asked the Minister of Labour how many resolutions and letters have been received from miners' lodges in the Seaham division protesting against the means test administered by the commissioners in Durham; and what steps he intends to take to deal with the matter?

I have received two protests from miners' lodges in the Sea-ham division about the administration of transitional payments by the commissioners. With regard to the second part of the question, I have nothing to add to the statement which I made on 21st February in the course of the Debate on the Adjournment.

As this affects the Prime Minister's division, will the right hon. Gentleman see the Prime Minister and ask him if any resolution has been received?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that it is the practice of some public assistance committees, and also appointed commissioners, to include the quarterly reserve pay of ex-soldiers in calculating income, and that such reservists are in fact being deprived of a certain amount of their pay through the consequent reduction of their transitional payments; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent this practice being continued?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for North West Camberwell (Mr. Cassels) on 17th February, of which I am sending him a copy.

Is reserve pay not given to a man in order that he may maintain a certain standard of fitness in view of his obligations? If this is taken into calculation, he is not having the benefit of his reserve pay.

That is the question that I answered on 17th February.

Is the right hon. Baronet aware that in face of his answer, that reserve pay is still being taken into calculation, a man is losing a certain amount of transitional payment and cannot maintain his fitness?

My answer was that I have no ground for thinking that, in determining transitional payment, the committees will not have regard to any special expenditure to which applicants may be entitled.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the Commissioner for the county of Durham is now prepared to meet accredited representatives of those who are subject to transitional payments when the recipients have difficulties about the amount received; whether he has met any such representatives; and whether he can make a statement explaining the present position?

I understand that the commissioners and their officers are always ready to meet accredited representatives of applicants. A number of meetings between such representatives and the First Commissioner have already taken place.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that, in adjusting the amount of transitional payment to be paid to a recipient owing to a drop in the family income as a result of a member of the family becoming unemployed, the Durham Commissioners do not make the adjustment retrospective to the effective date; and whether he will represent to the commissioners that where transitional payment to a recipient is to be increased in these circumstances the increase should date from the time of the changed circumstances?

I have no reason to suppose that the commissioners do not make their determinations retrospective, in proper cases, to the extent allowed by the Regulations. Owing to difficulties that were occasionally experienced in various parts of the country, the Regulations have recently been amended so as to permit determinations to be dated back for an additional week. This should be sufficient to meet any case in which the claimant reports a change of circumstances with reasonable promptitude.

As the revision takes place each month, is not a week a small period to date back, and ought not the revision to date back to the time of the altered circumstances?

No, quite recently, in answer to a question put by the hon. Gentleman or one of his friends, I said I would look into the matter. As a result I have made this Regulation enabling retrospective payment for a further week to be made in proper cases. I think that the Regulation will remove the difficulties to which the hon. Gentleman refers, and in any case before considering the matter further I must first see the working of the Regulation.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the commissioners appointed to administer transitional payments, and also public assistance committees, in assessing the income of a family generally take into account the gross instead of the nett earnings of those members who are in employment; and whether, in view of the fact that in many cases deductions from the gross earnings are substantial, amounting in the mining industry approximately to 3s., he will circularise all commissioners and public assistance committees recommending that only the nett earnings shall be taken into account?

I have no grounds for thinking that in dealing with applications for transitional payments local authorities and commissioners are not fully aware of the powers vested in them to have due regard to expenses necessarily incurred by members of a household in the course of their employment.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the West Riding of Yorkshire the public assistance committee have a scale, and that that scale is calculated whereby gross earnings are taken into consideration as nett income, and does he not see that this is an injustice to part-time workers?

I have not the scale which is in operation in that part of the country at present before me so that I cannot answer the question off-hand.

If I send a copy of the scale to the right hon. Gentleman, will he take up the matter with the commissioners or the public assistance committee?

Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire whether it is the gross earnings or the nett earnings which are taken into account?

I did make some inquiries on the point, and I am told that, speaking broadly, it is the gross earnings less off-takes that are taken into account. That is the answer I received, and I am not in a position to say anything further.

Is it not a fact that the deduction which is made on the ground of income is precisely the same as before?

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the Sedgefield, County Durham, unemployment centre tendered for two cupboards for the new offices of the Sedgefield Public Assistance Committee, and as the price of £3 9s. 6d. for each cupboard was the lowest tender it was accepted; and whether he will take steps to see that unemployment centres in receipt of grants shall not compete with commercial firms for public contracts?

L understand that this centre is not in receipt of a grant from Government funds, but I am making further inquiries and will let the hon. Member know the result.

Is this one of the centres under the charity fund, and is it the object of the Government that these centres shall blackleg ordinary trade union conditions

The hon. Member must not make either assumption. I have said that this centre is not in receipt of a Government grant, and I am making further inquiries and will let the hon. Member know the result.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider the setting up of a residential instructional centre for Northumberland?

