asked the Minister of Transport what are the figures for the six months since 1st April, 1932, and for each of the last three completed financial years of grants made at various percentage rates for the construction of Classes I and II roads?

The grants made for the construction of new roads and bridges of all classes during the six months to 30th September, 1932, amounted to £1,160,000, and during the three previous financial years to:

				£
1929–30	…	…	…	3,569,912
1930–31	…	…	…	6,114,614
1931–32	…	…	…	4,281,937

The ordinary rates of grant were 60 per cent. for Class I and 50 per cent. for Class II, but grants at higher rates were made in many cases. The classification of the amounts granted at various rates would involve considerable labour.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is now in a position to state when he proposes to introduce legislation to enable voluntary hospitals to obtain repayment from the insured persons of the costs hospitals now incur in attending to the injured in motor accident cases?

Sub-section (2) of Section 36 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, enables hospitals in certain circumstances to recover from insurance companies expenses incurred in treating motor accident cases. I regret that I cannot see my way to introduce further legislation on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has considered the articles of the Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, drawn up under the auspices of the Economic Committee of the League of Nations at Geneva, 24th September, 1931; whether he is able to give any information as to the steps taken by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to ratify the Convention in accordance with Article 17 of the said Convention; and, if ratification or accession to the Convention has not yet been signified on behalf of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, whether it is proposed to take steps to expedite such ratification or accession?

The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was opened for signature at Geneva on 24th September, 1931, and remained open until 31st March last. Since that date the Convention has been open to accession by non-signatory States. The Convention is to enter into force three months after ratification or accession by not less than eight States, including the United Kingdom and Norway. A number of States have signed, but only two ratifications, those of the United States of America and Norway, have so far been deposited. The Sudan, Nicaragua, Monaco and Austria have, however, acceded (in the case of Austria subject to ratification). His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom have also signed the Convention, and it is their intention to deposit their instrument of ratification as soon as possible. Before this can be done, however, it will be necessary to pass certain legislation in order to enable His Majesty's Government to enforce the Convention. The draft of a Bill for this purpose is now in preparation and will be submitted to Parliament in due course.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education the reason of the delay in sanctioning the erection of a, primary school for St. Ethelbert's, Deane, Bolton, seeing that the cost will not fall upon the taxpayers or ratepayers and that the scheme has been approved of and is supported by the local education authority?

Even though the capital cost of the provision of a new voluntary school does not fall upon public funds, the Board are bound in considering such proposals not only to take account of the parents' wishes, but also of the amount of maintenance expenditure which will fall on public funds, and such matters as the sufficiency of accommodation in existing schools and the organisation of other schools in the district. The case to which my hon. Friend refers involved very complicated considerations of this character and could not, therefore, be hastily decided, but he will be glad to learn that the Board have decided to approve the provision of a school for 250 junior and infant children. This decision was announced last week.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give a list of the international agreements under which this country would be compelled, in certain circumstances, to employ its armed forces?

I assume that what my hon. and gallant Friend desires is a list of those international agreements which might, in certain circumstances and subject to certain conditions being fulfilled, involve the use by this country of its armed forces. On this assumption, the list is as follows:

1. The Covenant of the League of Nations.

2. The Treaty of Locarno, 1925.

3. The Straits Convention of Lausanne, 1923.

4. The Treaties of Alliance with Portugal dating back to 1373.

5. The Treaty of the 20th October, 1921, respecting the non-fortification and neutralisation of the Aland Islands.

6. The Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of Alliance of 1930, which entered into force on 3rd October, 1932.

7. Various treaty engagements with the Arab rulers of the Persian Gulf under which His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom have undertaken liabilities of varying extent for the protection of the territories concerned.