past five years?

Figures for 1931 are not yet available. Figures for the five preceding years are as follow:Numbers of persons convicted of robbery, armed or with violence, and numbers of sentences of corporal punishment passed on such persons in England and Wales from 1926 to 1930:—

—	Persons convicted.	Sentences of Corporal Punishment.
		Birch.	Cat.	Total.
1926	56	1	13	14
1927	50	—	12	12
1928	45	2	14	16
1929	53	3	15	18
1930	89	7	6	13

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any of the British trustees appointed in accordance with Section 1, Sub-section (3), of the China Indemnity (Application) Act, 1931, have resigned?

Sir William Hornell, Vice-Chancellor of Hong Kong University, has tendered his resignation from the board.