A residential instructional centre, to accommodate 200 men, will shortly be established on the Kielder Estate, Northumberland. The centre will be open to suitable unemployed men in the depressed areas of the North-East Coast who desire to avail themselves of the opportunity for training and reconditioning. The men will be engaged mainly on work for the Forestry Commission.

How long will these courses last, and when will work start?

It will be open quite soon, but I cannot give a precise date. The length of the course will be 12 weeks.

Is the right hon. Baronet aware that there are over 200 men highly skilled in afforestation unemployed?

I will take that from the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider the advisability of inserting in the new Bill Regulations whereby men employed on road repairs and similar outdoor work who are called off by the foremen on account of bad weather shall be entitled to unemployment benefit for the days of compulsory unemployment as in the case of insured workers in factories, who are entitled to the benefit when works are closed for half a week owing to scarcity of orders?

The same rules already apply in this respect to all classes of insured workers. Loss of work for periods of less than a day at a time is not covered by the insurance scheme.

Will the right hon. Baronet give me an opportunity of putting further points on the matter before him?

Certainly.

Have Regulations been recently issued which debar an applicant for benefit from making application or having his claim ante-dated for circumstances such as refusing work on account of weather?

I am not sure what the hon. Member has in mind. If he will put a question down, I will give him an answer.

I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can state the estimated number of persons between the ages of 18 and 21 now unemployed?

asked the Minister of Labour if he can state the estimated number of juveniles between the ages of 14 and 18 now unemployed?

At 20th February, 1933, there were 134,280 juveniles aged 14 to 17 inclusive, and 248,408 persons, aged 18 to 20 inclusive, on the registers of employment exchanges in Great Britain.

Is it not apparent to the Minister that it is an indictment against the present system, that you have all these young people from 14 to 20 years of age and that there is no room for them?

That is a matter of opinion.

In view of the enormous figures and the need for reduction, will my right hon. Friend consider legislation being introduced to restrict the hours of labour of thousands of boys and girls who are at present working from 60 to 80 hours a week?

That raises a question with which I could not possibly deal in answer to a supplementary Question.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give an estimate of the reduction of registered employed owing to legislative and administrative changes at the latest possible date; and whether this figure has been below 170,000 at any time since September, 1932?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 27th October, 1932, to a question on this subject by the hon. Member for Aberdare (Mr. G. Hall).

asked the Minister of Labour whether the drop in the number of insured persons in the woollen and worsted industry from 268,230 in June, 1923, to 232,580 in June, 1932, is due to any special circumstances apart from the present industrial depression; and whether, in view of the increase during the same period of the number of unemployed in this industry from 18,488 to 62,810, any special steps to help this industry are being considered?

About 9,000 of the decrease is due to the exclusion of persons aged 65 and over, but otherwise the answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the latter part of the question, I would point out that unemployment in the industry decreased by nearly 39,000 between September, 1931, and February, 1933.

Are there any special circumstances that the right hon. Baronet could give as the cause of this small number being employed, and what is the Government doing to encourage employment in this industry?

In the last 18 months the amount of unemployment has decreased by no less than 39,000.

Can the right hon. Baronet give any idea of the cause of the colossal increase of unemployment in the textile industries? Does he attribute that to lack of spending power on the part of the workers

We cannot go into questions of that kind.

asked the Minister of Labour whether there is any special explanation of the fact that the number of wholly unemployed persons in the Wales division has increased from 162,790 in January, 1932, to 188,613 in January last?

This increase is principaly due to a further reduction of employment in the coal-mining industry.

Is the right hon. Baronet aware that the reduction in employment is very largely due to restrictions imposed upon our coal exports by countries with whom we are engaged in fiscal warfare?

I could not discuss that in answer to a question, certainly not without notice. It is, of course, true that the third 1,000,000 tons of coal under the Italian agreement has not been delivered. That is one contributory cause.

Is the right hon. Baronet aware that that will only account for about 4,000 men, and can he give any intimation when orders from this 1,000,000 tons will be placed?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the number of unemployed persons who have been transferred from the Wales division since 1921, and the relative numbers of people on the register for all occupations in South Wales in 1921 and 1932, respectively?

Statistics are not available regarding the numbers of unemployed persons transferred from the Wales division since 1921. The average number of unemployed persons on the registers of Employment Exchanges in the counties of Brecon, Carmarthen, Glamorgan, Monmouth, and Pembroke were 79,487 in 1921, and 200,256 in 1932.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the figures of those who have been transferred under the schemes initiatd by the Ministry of Labour?

I could not say without notice, but, if the hon. Gentleman will put a question on the Paper, I will certainly give him the information if I can.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the amount of difference between the money value of the determinations of claims for transitional benefit in the Wales division from November, 1931, to the latest available date, and the amount which would have been paid in these claims at the ordinary rate of benefit?

