asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that an Englishman, proceeding to Russia on the business of the All-Russian Co-operative Society, a Bolshevist authority, could obtain a passport within 48 hours; and whether such prompt attention can be assured to others unconnected with Bolshevist organisations who desire to travel either to or from Russia?

I have no knowledge of the case to which the hon. and gallant Member refers. Prompt attention is given by the Passport Office to all applications by British subjects who require passports for travelling to any destination. The grant of visas, however, is a matter for the decision of the Russian delegation.

asked the Home Secretary whether any city, corporation, or municipal borough have been requested or advised by his Department to add a number of mounted police to their force in any case where such local authority had previously decided that mounted police were unnecessary in their area; and whether, in any case, the provision of mounted police has been made a condition for the efficiency certificate and grant by his Department towards the maintenance of the force in any locality where mounted police had not hitherto been provided?

In January, 1920, my right hon. Friend had occasion to communicate on this subject with the Birmingham City Council, who had rejected a recommendation of the Watch Committee for the establishment of a mounted branch. Since then, a modified scheme has been approved by the Council, but I understand that difficulties have arisen in giving effect to it and it is in abeyance for the present. In no case has a certificate of efficiency been withheld because of the absence of mounted men.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to an article in a newspaper, called "John Bull," on the 10th June, entitled "Why Crime Flourishes," in which charges of corruption are made in general terms against the Metropolitan Police, and mention is made of an important divisional officer, without referring to him by name, who is alleged to be receiving nearly £100 weekly from wrongdoers in his area; whether there is any evidence as to the truth of such charges; and, if not, whether he will take action against the newspaper for the purpose of vindicating the character of the Metropolitan Police?

It is easy to make charges against the police and to understand how they may originate; and I am not prepared to assume that charges of this kind—involving even a few of the members of the Metropolitan Police Force —are well founded. I have, however, invited the editor of this newspaper to furnish me in the public interest with any information in his possession bearing out the charges made, and I can assure my hon. Friend that any relevant facts brought to my notice will be thoroughly investigated.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether Sir George Beharrel, who was Director of Finance at the Ministry of Transport at £2,500 per annum, was afterwards appointed Secretary to the Committee on National Expenditure; whether he has since been re-appointed as Director of Finance at the Ministry of Transport at £5,000 per annum; and whether any extra duties now fall upon him in respect of this increased salary?

The salary of this officer was raised to £5,000 per annum on the 16th October, 1921, on his appointment to the post of Treasury representative in the Ministry of Transport in succession to Sir Hardman Lever, concurrently with which he held the post of Joint Assessor to the Committee on National Expenditure. His salary has been continued at the same rate on his appointment to the post of Principal Finance Officer at the Ministry of Transport, which has been sanctioned for the period to the end of the calendar year, in view of the special questions arising out of the railway companies claims. The special post of Treasury representative has been abolished. He also discharges without extra remuneration the duties of the posts of Director of Finance and Statistics in the Ministry, for which a salary of £2,500 per annum was previously paid.

asked the Secretary of State for War the annual cost of the Finance Branch of the War Office in 1913 and 1921, respectively?

The estimated cost of the personnel of the Finance Branch of the War Office, including the financial advice and audit staffs in Commands at home and abroad, was in the financial year 1913–14 £119,580 and in 1921–22 £523,000. In 1922–23 the corresponding provision is £290,000, the reduction being mainly due to the progressive reduction in the numbers employed, as War work is disposed of.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many men are employed by the War Office in the system of cost accounting; and what their total salaries amount to?

At the present time 1,302 individuals are employed by the War Office on cost accounting. The number is in course of reduction to 1,020. The total cost for the present financial year is estimated at £270,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the revenue from Stamp Duty on cheques for each of the years to 31st March, 1920 and 1921?

The net receipt of Stamp Duty from cheques during the years mentioned was as follows: Year ended. Net Receipts. £ 3Ast March. 1920 3,045,000 31st March, 1921 3,475,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that large sums of money are sent to persons on claims for return of Income Tax by money order accompanied by sufficient information to enable them to be fraudulently cashed: and whether he is prepared to pay such money by cheque or money order at the option of the recipient?

