asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what was the excess of the cost of H.M.S. "Durban," completed at Devonport, over her first estimate; what was the excess cost of H.M.S. "Dispatch" over her first estimate; what was the excess cost of the oiler "Olna" over her first estimate; and how do these figures compare with the excess over first estimates of the ships "Capetown" and "Oleander," built at Pembroke?

The answer to the first part of the question is £77,000, to the second £118,000, and to the third £10,000. As regards the last part, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply of the 28th June to the Noble and gallant Member for South Battersea (Viscount Curzon).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if the Navy have participated in the distribution of profits made by Expeditionary Force canteens; if so, what is the amount which has already been received and to what fund it was allocated?

The answer is in the negative, as the Expeditionary Force canteens did not supply the Navy to any material extent. If, however, my hon. and gallant Friend refers to the trading profits on the naval side of the Navy, Army and Canteen Board, arrangements are being made to enable the Royal Naval Benevolent Trust to benefit from those profits, but the exact details of these arrangements are not yet settled.

asked the Secretary of State for War why civilian subordinates (clerks) are not entitled to compassionate gratuities when there are cases known where these gratuities have been granted to clerks; if he is aware that labourers are issued with these gratuities on their discharge; and whether he will take steps to deal with this state of affairs, in view of the fact that all clerks so employed have understood that they would be entitled on discharge under the Regulations for Civilian Subordinates, 1914 (XXV), paragraphs 159 to 168?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer on this subject given to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for East Woolwich (Captain Gee) on 4th May last.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Lance-Corporal F. G. Thomas, No. 6,279,070, the Buffs, and now residing at 6, Chapel Terrace, Blaina, Mon., was given 28 days leave of absence on 31st May, 1922, pending discharge; that he has received no pay or ration allowance since that date, though he has frequently applied for a settlement of his account; and that this is causing him and his family unnecessary financial difficulty; and will he see that the money due to this soldier is paid him without further delay?

Lance-Corporal Thomas arrived home from Iraq on 9th March, 1922, on compassionate leave. It was not known at that time that he would be discharged, and therefore his account, which has been applied for, was not transferred. A document was received, however, which disclosed the fact that his account at the date of leaving Iraq was £33 17s. 11d. in debt. He received £10 on proceeding on furlough on 30th May, and as he was discharged on 28th June under Army Order 180/1922, the special benefits admissible under that Army Order are being issued by the Regimental Paymaster.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the total bayonet strength of the troops in Iraq; and what is the number of staff, clerks and administrative officials connected with the force there?

The total fighting strength of the troops in Iraq on 1st June last was 2,210 British Army and 5,566 Indian Army; the staff consisted of 122 and 26 respectively; and the administrative troops (namely, the Royal Engineers (Transportation and Works), Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, &c), numbered 1,105 and 2,856 respectively. There were also 7,107 Indian followers labourers, etc.

asked the Secretary of State for War, with reference to the capture of three British officers and a Royal Army Service Corps driver at Macroom, what orders were given to the strong military force despatched a few-days after this outrage to Macroom in order to release these officers and the private; in what capacity was a representative of the Provisional Government present with this military force; and why this force retired without making any efforts to release the officers and man captured?

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps were taken by the nearest military force to effect the release of the three officers and privates who were kidnapped at Macroom on the 27th April?