I will consider whether it is possible to furnish this information and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that in Area VII of the London Public Assistance Committee, which is an area covering a population of over 800,000, it is the general practice to refuse out-relief to persons receiving unemployment benefit or transitional payment on the ground that those payments are considered to be adequate for the people to live on; and if he will issue a circular to local authorities to secure uniformity of treatment and setting out the views of his Department?

This is a matter within the general discretion of the public assistance authority, and I believe that authority, which of course acts for the whole county, to be alive to the importance of securing a -proper measure of public assistance and reasonable uniformity of administration. The reply to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state in a general form the ascertained allocation to wages, materials, purchase of land, and interest charges of a sum of £1,000,000 expended on schemes of public work?

I regret that it is not practicable to allocate the expenditure separately under these heads.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) the number of employed persons in the mining industry in 1921, 1931 and 1932 in Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan, Monmouthshire and Breconshire, respectively;

I am having the information desired extracted so far as it is available and will circulate statements in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as the figures are ready.

asked the Home Secretary how many persons using motor vehicles have been convicted of offences involving the making of noise during 1930, 1931 and 1932?

The particulars collected from the police for the purpose of the annual return of motoring offences show the numbers of convictions but not the numbers of persons dealt with for this class of offence. During 1930, there were 23,468 convictions in England and Wales for silencer offences, but figures are not available for that year in respect of other noise offences. During 1931, there were 21,062 convictions in England and Wales for excessive noise offences of all kinds. I regret I cannot give the information asked for in respect of 1932, as the returns for that year have not yet all been received.

asked the Minister of Transport whether in view of the fact that, owing to paragraph 134 of the Salter Report foreshadowing the allocation of £36,500,000 balance of road costs to passenger vehicles, uncertainty continues and is holding up a number of municipal and other transport schemes, thereby aggravating unemployment, he will remove this uncertainty by a statement on the point?

I am unable to add to the answer given to my hon. and gallant Friend on the 21st February to the effect that questions of taxation are Budget matters which cannot be anticipated.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider the use of metal studs for marking out pedestrians' paths across the London streets, as has been successfully adopted in Paris for many years, in substitution for the "Please cross here boards, which are often illegible to pedestrians through lack of paint, and are invisible to drivers of cars with low roofs?

The best means of indicating crossing places for pedestrians has been engaging the attention of the Departmental Committee on Traffic Signs appointed by the late Minister of Transport. My hon. Friend is expecting to receive the report of this Committee very shortly, and will then consider what further action is necessary.

Will the hon. and gallant Member consider the advisability of making an experiment of the suggestion I have made on a large scale in London before that?

I cannot actually promise to do that, but I am in sympathy with the suggestion, and I will do my best to see that it is brought to the notice of the Department.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will take steps to prevent local authorities who at present issue motor driving licences from issuing, as from some future date, any licences to new applicants, who have not previously held licences, until a short oral examination on the recognised rules of the road, including hand signals, shall have been successfully passed, in order that prospective drivers may have a knowledge of the highway code?

The whole question as to the tests, if any, to which applicants for motor driving licences should be put was discussed at considerable length when the Road Traffic Act, 1930, was before Parliament. Amending legislation would be required to carry out the hon. and gallant Member's suggestion, and while I am not at present satisfied that this is necessary, I shall keep the matter in mind.

Does not the Parliamentary Secretary realise the danger that arises from people who have no idea of the rules of the road being granted licences without having read the rules?

I understand the danger to which the hon. and gallant Member alludes, but if he will inquire into the causes of road accidents, he will find that the majority are not due to beginners so much as to people who have been driving for some time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what is the increased charge for the year ending 31st March, 1934, for salaries of teachers in elementary schools in London and in other Grade IV areas, respectively, incurred in consequence of the number of annual increments of salary granted to teachers paid under Grade IV of the Burnham scale of salaries being greater than the number of increments granted to teachers paid under Scale III?

On the basis of the latest information available as to the number of teachers in employment and their present position on the salary scales, the estimated additional cost of salaries for the year ending 31st March, 1934, in consequence of the number of annual increments of salary payable in Scale IV areas being greater than that in Scale III areas, is approximately £191,000 in respect of London, and £96,000 in other Scale IV areas. The cost to the Exchequer is half these amounts.

In view of the fact that throughout their service teachers under Scale IV are receiving a, higher rate of salary than those under Scale III is there any reason why the increments should continue, for a longer period in Scale IV than under Scale III: and will my hon. Friend take steps so that the increments under Scale IV shall continue only for the same period as increments under Scale III do at present?