The question of the most appropriate means of preventing frauds in connection with repayments of Income Tax is at present under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will explain the item of £16,000,000 (Currency Note Investment Reserve Account) in the Revenue (Miscellaneous Receipts) for the current financial year?

This item represents the excess of the interest earned by the securities held for the Currency Note Redemption Account over the minimum amount required to be held in the Investments Reserve Account. This excess is paid over to the Exchequer in accordance with the terms of Treasury Minute of the 3rd May, 1915 (Command Paper 7918 of 1915), to which I would refer the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether it is proposed that the intended committee to consider, amongst other things, the question of teachers' salaries, shall have power to consider and report on matters relating to the augmentation of the pensions of retired teachers?

I am not aware of any proposal for the appointment of a committee to consider the question of teachers' salaries at the present time. The terms of reference of the proposed committee on the system of superannuation established by the School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1918, were announced by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Education in the House of Commons on the 10th May last. That inquiry has no relation to the pensions of retired teachers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider the advisability, in making any further appointments to the board of the British Dyestuffs Corporation, of making it a condition that no person so appointed shall be a director or interested in other dye or chemical companies?

The Board of the British Dyestuffs Corporation is not appointed by the Board of Trade, whose powers are limited to the nomination of the two Government representatives. But, in any event, I do not think that such a restriction as the hon. and gallant Member suggests would necessarily be an advantageous one.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the amount of German dyes and German intermediates purchased by the British Dyestuffs Corporation during the year 1921?

I am informed that apart from small samples of about I kilogram each, obtained for research and experimental purposes, no dyestuffs or intermediates of German manufacture were purchased by the British Dyestuffs Corporation during 1921.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, seeing that on the board of directors of the British Dyestuffs Corporation there is no director with any expert knowledge of the production of dyes, he is prepared to take steps to remedy this and to provide that at least one of the Government nominees should have special knowledge of dye-making?

I do not propose at present to take any action of the kind suggested.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will grant a return showing the weekly net rent for each type of house erected under the State-assisted housing schemes throughout the country?

A return showing the rents (exclusive of rates, water charges, etc.) agreed by the Minister with local authorities for each type of house in the assisted housing schemes of those authorities will be circulated.

asked the Minister of Health what was the average number of houses built in the United Kingdom in each of the quinquennial periods from 1875 to 1915; and, if exact figures are not available, will he give an estimate of the approximate numbers?

It is not possible to ascertain the number of houses actually erected during the periods referred to. The following table shows approximately the average increase in the total number of existing dwelling-houses of all kinds for England and Wales (as far as figures are available) and for Great Britain:— Quinquennial Periods. England and Wales. Great Britain. Increase during 1875–1879 Figures not available. 492,079 1880–1884 421,420 1885–1889 356,771 1890–1894 324,409 1895–1899 504,788 575,672 1900–1904 581,848 654,611 1905–1909 513,529 541,131 1910–1914 303,238 328,320

asked the Minister of Health the total number of dwelling-houses of £20 and under and over £20 in annual value in existence in each year in the United Kingdom from 1900 to 1922?

The following figures, obtained from the Annual Report, of the Inland Revenue Commissioners relating to Inhabited House Duty, show the total number of dwelling-houses of under £20 and of £20 and over annual value in Great Britain for the years 1900–15. As the duty does not extend to Ireland, complete figures are not available for the whole of the United Kingdom: Year. Number of dwellings exempt from I.H.D. i.e., under £20 annual value. (The figures in this column include all premises used as dwellings.) Private dwelling houses charged to I.H.D., i.e., of £20 and over annual value. (The figures in this column exclude shops, etc., used as dwelling houses.) 1900–01 5,613,228 1,187,758 1901–02 5,703,643 1,231,086 1902–03 5,791,987 1,264,602 1903–04 5,833,536 1,350,399 1904–05 5,934,741 1,381,625 1905–06 6,047,579 1,414,383 1906–07 6,128,050 1,446,481 1907–08 6,208,000 1,467,557 1908–09 6,281,260 1,491,773 1909–10 6,368,441 1,507,056 1910–11 6,379,092 1,532,562 1911–12 6,459,257 1,544,932 1912–13 6,505,507 1,558,711 1913–14 6,548,648 1,574,250 1914–15 Figures not available. 1,592,117

The above particulars ceased to be obtained during the War, and the Inland Revenue have not yet resumed their publications.

asked the Minister of Health the average prices per acre paid for land purchased in rural and in urban areas for houses erected by local authorities under the Housing and Town Planning Act, 1919?

