asked the Secretary of State for War what action he proposes to take regarding the pensioned soldiers of the recently demobilised Irish Regiments, as well as those of other units, who joined the rebels in Ireland and were captured in open rebellion; and to what extent treachery to their oath and allegiance will affect their pensions and any application they may make for employment under the British Crown?

The question of forfeiture of a Service pension is one for the consideration of the Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital, whose powers in this connection are defined in Article, 1208 of the Pay Warrant. If the hon. and gallant Member knows of any cases in which he considers that special action is necessary, I suggest that he should represent them to the Commissioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Air (1) if he is aware that certain highly-qualified technical officers, some of them disabled, were recently offered new appointments at reduced rates of pay in his Department, and that, having accepted such appointments, only a few days elapsed before they received notices of discharge; what is the reason for this action;(2) if he is aware that new contracts have recently been forced upon technical officers in his Department; that the officers concerned were given no opportunity of considering the terms of such new contracts before they came into operation; that the letters conveying the new terms of appointment were only received after the expiry of the existing contracts; and that repeated requests had previously been made by all the staff associations concerned that the new terms should be communicated in sufficient time for proper consideration, such requests having been consistently ignored by the establishment branch; and what is the reason for such treatment of highly qualified technical officers?

; In accordance with a Treasury decision to review the salaries of temporary staff, on inclusive rates of pay, notice of termination expiring on the 4th June, 1922, was issued to the Air Ministry staff concerned in March, as a necessary preliminary to this review. Those to whom these notices were sent were informed that new appointments on revised rates of pay would be offered to them as from the 5th June, but, owing to the large number of cases involved, to the fact that revision was made on an individual basis, to the difficulties which arose in the re-assessment of the salaries, and to the prolonged efforts which were made to obtain the best possible terms for the staff concerned, it was not until the 2nd June that it was found possible to despatch the letters stating the new rates of pay; and the fact that the Whitsun holidays intervened resulted in some of the officers not seeing their letters until the morning of the 6th June.Meanwhile, for reasons of economy, a reduction of staff had become necessary. This had to be effected from among the temporary staff whose salaries were being reviewed as stated above, and affected 15 persons. In consequence of an undertaking given to the staff, advantage was not taken of the three months' notice of termination so as to discharge immediately on the 4th June those with whose services it was decided to dispense, but a fresh three months' notice was issued to each officer selected for reduction. This notice followed the letter stating the revised rates of pay by only a brief interval, but, as already indicated, it was known to all those concerned that notice given to effect reduction of pay and notice to effect discharge would be separate processes and that the completion of the reduction of pay did not preclude discharge.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware of the bitter feeling of resentment by ex-service men throughout Wales at the appointment to the post of regional finance officer of a civil servant from the Disposals Commission, who did not serve in His Majesty's forces during the War, over the head of the Welsh disabled officer who is an existing official in the Wales region of the Ministry; his reasons for penalising this officer; and, in view of the strong feeling of resentment which is growing day by day among Welsh ex-service men, he will reconsider this appointment?

I have reconsidered this appointment. I propose to give it to an ex-service man, though not to the official referred to in the question.

asked the President of the Board of Education what is the proportion of certificated teachers to uncertificated teachers in the years 1912–13 and 1920–21, respectively?

The figure are as follow:

asked the President of the Board of Education the average salary at present being paid to uncertificated teachers and certificated teachers in England and Wales?

The latest date for which complete information is at present available is the 31st March, 1921. On that date the average salaries were:

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, seeing that uncertificated teachers in Swansea have already suffered a reduction in salary from £260 per annum to £182, and that the following reductions have been made —Nottingham £38 per annum, Merthyr Tydfil £38 per annum—these teachers are to be included in the further deduction of 5 per cent?

The reductions in the salaries of uncertificated teachers in certain areas are due to the fact that formerly their salaries were substantially in excess of the salaries recommended by the Burnham Committee. My right hon. Friend cannot regard it as equitable that teachers who formerly received lower salaries should be required to contribute and that these teachers should be exempted.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what are the reasons for refusing a passport to Mr. W. McLaine, secretary of the British section, Workers' International Famine Relief Committee, to attend a conference in Berlin in connection with Russian famine fund work; and whether he is aware that the absence of the British delegate will result in loss of contracts for machinery, etc., in Great Britain?

I have been asked to reply to this question, as it was on advice tendered by me that a passport was refused in this case. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to-day to a question by the hon. Member for the Newton Division of Lancashire (Mr. R. Young). Mr. McLaine has made representations to me to the effect of the last paragraph of the question; but I am not aware that any such contracts depend on the attendance of Mr. McLaine, and no other, at Berlin.

asked the Home Secretary whether W. McLaine made application for a passport to enable him to attend the International Famine Relief Conference in Berlin; whether he was refused the granting of a passport; and, if so, what were the grounds for his decision?