On the 26th April the three officers and the Royal Army Service Corps driver did not return to Ballincollig or Cork. A military search party was sent that evening from Ballincollig to see if any breakdown had occurred on the road, but no information could be obtained. On the 27th, a military search party was sent to Macroom. General information obtained by piecing together various scraps of evidence showed that the three officers and the driver had been kidnapped there, but the Irregulars who were in occupation of Macroom Castle said that no officers had been arrested in that place. On the 28th, information obtained showed definitely that the officers had gone to Macroom and had arrived there at about 1 p.m.; another search party therefore was sent out. The Irregulars were again visited, but denied that they had any information. Two officers of this party were shown over Macroom Castle, and they were told that there were three prisoners, who were shown to them. These prisoners were not the officers or the driver. On the same day the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief made representations to the Provisional Government in Dublin. On the 29th further inquiries were made in Cork in various directions, but no further information could be obtained.On the 30th April a staff officer with a military escort was sent to Macroom to pursue the inquiries. He succeeded in finding out that the party had been seen in Macroom, but the Irregulars again denied that they had kidnapped them or knew anything about what had happened to them. On the 1st May the investigations were continued on the 2nd May the same staff officer with officers of both section, of the Irish Republican Army (Regular and Irregular), went to Macroom with an escort of four armoured cars and eight Crossleys to make further investigations, but he could obtain no further information. In the opinion of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, the representative of the Provisional Government was genuinely anxious to ascertain the fate of the missing officers and man. This was the last search party which was sent out, but inquiries were continued and rumours of all sorts were followed up immediately, the balance of evidence pointing steadily to the conclusion that the party had been murdered.In all cases the parties- of troops which were sent as escorts with the search parties were sufficient for the purpose of overawing small bodies of rebels and protecting themselves in cases of attack by a large body. The last party, that of the 2nd May, was the strongest and consisted of about 60 men. It is not correct-to say that this force retired without any efforts to rescue the officers and man captured; their orders were not to attack Macroom Castle bur, to obtain information. Any attack on Macroom Castle would have increased the danger to the party if they were still alive, and it was not thought that it would lead to their release, as previous experience made it practically certain that they would have been removed from Macroom immediately into the hills. There is no truth in the suggestion which has been made in some quarters that these officers were out for their own pleasure: they were proceeding by car in the ordinary course of their duty.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, owing to the approaching absence of the Chairman of the Commission appointed to investigate the awards made under the Malicious Inquiries (Ireland) Act, in- vestigators are to be appointed to proceed with the work of the Commission, and to endeavour to bring the parties together in various parts of the country; if so, how many of these investigators will be appointed: by whom will they be appointed: by whom will they be paid, and will they all be Irishmen; and whether, having regard to the fact that the work of the Commission is to re-hear judgments already given in British courts of law, he will say who are the parties that are now to be brought together by these investigators?

I understand that the Commission is considering the appointment of investigators, but it is not yet possible to say how many will be required or what will be the nationality of the persons appointed. Their expenses will be met as part of the ordinary expenses of the Commission. The exact nature of the duties proposed to be performed by the investigators has not been determined, but the hon. and gallant Member may take it that the investigators will work directly under the control of the Commission.

asked the Prime Minister if it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to add to the personnel of the Irish Refuge Committee, to extend the scopes and powers of that Committee, and to include disbanded Irish soldiers who are prevented by the present conditions in Ireland from returning to their homes; and will he consider the desirability of referring to this Committee the cases of those who have been compelled to leave Ireland because of the loss of all their property and who may have claimed and been awarded compensation, but who are penniless and in distress?

I will consider the question of adding to the personnel of the Committee if it appears that the Committee as at present constituted is unable to deal satisfactorily with the cases brought before it. It will be open to the Committee to consider the case of any person, whether an ex-soldier or not, who is ordinarily resident in Ireland and who being unable to return to his home owing to the state of the country is therefore in urgent need. I have dealt with the last past of the question in my reply to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Chelsea (Sir S. Hoare).

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether carrying out the Indianisation of the Indian services under the Montagu-Chelmsford reform scheme will result in any senior British Imperial service officers being superseded by junior Indian provincial service officers?

If my hon. and gallant Friend will refer to the Report of the Debate in the Indian Legislative Assembly on the 17th February, 1921 (a copy of which I shall be glad to send him), he will see that the Government of India have made it clear that they have no intention of carrying out Indianisation by selecting junior provincial service officers for promotion over the heads of senior officers.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will inquire into the case of Mrs. Dix, of 13, Yardley Road, Olney, Bucks, mother of the late Private Charles Dix, No. 32118, Bedfordshire Regiment; is he aware that Mrs. Dix won her appeal before the pensions appeal tribunal in April last; that her husband is not in full work, and that her only other means of subsistence; is a sum of 8s. 6d., which she gets on account of her disabled daughter; and will he see whether some pension can be paid to her?