The average price per acre paid for land purchased by local authorities for purposes of the Slate-assisted scheme is for county boroughs £215, for other boroughs and urban districts £204, and for rural districts £128.

asked the Minister of Health whether any representation has been made to his Department in respect of suggested legislation such as would affect the alteration of title of statutory forms which would substitute mental patient for pauper lunatic, mental hospital for lunatic asylum, and institution for workhouse; and whether legislative sanction can be given to the suggested alteration?

I have nothing to add to my reply to a similar question by the hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Sir T. Bennett) on the 14th June.

asked the Minister of Health how many persons there are insured under the National Health Insurance Act; how many of those persons have not selected a panel doctor; what amount of money in respect of such persons not attached to any panel is distributed annually among panel doctors; how many doctors participate in the distribution; and whether there are any statistics showing what work is done or what number of professional attendances are given by the participating doctors in return for the money so distributed?

The number of insured persons in England and Wales entitled to medical benefit is estimated at approximately 13,250,000. The number of names on the lists of insurance practitioners and approved institutions is slightly over 12,800,000. The number of insured persons who have not selected a doctor is on this basis 450,000 or 3i per cent.; but in consequence of the difficulty of keeping any precise record of the movements of the insured population, there is inevitably some inflation in the doctors' lists, and the actual number of un-assigned persons exceeds this figure. But the vast majority of unassigned persons are those who neglect to select a doctor until they are in need of treatment, and who then have a right to immediate treatment although not at the time on any doctor's list. Thus the panel practitioners collectively are at risk in respect of them. The number of insured persons who do not avail themselves of their right to medical benefit when they require treatment is believed to be a relatively insignificant and diminishing fraction. The remainder of the question is based upon a misapprehension. Under the agreement with the doctors there is no such division of the practitioners' fund as the hon. Member suggests. The total sum available in any area is based upon the total number of insured persons for whose treatment, irrespective of the numbers assigned or unassigned, the practitioners in the area are collectively responsible. The available statistics as to the work done by insurance practitioners do hot distinguish between patients who were or were not on the list of a practitioner at the time treatment was given.

asked the Minister of Health whether the Government have made their inspection of the various caravan settlements in Wirral; whether the Report of the inspector will be made public; and whether it has been found that the powers of the various local authorities are sufficient, without amendment, to deal with the situation?

The Report has been received, but it is not proposed to publish it. The powers of the rural district council are substantially adequate to deal with the situation, and I am sending the Council a letter, of which I will forward a copy to the hon. Member, setting out what action they can take.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that on the 27th June persons entitled to unemployment pay at the Employment Exchange, Aytoun Street, Manchester, were kept waiting 2½ hours after the appointed time before being allowed to sign their names, and that they were then told they could not be paid as their papers had not come through; and whether he will inquire into this complaint and, if well founded, take action?

I regret that some delay occurred on this date, owing to the large number of applicants who were renewing their claims and to an alteration of the timing arrangements. About 5,000 applicants were dealt with on that day. The day in question was not a pay day, and the delay occurred in connection with the renewal of claims and the taking of signatures and not in connection with the payment of benefit. Steps have been taken to prevent a recurrence.

asked the Minister of Health the total number of persons relieved and the amount paid in relief by the Middlesbrough Board of Guardians in the week ending 7th June, and the corresponding figures for the two preceding years, and for 1914, or for the nearest similar period for which figures are available in those years; and the amount in the pound of the Middlesbrough Guardians' precepts for the half-years ending Michaelmas 1914, 1920, 1921 and 1922?

has supplied the following figures in pursuance of his answer of the 29th June, 1922 { col. 2309):

Number of persons relieved and amount paid in relief by the Middlesbrough Guardians in the weeks named.

