asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office (1) what was the number of civilian clerks serving in Army pay offices in Great Britain on 1st January, 1929;(2) what is the number of civilian clerks serving in Army pay offices in Great Britain at the present time?

The number of civilian clerks employed in Army pay offices in Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 1st January, 1929, was 495, and at the present time is 379.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what is the number of officers, warrant officers, and other ranks, respectively, serving in Army pay offices in Great Britain at the present time?

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office, (1) what was the number of officers, warrant officers, and

—	Officers.	Warrant Officers, Class 1.	Warrant Officers (Class 2) and Other Banks.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1st January, 1929).	143	45	509
Great Britain and Northern Ireland (present time).	147	45	518
Abroad (1st January, 1929)	43	18	178
NOTE.—These figures include personnel employed on costing duties in Army Pay Offices and at Outstations.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what is the number of officers, warrant officers, and other ranks, respectively, serving abroad at the present time?

On 1st June, 1932, the strength of the British Army serving abroad was:—Officers, 4,607; Warrant Officers, 1,371; and Non-Commissioned Officers and men, 80,831.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can obtain and supply figures showing the estimated saving in public assistance, unemployment, and transitional benefits, and to approved societies, if all employed persons were entitled to a contributory pension of £1 per week on retirement at the age of 65 or over?

It would be impossible, without very considerable labour which I do not think I should be justified in authorising, to estimate the savings in the directions specified in the question from a scheme such as my hon. Friend has in mind. In any event, the immediate effect would be one of vastly increased cost whatever figure were allowed for reductions in certain directions.

The information is as follows:—

asked the Minister of Health the amount by which the weekly contribution in respect of employed persons now aged 25 and under would have to be increased to enable a pension of £l per week to be paid on retirement at the age of 65 years or over to such persons; and the average yearly cost to the country during the next 40 years if such scheme were introduced in respect of all employed persons?

I regret that the information asked for is not immediately available. It could be obtained only by extensive calculations and I could not, in present circumstances, justify the expense which would be so incurred.

asked the Minister of Health the total value of loans raised by the local authorities during the past 25 years to 31st May last for the purchase of electricity undertakings, gas undertakings, water undertakings, transport undertakings, markets, parks, public halls, and working-class dwellings; the total amount of such capital repaid; and the outstanding debts on such undertakings?

The returns in my possession do not distinguish between loans raised for the purchase of such undertakings and loans raised for other purposes in connection therewith. The outstanding debt of local authorities in England and Wales at 31st March, 1905, and 31st March, 1930 (the latest date for which figures are available) in respect of the services or undertakings mentioned (except public halls, particulars of which are not given separately in the returns) was as shown in the following statement.

Service or undertaking.	Gross outstanding loan debt at the—
	31st March, 1905.	31st March, 1930.
	£	£
Parks, pleasure grounds an t open spaces.	8,156,918	16,036,257
Housing and small dwellings acquisition.	9,018,126	444,688,813
Water supply	115,384,511	163,257,424
Gas supply	23,831,488	27,857,779
Electricity supply	25,638,762	106,544,442
Tramways, light railways and omnibuses.	25,315,339	38,462,223
Markets	7,736,374	8,152,441

At 31st March, 1930, sums amounting to £33,587,477 stood to the credit of sinking funds towards the repayment of the outstanding debt at that date shown in the above statement. The corresponding figure for 31st March, 1905, is not available.

asked the Minister of Health how many local authorities have applied to his Department for permission to erect houses during the past six months; how many authorities sought to erect a proportion of parlour houses; and in how many cases was permission granted?

Many of the applications received during the last six months are still under consideration, and a statement of the actual details for which the hon. Member asks would be misleading. During the six months ended 31st May last, approval of proposals for the erection of further houses was given to 276 local authorities in England and Wales. The approved proposals of 13 of these local authorities included a proportion of parlour type houses.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will cause inquiry to be made into the high cost of electric current in the Lymington (Hampshire) area as compared with the cost in other neighbouring areas, with a view to getting the cost per unit reduced?

My jurisdiction in this matter would arise only on an application under the Electricity (Supply) Acts for the revision of maximum prices.

asked the Minister of Transport whether there is to be any further delay in the issue of the report on the Severn Barrage; and, if so, whether, in view of the cost of the inquiry, he will order the closing down of the inquiry forthwith in the interest of economy?

The report of the expert sub-committee is, I understand, in the hands of the printers and will be submitted to the Severn Barrage Committee of the Economic Advisory Council as soon as it is available. The question of publication will be considered in due course. No further expenditure is proposed to be incurred on these investigations during the present financial year.

asked the Minister of Labour the nature of the representations he has made to the county borough of Rotherham with regard to the administration of transitional payment in that area?

asked the Minister of Labour what representations he has made to the county borough of Rotherham with regard to the administration of transitional payments in that area?

The following letter was addressed by my Department to this authority on 17th June:Sir,I am directed by the Minister of Labour to refer to his letter of 22nd March, in which your Council were notified that he would feel obliged to exercise his powers under Article 7 of the Unemployment Insurance (National Economy) (No. 2) Order, 1931, in their area unless they took the necessary steps to bring their practice in determining the need of applicants for transitional payments into conformity with the requirements of the Order.I am to remind your Council that the administration of the Order in Rotherham had already been the subject of discussions between the Public Assistance Committee and the General Inspector of the Ministry of Health and your Council had been given full opportunity of revising their practice in the light of the facts brought to their notice before the Minister's letter of 22nd March was issued.The matters raised in the letter of 22nd March were discussed at a meeting between officers of this Department and the Chairman of the Public Assistance Committee, the Public Assistance Officers and yourself on 5th April. At this meeting the illegality of the practice adopted was not disputed by the representatives of your Council, but it was agreed in the light of assurances given by them that a further opportunity should be afforded for the revision of the practice.Notwithstanding the opportunities which have been given to your Council and the statements made in your letter of 12th May, the Minister has now received a further report from the General Inspector of the Ministry of Health dated 17th May which indicates continuing and serious departures from the requirements of the Order in Council, both in respect of the treatment of the individual cases to which the attention of your Council was drawn by the Department's letter of 22nd March, and of the treatment of new applications received since that date. The determinations which your Council have continued to give in many cases indicate a serious disregard of the statutory requirement that an applicant for transitional payments must prove that he is in need of assistance by way of such payments, and the Minister can now only assume that your Council do not intend to carry out their obligations under the Order in Council.In these circumstances, the Minister is of opinion that your Council are not efficiently carrying out the duties imposed on them by the Order in Council. Therefore, in the discharge of his responsibility to Parliament for the proper observance of the law, he has no alternative but to exercise the powers conferred upon him by Article 7 of the Order in Council, and he proposes to appoint at an early date, which will be notified to you, a person to exercise and perform in the County Borough of Rotherham the powers and duties hitherto devolving on your Council under the Order.I am, Sir,Your obedient Servant,(Sgd). W. EADY.The Town Clerk,Municipal Offices,Rotherham.The authority have asked that a deputation should be received, and arrangements have been made accordingly.