The applicant is not at present eligible for a parent's need pension, as neither she nor her husband is incapable of self-support.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether it will be possible in the regrouping of pensions areas, and with the proper view of economy, to consider the difficulty and inconvenience of plac- ing Shaw, Royton, and Compton under the Oldham area; and if he will form these districts into a group by themselves, more convenient in respect of geographical position and thus more accessible for pensioners themselves?

The combined population of the districts mentioned does not justify the formation of a separate Committee. My right hon. Friend considers that no difficulty or inconvenience should arise through these districts being included in the Oldham area.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether dependants' allowances payable by the Minister of Pensions under the Royal Warrant of July, 1920, to widows, and which that Ministry under Article 12 (5) pays to persons other than the widows for the benefit of the dependants is liable to Income Tax?

I understand that in the cases to which my hon. Friend refers, the allowance for the child is not, as in other cases, paid to the widow, but may be administered under such conditions as the Minister of Pensions may determine. In such circumstances, the allowance, not being paid to the widow as an addition to her pension, does not form part of the widow's income for Income Tax purposes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the approximate amount of the returns derived from taxation in Russia in 1920 and 1921?

The revenue expected to be derived from taxation in 1920, as stated in the official publication of the Commissariat for Finance, was 159,600 million roubles, but it is understood that, in fact, the returns were much less. The returns from taxation in 1921, according to a statement made to the Hague Conference by M. Sokolnikof, the Assistant Commissar of Finance, amounted to 350 millions of 1922 roubles. A 1922 rouble is equivalent to 10,000 roubles of previous issues.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can give the approxi- mate cost of the Department which deals with the delivery of increment value duty particulars, the number of persons engaged in dealing with the forms and statistics, and the percentage of the particulars which are used for Government purposes, during the year 1921?

The staff employed in England and Wales on the work in question numbers 29, the cost being approximately £6,000 for the year 1921. Use is made of all the particulars which are presented. I would remind my hon. Friend that the utility of this information was the subject of discussion in Committee of this House on the 28th ultimo when my hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General explained the position in detail.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether be will prepare a statement of the annual amount of the interest burden based on the actual com- position of the National Debt on 1st April of the years 1919, 1920, 1921, and 1922, respectively, and on 30th June, 1922, assuming in each case that the composition of the debt had remained unaltered for one year from each of the dates specified, and assuming also that interest was being paid on all external debts;

I do not think a statement based on so many assumptions, as are suggested by my hon. Friend, would be of any value. The rates for Floating Debt vary during the year; and the rates of exchange (which affects foreign debt payments) also vary; and, accordingly, an assumption that these factors remained constant for 12 months would bear no relation to the facts, The amounts provided in the Budget Estimates of the years in question for interest on Dead Weight Debt have been as follow:

			£
1919–20	…	…	354,524,000
1920–21	…	…	334,110,000
1921–22	…	…	319,467,000
1922–23	…	…	*330,394,000
* Includes £25,000,000 for interest for half a year on debt due to United States Government.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what grounds His Majesty's officers of Customs have decided that children's necklets, imported from Japan, are lamp-blown scientific glassware, and, therefore, liable to duty under Part I of the Safeguarding of Industries Act, seeing that the importers declare that there is nothing scientific whatever about them, but that they are made of ordinary glass?

I am informed that certain consignments of necklets from Japan have been found to consist of lamp-blown glass beads, and have, therefore, been charged with duty as lamp-blown ware, which is one of the specific items included in the Schedule to the Safeguarding of Industries Act.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many questions have been asked during the present Session on the subject of the various provisions of the Safeguarding of Industries Act; what proportion of these questions sought for information which could have been obtained from documents already published by the Board of Trade; what number of officials and how much time is it estimated is involved in the preparation of these answers; and what is the estimated cost to the taxpayer of each answer given?