All the circumstances were carefully considered, and the grant of a passport was refused in the public interest.

asked the Homo Secretary whether he is aware that the hours of asylum workers have been increased to 66 per week; that the rate of pay has been reduced; what is now the basic rate; whether a number of rural authorities threatened to withdraw from the conciliation board and deal with their staffs individually and directly unless an arrangement was arrived at for an increase of hours together with a reduction of wages; whether, under this arrangement, the attendants will have to work a 12-hour day; and, if so, in view of the severe nervous strain that will be imposed on the staffs of the various asylums throughout the country, will he have inquiries made into the matter?

I have been asked to reply. I understand that proposals regarding wages and hours have been under discussion between representatives of the asylums and the workpeople employed there, and that a ballot on the proposals is now in progress. In these circumstances, I should prefer to make no statement on the matter.

asked the Prime Minister when the Sub-committee now considering the question of creating a Ministry of Defence may be expected to render a Report?

I am not at present in a position to say when the Committee will report.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the cash sums derived from the realisation of war assets, etc., appropriated in aid of supply grants, and paid direct to the Exchequer, respectively, in each of the financial years 1919–20, 1920–21, and 1921–22?

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that the Solicitors Bill will adversely affect the position of clerks who are engaged in their duties during the whole day, and that it will be practically impossible for them to conform to the Clause which makes it compulsory for them to attend for a year at a school of law; and if, therefore, he will take steps to delete such Regulation, leaving it incumbent upon the candidate to prove his knowledge of the law by passing a final examination, as at present is the practice?

I am glad to inform the hon. and gallant Member that, after consultation with the representatives of the associations who represent the solicitors' managing clerks, I have agreed to introduce Amendments into the Bill to safeguard their position. The Amendments proposed will remove the difficulties suggested, and have been accepted as satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Health if he will submit a statement of death-rates from cancer similar to Table G on page xviii of the Registrar-General's Forty-seventh Annual Report, with the figures brought up to date?

The figures are approximately as follow:

The hon. Member will find the corresponding figures for the decennia 1851–1910 in Part III of the Supplement to the Regnstrar-General's 75th Annual Report. From 1911 onwards each of the Registrar-General's Annual Reports has included similar yearly figures in even greater detail.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when a Bi11 will be introduced to re-enact the provisions of Section 20 of the Corn Production Act, 1917, so as to give occupiers of agricultural land powers to keep down rabbits coming from land adjoining their holdings?

I have been asked to reply. It is hoped to introduce a Bill dealing with rabbits during the present Session.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in the event of a person being unemployed in consequence of a trade dispute, and on the settlement of the dispute being unable to obtain employment, it is held to be necessary for him to serve the waiting period of six days after the settlement before he can receive unemployment benefit; and, if so, the grounds upon which this decision has been reached?

Paragraph 4 of the Second Schedule to the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, provides that a period of disqualification for unemployment benefit cannot count as unemploy- meat for benefit purposes. Consequently, in the case of persons disqualified by a trade dispute, a waiting period is necessary after the termination of the trade dispute.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much of the £600,000 voted by the House as disturbance allowance of ex-members of the Royal Irish Constabulary has been expended; and whether he is aware that there is a general feeling amongst former members of the force that there has been delay in the distribution of the money and consequently hardship in several cases of men who have had to leave their homes and take refuge in this country?

I assume that the hon. and gallant Member refers in the first part of his question to the sum of £300,000, which appears as a sub-head in the Royal Irish Constabulary Estimate to provide for disturbance on disbandment and gratuities in cases of exceptional hardship. Of this sum approximately £233,000 has already been expended. I am not aware of the existence of any such feeling as is referred to in the second part of the question, and inasmuch as the disturbance allowance is paid on demand to every disbanded member of the force who applies for it, it is clear that there can be no ground for any such feeling.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the Commonwealth Trust, Limited, with a subscribed capital of £51,643, has been entrusted by His Majesty's Government with assets on the Gold Coast to the value of £500,000; that the Commonwealth Trust made a loss of £190,000 for the year ended 30th June, 1921; whether the Government has given or contemplates giving financial assistance to the trust; and if the trust has mortgaged to the bank or other parties any of the assets entrusted to it by His Majesty's Government?

The figures given in the hon. Member's question are approximately correct. It is not proposed to give any financial assistance to the company, and I have no knowledge of the arrangements made by them for financing this undertaking. I would add that the company is of a philanthropic character; it is prohibited from trading in spirituous liquors; the dividend on its ordinary shares is limited to 5 per cent. net; and the surplus profits will be paid over to trustees to be used for the welfare of the native population.