asked (1) the Under-Secretary of State for Air what was the amount of beef purchased for consumption by the Air Force personnel at home stations during 1931; and what was the average price paid per pound;(2) the Financial Secretary to the War Office what was the amount of beef purchased for consumption by the Army personnel at home stations during 1931; and what was the average price paid per pound?

The amount of meat purchased for the Army and Royal Air Force at home from 1st April, 1931, to 31st March, 1932, is estimated at about 29,500,000 lbs. This includes a proportion of mutton. The quantity of the latter is not known, but it would not exceed one-seventh of the total requirements. The average price of the beef is about 3¾d. per lb. delivered to units.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what was the amount of beef purchased for consumption by naval personnel at home stations during 1931; and what was the average price paid per pound?

The amount of beef bought for consumption by the Navy at home stations during 1931 was approximately 2,000 tons at an average cost of about 3¾d. per lb.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office the nature of the instructions recently issued to the military units stationed in Aden as to the sources from which they are to purchase their mess supplies, and the reason for issuing such instructions; and whether they apply not only to those articles for which mess subscription is provided by the Army authorities but also to those articles for which voluntary subscriptions are provided by the men themselves?

No instructions on this matter have recently been issued by the War Office, but if my hon. Friend will let me have any further particulars which may be in his possession, I will make inquiries locally.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the recent appreciation in the price of Local Loan stock, he will consider the desirability of instructing the Public Works Loans Board to lower the rate of interest charged for housing loans from the present rate of 5¼ per cent.?

My hon. Friend will have noticed that the minimum rate for Local Loans has now been reduced, as from 23rd March, from 5¼ per cent. to 4¾ per cent.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what rules govern the payment of allocated allowances to shorthand typists attached to departmental heads; and whether he will have special inquiries made into the case of the office allocated to the Registrar- General whose salary is only that payable to the general grade of shorthand typists?

There is no fixed rule in the matter, each case being considered on its merits. The staff of the Registrar-General's Department is primarily the concern of the Minister of Health, but I understand that, as a result of investigation already made, it has been decided that the grant of an allowance in the case referred to would not be justified.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the suspension of open competitive examinations for the clerical class of the Civil Service, he can arrange that when examinations are resumed there should be an extension of the age limit to permit of persons now losing the opportunity of sitting being eligible for later examinations?

I regret that I am unable to extend the normal age limits of the open competitive examinations in question to meet the cases which the bon. Member has in mind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) the value of fertilisers which were imported from foreign countries during each of the last three years and which are not on the free list of the Import Duties Act;(2) the approximate value of cakes and feeding stuffs for livestock of all classes, other than barley, oats, and wheat, which were imported from foreign countries during each of the last three years and which are not on the free list of the Import Duties Act;(3) the value of agricultural machinery imported from foreign countries during each of the last three years?

The following table shows, in respect of fertilisers, feeding-stuffs for animals (excluding grain) and agricultural machinery and parts thereof, the total declared value of the imports into the United Kingdom during 1929 and 1930 consigned from foreign countries and during 1931 imported from all sources, excluding those articles exempted from duty under the First Schedule to the Import Duties Act, 1932. Particulars of these imports during 1931

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, owing to the unemployment that has existed for years in shipbuilding and other industrial areas, numbers of men are being disqualified for sick benefits and contributory pensions; and whether he will consider the desirability of introducing legislation to reduce the number of qualifying contributions in such cases until more work is available?

It would appear that my hon. Friend has been misinformed inasmuch as, under the existing law, the health and pensions insurance of persons, who are unable to secure work, is maintained so long as they can prove that they are genuinely unemployed, and provision is also made to secure that an insured person shall not suffer loss or reduction of benefits as a result of arrears due to unemployment. In these circumstances, I cannot see any necessity for amending legislation on the lines suggested.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of non-ex-service men who have been appointed as investigators under the means test for transitional benefit in England and Wales since the introduction of this method of checking the payment of unemployed benefit?

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of girls who have married within the last year, ceased employment, and automatically come on the Unemployment Insurance Fund?

Married women in such circumstances do not come automatically on the Unemployment Fund. Before receiving benefit they must satisfy the conditions laid down by the Anomalies Regulations made in accordance with the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Unemployment Insurance.

asked the Attorney-General whether the West Riding of York advisory committee has been reconstituted; who are the present members of the committee; and what was the date of its last meeting?

The names of the present members of the committee which has been reconstituted are as follow:

• The Earl of Harewood, K.G., D.S.O. (Chairman).
• Walter N. Drew, Esq., J.P.
• Alderman J. S. Quarmby.
• The Hon. Mrs. Lane-Fox.
• Dennis Hardaker, Esq., J.P.
• Alderman Thomas Tomlinson, J.P.
• Alderman Lady Mabel Smith, J.P.
• Sir James Hinchcliffe, D.L., J.P.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the approximate quantity and value of British-grown barley used by brewers and distillers for each of the last two years?

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the acreage under hops and the value of the hops grown in Great Britain for each of the last 10 years?

The following statement shows the area under hops in England and Wales, as returned on 4th June of each of the years 1922 to 1931, and the estimated value of the crop harvested in those years:

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can provide a statement showing the total output of each beet sugar factory for 1931, distinguishing in each case between sugar produced from British beet and from imported raw sugar, respectively?