The answer to the first part of the question is that approximately 300 questions on this subject have been addressed to the Board of Trade, and, in addition, a substantial number on the same subject have been addressed to the Treasury. The proportion referred to in the second part is probably relatively small. As regards the third and fourth parts, no reliable estimates can be given.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he receives monthly or fortnightly reports of companies such as British Dyes, British Cellulose, and other companies where the Government has representative directors and has invested the taxpayers' money?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Labour the amount of unemployment in the heavy iron and steel industries at the present time, the percentage involved, and how these figures compare with the numbers and percentage unemployed six and 12 months ago?

The numbers registered as wholly unemployed in the trades classed under the heading iron and steel mauufacture were 150,361 on 27th May, 1921—at which date, as my hon. Friend is aware, the coal dispute was in progress— 91,395 on 2nd December, 1921, and 89,821 on 22nd May, 1922. The corresponding percentages of unemployment were 57·8, 35·1 and 34·1 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of aluminium workers out of employment last month, and the corresponding figures last year and for corresponding periods from 1910 to 1914?

I am unable to give my hon. Friend the information he desires as separate figures for aluminium workers are not available.

asked the President of the Board of Education what opportunities can be offered to teachers in special schools of visiting Swiss, German, and French educational establishments where similar problems are dealt with; and if he will consider the desirability of an interchange of visits of teachers from these different countries to British schools in respect to special school education, and especially of the economies now properly under consideration?

Permission could doubtless be obtained from the Governments of the countries named for English teachers in special schools to visit institutions of a similar character abroad, and if I receive any proposals from school authorities I will consider them on their merits and in relation to the expenditure involved. But the present conditions in these countries are not very favourable for the suggested interchange of visits.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will insert provisions in the new Milk Bill to fix a standard for condensed milk, so that the public may be protected from both Foreign and British machine-skimmed condensed milk and from condensed milk which contains so small a proportion of butter-fat as to be of little nutritive value?

I have been asked to reply. I do not propose to insert any provision in the Milk Bill to deal with condensed milk, but I am considering what can be done under existing powers to protect the public against any misconceptions as to the nature of the article sold as condensed milk.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the annual report of the united farmers of Alberta, Canada, showing that the cost of shipping chilled beef from Alberta to London is 2·9d. per lb. dead weight as against. 6·14d. per lb. if shipped as fat cattle, and even more if shipped as store cattle; whether he is aware that on the basis of these figures prominent Alberta stockmen have formed an organisation, involving a considerable amount of their own capital, to develop a chilled-meat business; and whether he will assist the British householder to escape from the American meat trust and obtain British Empire meat of high quality at a saving of 3d. per lb. by encouraging the Canadians to finish their cattle and develop an export trade in chilled beef?

I have seen a summary of the report in question, but I have no further information on the subject. It is not possible for me to take any definite steps to encourage the export of chilled beef from Canada, but this trade is at the present lime free from any restrictions and its development is presumably only dependent on the possibility of selling at a profit.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what are the latest figures of the importation of Irish store cattle; and how they compare with the figures of 1913?

The weekly returns issued by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland show that the total number of store cattle (including heifers for breeding and bulls for breeding) exported from Ireland to Great Britain this year to the 24th of June inclusive was 160,000. Exactly comparable figures are not available for 1913, but the number for the same period in that year was approximately 350,000. I should add that the number in 1913 was the highest recorded, the number in the previous twelve months having been only 168,000. The importation during the present year has been much hampered by the restrictions necessarily imposed owing to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has yet arranged with the Dutch and Belgian Governments to stop the export of horses from this country for slaughter there and to slaughter on this side instead: and, if not. what further steps to stop this traffic does he intend to take?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I gave on the 16th March last to a similar question put by the hon. and learned Member for York (Sir J. Butcher), which was in the following terms:

"The Belgian and Dutch Governments have agreed not to put obstacles in the way of the importation of horse flesh, and a considerable increase in this trade has already taken place. It would be impracticable to make a definite agreement to prevent the slaughter in Belgium or Holland of any horses exported from this country."

With regard to the last part of the question, I am satisfied that only horses of full working standard are now exported from this country, and that the traffic in worn out and decrepit horses has been stopped.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the serious hardship being endured by ex-service land settlers through high rents and rates, he will direct small holdings committees to make reductions of rents regardless of what such land would make in the open market?