Number of persons. Amount of relief. Week ending £ s. d. 7th June, 1922 28,840 8,446 12 10 do. 1921 12,666 2,760 14 11 do. 1920 1,822 747 10 11 do. 1914 2,572 359 16 5

Amount in the pound of Middlesbrough Guardians' precepts for the half-years named.

Half-year ending Amount in the £. Michaelmas, 1922 2s. 10½d. do. 1921 2s. 2d. do. 1920 1s. 4d. do. 1914 0s. 8½d.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has now received details of the damage caused to the persons and property of non-combatants in the recent bombardment of Samsun by Greek warships; whether any neutral persons were killed or injured, or their property damaged; and what were the total casualties?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The remainder of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of pensions whether his attention has been called to the case of C. G. Brown, No. 41786, Royal Air Force, who died in a military hospital near Cape Town on 18th February, 1918, while of unsound mind; whether a pension was paid to his widow until 1920, and then discontinued; if so, why the pension was so discontinued; and what was the certified cause of the deceased man's death?

A temporary allowance was in payment to the widow until November, 1919, when, after consideration of the reports obtained from South Africa, it was decided that her husband's death was not connected with his military service. This decision of the Ministry has been confirmed by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal, and is, therefore, final.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether the widow of a soldier who has committed suicide is debarred from any pension to which she might be entitled at his death, even in the case when the suicide was insane and such insanity may have resulted from his military service?

The answer is in the negative. Where the man's mental condition which caused him to commit suicide was due to his military service, his widow is eligible for consideration for an award of pension.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that the two witnesses before the Royal Commission who stated that beef killed abroad was sold as home-killed represented the retail trade and not the wholesale; and whether his Department has any evidence that the practice referred to has ever been pursued at Smithfield Market?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. General complaints as to the sale of fresh killed foreign meat in London as English meat have been received from time to time, but it has not been possible to obtain sufficient evidence to enable the Ministry to take legal proceedings under the Merchandise Marks Acts. I may add, however, that the evidence of Mr. Edwards, one of the two witnesses before the Royal Commission, expressly referred to the practice in Smithfield Market. It would obviously be most difficult to obtain evidence to show that Dutch veal or mutton or Canadian or American beef killed at Birkenhead was not bonâ fide home grown produce.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the closing down of Winchfield Post Office and the transference of the work to Basingstoke, it is intended to enlarge Basingstoke Post Office or to procure additional premises; and, if so, what the estimated cost of this is?

The replacement of the Basingstoke Post Office by a new building was decided upon some years ago, quite independently of the closure of the Winch-field office, and a site was purchased for the new building in 1920. No additional cost will be incurred in providing for the work transferred from Winchfield.

asked the Postmaster-General how many motor cars are now employed in distributing letters from Basingstoke; and the cost per annum of these cars?

Two motor vans are employed under contracts in the distribution of letters in the Basingstoke district. The payment made to the contractors is about £1,000 a year.

asked the Postmaster-General whether complaints have reached him from Chesterfield and district as to the unsatisfactory postal service; and whether letters posted in London early in an afternoon are frequently not delivered by the first post next morning?

No general complaint has reached me as regards the postal service in the Chesterfield district. A few cases of delay to individual postal packets have come under notice recently, but there is no reason to suppose that letters posted in London in the afternoon are frequently not delivered by first post the next morning. Perhaps the hon. Member will let me have particulars of the cases which he has in mind.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the case of certain assistant inspectors of traffic in the secretary's office of the Post Office, formerly employed as assistant superintendents of traffic in the London telephone service, who have been graded junior to officers from the provinces appointed at about the same time: whether they have been placed at this disadvantage solely on account of the two years' delay in revising the scale of pay of the London class; and what steps he proposes to take to deal with their eases?

I am making inquiry in this case, and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as possible.