I am not in a position to state the quantities of sugar re- fined at individual factories from imported raw sugar. The quantities of sugar (all polarisations) produced at each beet sugar factory from home-grown beet during the 1931–2 manufacturing campaign are as follow:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the total amount of loan money outstanding guaranteed under the Trade Facilities Act to the beet sugar factory at Colwick; and what proportion of this money was needed to enable the recent installation at that factory of plant for refining imported cane sugar?

The beet sugar factory at Colwick is one of two factories owned by a company which has loans still outstanding of £371,500 out of £610,000 originally guaranteed under the Trade Facilities Acts. No amount was specially allocated to Colwick. I am not aware of any recent expenditure at Colwick on special plant for refining imported cane sugar, and no such expenditure has been met from the Trade Facilities loans.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what has been the amount of assistance per cwt. in each of the past six years in subsidy and duty preference to home-produced sugar and to sugar from Colonial resources, respectively?

The amounts of assistance (subsidy and effective duty preference) per cwt. of fully refined home-

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many prosecutions there have been in England in each of the last five years under the Sale of Food Order, 1921, for imported meat sold as home-killed meat?

Power to enforce the provisions of the Sale of Food Order, 1921, rests with the local authorities, and I am afraid I have no information as to the number of prosecutions that have taken place under these provisions.

asked the Secretary of State for India the latest figures available showing the number of students attending schools of all kinds in British India?

The desired information is contained in the latest issue of the annual Statement of Educational Progress in India, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

asked the President of the Board of Education what provision is made by his Department to grant com

There have been very few cases indeed in which children have received permanent physical injury as a result of medical treatment received under arrangements made by local education authorities. There have been a few cases in which local authorities, while not admitting legal liability, have made payments as a result of complaints of this character, and the Board of Education have recognised their expenditure for the purposes of grant. The Board have no power themselves to grant compensation in such cases.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is satisfied that the teaching of geography of the British Empire is satisfactorily carried out in elementary and secondary schools; and if any communication has recently been made by the Board of Education to local education authorities on this subject?

The teaching of geography, like other subjects of the curriculum, comes under inspection in the normal course, and the reports furnished to the Board give no reason for thinking that the geography of the British Empire is in any way neglected. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Home Secretary what is the quantity of tobacco consumed annually by the 825 patients in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum; what quantity is purchased with the £300 provided in the Estimates; and what quantity is obtained from the confiscated stocks of the Customs and Excise Department?

About 1,800 lbs. are consumed a year. During the present year 858 lbs. have been purchased at a cost of £353, and 914 lbs. have been obtanied from the confiscated stocks.

asked the Home Secretary why the cost of victuals, including extras when sick, of the 825 patients in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum is £10 5s. 4d. per head per annum, while that of the 100 male and female attendants is £27 7s. 6d. per head per annum; and whether he is satisfied that the supply of food to the patients is adequate and varied?

The food of the staff is paid for by themselves and not by the State, and is largely at their own choice. The item of expenditure in the estimates is covered by an Appropriation-in-Aid under Sub-head M. There is, therefore, no ground for comparison with the cost of the food supplied at the public expense to the patients. I am satisfied that the dietary of the institution is adequate and varied.

asked the Home Secretary the number of police officers who have been injured and killed during the last three years while on traffic control duty after sunset?

No Metropolitan police officer has been killed while on traffic point duty after sunset during the last three years, but of such officers 34 were injured in 1929, 41 in 1930, and 40 in 1931. I regret that figures for the rest of England and Wales are not available.

asked the Minister of Transport if, having regard to the national interests involved in the dispute between the railway and road transport companies, he will consider abandoning the committee set up until such time as all the interests involved, that is, ratepayers, road makers, local authorities, the Treasury, etc., are represented?

I have already given assurances that all interests concerned in this matter will be fully consulted before the Government reach any decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the acreage under rye in Scotland in the years 1901, 1911, 1921 and 1931, respectively?

The acreage under rye in Scotland in these years was as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of public assistance committees in Scotland which prescribe test work as a condition of relief to able-bodied persons?

At the end of last year three Poor Law authorities in Scotland were known to the Department of Health to be requiring applicants for able-bodied relief to perform tasks of work in return for the relief granted to them. The Department called the attention of the authorities concerned to the matter, and at the same time brought to their notice the statutory powers enabling them to make arrangements for the employment of applicants for able-bodied relief on works of public utility.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that grants to landholders for houses and steadings in Skye and the Western Isles seldom exceed £100 to £150, and that in districts south of the Forth and Tay grants amounting to £350 and over are frequently made for houses and steadings; and will he give the reason calling for such differences?

Assistance to landholders for houses and steadings is given by way of loan. It is accordingly in the interests of the borrower to confine the loan to the least sum which will provide the necessary buildings with such assist- ance as the borrower is able to supply by his own labour or from his own resources. It is not possible to compare the typical croft in the Islands with a small holding intended for intensive cultivation in the Lowlands where the house and steading cost more, the exact amount varying with the situation and type of the holding. Generally such buildings cannot be erected by the holder himself, and it is necessary to employ a contractor. The consequent burden on the Lowland holding is appropriate to that type of holding as is the lesser burden to the Island type.