As I informed the hon. Member on the 5th inst., the cases of ex-service smallholders who suffered hardship owing to the drought and other exceptional circumstances last year have been dealt with by abatements of rent. Where exceptional circumstances demand it, I should be prepared to consider proposals by small holdings committees for permanent reductions of rent as from Michaelmas next. I do not think it is reasonable, however, to expect the State to meet the loss which will be incurred if small holdings are let to ex-service men at rents below the rents which could be obtained for such holdings in the open market. I think the House will agree with me that ex-service smallholders should pay a fair rent, and I am not prepared to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion that these holdings should be let at compassionate rents.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the name of the North Farnborough telephone exchange has been altered to Farnborough; and whether, in view of the inconvenience caused to the business community by the alteration of the name of the exchange already printed on their notepaper, he will consent to restore the previous name?

It has been decided to alter the name of the exchange concur- rently with the issue of the local directory in September next in order that it may correspond with the name of the Post Office at which it is installed. This will be convenient from the service point of view, and will admit of a shorter telephonic address for telegrams to North Farnborough subscribers than has hitherto been possible. I do not think it desirable to reverse the decision, and I trust that, in view of the length of notice given of the change, subscribers will not suffer any serious inconvenience.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that, as a result of the changes in the postal service at North Farnborough, Hampshire, letters posted before noon on Saturdays at North Farnborough have not been delivered in London until Monday; and whether he will consider the advisability of restoring to North Farnborough its former postal service?

In order to be delivered throughout the whole of the London postal area on Saturday, letters from Farnborough were formerly required to be posted before 10.45 a.m. Under the revised arrangements letters posted up to 2 p.m. should be delivered in all the head district areas (except in the Eastern Central district) and in practically the whole of the suburban area. I find no reason for reverting to the arrangements formerly in force, but if the hon. and gallant Member will let me have the covers of any letters which appear to have been delayed I will have inquiry made.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the reduction in letter postage from 2d. to 1½d. has resulted in a considerable increase in correspondence; and whether he can hold out any prospect of a further reduction to penny postage during the next 12 months?

I regret it will not be possible for some time to come to give any reliable information as to the increase in correspondence as a result of the postage reduction. The possibility of a further reduction in postage rates next year must depend on the surplus available on the Post Office accounts, as to which it is too early to speculate.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that there is a desire among many insured persons in favour of combining health and unemployment insurance, and administering the combined benefits through approved societies;. and whether he will consider the advisability of giving this matter immediate consideration?

The question of the relations between health and unemployment insurance and of the possibility of further co-ordination between the two schemes is at present under the consideration of a Committee appointed jointly by the Minister of Labour and myself, and, pending the receipt of the Report of this Committee, I am not in a position to make any statement on the questions raised by the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Parliamentary Under - Secretary for Health, Scotland, whether the 1,919 houses sanctioned but not yet begun in Glasgow under the Government housing scheme can be commenced by the corporation of Glasgow at any time without further sanction from the Board of Health; and, if so, whether the delay in their commencement is due to shortage of labour in a, particular branch of the building industry or to any other cause?

The 1919 houses referred to represent the number which had been sanctioned but not commenced at 31st March last. Since that date work has begun on 367 of these houses, and of the remainder, 1,152 are included in contracts already let and can be commenced without further sanction from the Board of Health. I am informed that the delay in commencing these houses is due not so much to shortage of labour as to the practice of contractors to proceed by instalments with the work comprised in their contracts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the exact position of the Kantara Palestine railway as regards the Egyptian Government; and what are the yearly earnings of the line apart from military transport?

The actual permanent-way, buildings, etc. of the Kantara-Rafa Railway axe. the property of His Majesty's Government. The question of its future has not yet been decided, but as it lies within Egyptian territory, the Egyptian Government will naturally be consulted before any alteration in its status is effected. The estimated revenue of this Railway in 3922–23 is £E210,000 and the estimated expenditure £E201,000. It is difficult, on the figures in my possession. to say what proportion of the earnings is in respect of military traffic, but it is probably something like a quarter of the whole.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the widespread interest shown by experts and the public generally in prison reform and in the administration of Borstal institutions, he will appoint a Departmental Committee of Inquiry to deal with these questions with representatives of visiting justices, the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, mental alienists, educationalists, and of experts on training, or whether, alternatively, he will appoint an Advisory Committee with similar representation, to enable experienced workers to come into direct and official contact with his Department?

I will consider the suggestion contained in the first part of the question, but if any inquiry is to be held, I am inclined to think it should be by a Royal Commission.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can now give the date of the introduction of the Industrial Assurance Bill?

In view of the pressure of other Government business, I regret that it will be necessary to postpone this Bill till the autumn.

asked the Home Secretary if ho has approved the new method of indicating jury service upon the voting lists; if he has received representations showing that the method of indicating jury service by placing the markings after the name instead of in front thereof will be comparatively costly: and whether he has considered the more convenient and less expensive method of placing the jury markings in a distinct column by the side of the voting qualifications before the names?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the latter part, a representation has been received in favour of the marks being shown in a separate column before the names, but so far from this procedure leading to economy, I am advised that it would be substantially more expensive.

asked the Home Secretary if he will furnish, in respect of docks, wharves, quays, and ships, a Return for each district in England, Scotland, and Wales, showing respectively for each year ending 1919, 1920, and 1921 the following particulars: total number of irregularities, i.e., items as shown by district inspectors in annual returns, reported by inspectors of all ranks; number of occupiers of docks, wharves, and quays (not cases.) against whom legal proceedings were instituted; number of owners of ships (not cases) against whom legal proceedings were instituted; number of fatal accidents on board ships; number of fatal accidents in docks, wharves, and quays; number of fatal accidents due to non-observance of dock Regulation 19; number of non-fatal accidents on board ships; number of non-fatal accidents in docks, wharves, and quays: number of non-fatal accidents due to non-observance of Regulation 19; number of docks, wharves, and quays on registers; number of docks, wharves, and quays not visited; number of ships inspected; where a ship has been inspected more than once in the same year it shall, for the purpose of this Return, be counted as one inspection; number of inspectors, showing name and rank, whoso duties are exclusively confined to the inspection of docks and ships; and number of days devoted to actual inspection, i.e., excluding attendances at inquests, courts, committee work, and time occupied in travelling?

I regret that it would not be possible to furnish a Return for each district of all the particulars asked for by the hon. Member. Some of them could not be supplied without taking up a very large amount of the time of the staff. All information, however, that is readily available will be furnished, and I would suggest that the hon. Member should confer with the Chief Inspector of Factories as to how far this information will meet his requirements.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport if, considering the great need of road repair and reconstruction in the county palatine of Lancaster, due primarily to the postponement of repairs, etc., during the War period, he will recommend to the Treasury that payment in respect of loans raised prior to loth August, 1919, shall be recognised by the Treasury for the purpose of obtaining grants?

This question has received full consideration, and I am unable to hold out any hope of a reversal of the Government's decision, which was arrived at after a review of all material considerations.

asked the Attorney-General whether he can make any statement as to the trial of German war criminals?

I can add nothing to the statements already made in answer to the hon. and gallant Member for the Melton Division (Sir C. Yate) on 9th March and to the hon. and learned Member for York (Sir J. Butcher) on 1st May this year, to the effect that the matter rests with the Supreme Council and is still under discussion between the Allied Governments concerned.

asked the Attorney-General whether the new Rules relating to the trial of divorce petitions at the Assizes are now in force; whether cases can be entered for trial at Assizes at once; and, if not, on what date can proceedings under the new Rules be commenced?

The period of time required by Statute before the new Rules can come into force will expire in the course of the present month. As I stated in reply to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Moss-side (Lieut.-Colonel Hurst) on the 21st June, it is hoped that the Rules will be in operation before the end of the month. Cases can then be set down for trial at the Autumn Assizes. Directions have been given to the officials of the registries both in London and the Provinces to be in readiness by that date.