The scales were settled under the terms of the Burnham Award, and a change from one scale to another is subject to the consent of the local education authority, the teachers and the Standing Joint Committee.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education if his attention has been called to the action of the chief constable at Stoke-on-Trent who provided a policewoman lecturer to address children in elementary schools on traffic dangers and how to avoid them; if the result of this educational experiment has been to reduce the number of accidents to school children; and if education committees generally will be encouraged to provide facilities for instruction of the same kind?

My Noble Friend is aware of the arrangements in question. He understands that the authority are satisfied that the talks have been effective and that- there are grounds for thinking that they have resulted in some reduction in the number of street accidents to children of school age. As regards the last part of the question, memoranda on traffic dangers have been issued by the Board to local education authorities from time to time, and my Noble Friend has every reason to believe that authorities are alive to the importance of warning children in their schools, either by notice or by the provision of special instruction, on the subject of traffic dangers generally.

Relating to this particular experiment at Stoke-on-Trent, will my hon. Friend call the attention of education authorities throughout the country to the importance of the result which has been achieved by the action taken by the chief constable?

I think that the question, and the answer which I have given, will have the desired effect.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education the approximate number of boys and girls, respectively, leaving the elementary schools at the end of each school period?

As the answer contains a number of figures, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Can the hon. Gentleman say if the Government have taken any steps to encourage these children either to continue at school or to provide them with employment in order to take them off the streets?

I hardly think that that matter arises out of the question.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the advisability of bringing to the attention of local authorities the importance, from an economic point of view, of employing good quality locks in connection with housing schemes and with a view to the increased employment thereby provided?

I shall be glad if the hon. Member will bring to my attention any complaints in the matter to which he refers of which he has information.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that some years ago his Department issued a circular to local authorities, and will he consider the advisability of doing it again?

I am aware of the circumstances to which the hon. Member refers.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the very best locks of the world are made in Birmingham?

asked the Minister of Health how many improvement areas have been scheduled by local authorities since the passing of the Housing Act of 1930; and what period has generally elapsed since the passing of the local authority's resolution to the confirmation of the improvement order?

Resolutions have been passed by 15 local authorities declaring 25 areas to be improvement areas. Such a declaration does not require confirmation by me and the latter part of the question therefore does not arise.

asked the Minister of Health which local authorities in England and Wales have adopted any scheme for ensuring that State-aided houses shall not be occupied by persons of substantial means; and what steps are being taken by his Department in connection with this matter?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a similar question put on 17th November, of which I am sending him a copy. I have drawn special attention to this matter in the annual report made by me and I am sending an extract from this report for my hon. Friend's information. I have also asked the Association of Municipal Corporations to consider and submit their observations upon a recently published report made by the Scottish Consultative Council on Local Health Administration and General Health Questions.

Has the Minister yet defined what subsidy means?

There has been no need to do so.

Is the Minister aware that in houses which have replaced slums there are cases of people living there of considerably higher means than the people for whom those houses were built? Will he take action in the matter?

Those are matters which are dealt with in the passages of the Report to which I have referred.

Will the right hon. Gentleman see that the houses that are to be built under his new scheme are similarly protected against abuse?

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the cases of antimony poisoning reported from the use of cheap enamel ware in this country, he will lay down a standard of safe manufacture to which all leading British manufacturers shall be compelled to conform; and whether he will at the same time prohibit the importation of all foreign enamelled ware which does not fulfil the requirements above-mentioned?

I have no power to lay down a standard such as is suggested. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a circular which I have recently issued on the subject.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give, for the latest possible year, the maternal mortality rates in the Metropolitan Boroughs and the City of London?

The information asked for the latest year for which figures are available, namely, 1931, will be found in Table 10 of the Registrar-General's Statistical Review for 1931 (Tables, Part I).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can give a revised estimate of the yield of the Beer Duty, Customs and Excise, for the year ending 31st March next to compare with the last Budget estimate of £80,000,000; and, failing that, can he give the figure for 11 months?

It is not the practice to give revised estimates of the receipt of duty during the course of the year, but the approximate yield for the eleven months to 28th February was £69,500,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total expenditure incurred by the British taxpayer owing to the disorders in China during the last six years classified under the following headings: military, naval, diplomatic, pensions and compensation?

I regret that I have been unable to obtain the information desired by my hon. and gallant Friend as it is not possible to isolate the items of expenditure which should be attributed over the period he mentions to disorders in China.

Will it be possible for the facts to be ascertained from the Admiralty and the War Office as to the very large figure for China during these years?

I am afraid, although I will make inquiries, that it will be impossible to isolate the expenditure which is properly due to the disorders in China from the expenditure due to the general situation in the Far East.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the serious effect which the rise in the value of the £ sterling relative to the currency of other countries, notably of America, is having upon our export trade; and whether he intends to take any budgetary method of preventing this rise becoming permanent?

The first part of the question appears to me to overstate the position but I am fully aware of the importance of watching the situation closely.

Is there any possibility of the right hon. Gentleman taking budgetary steps to reduce the value of sterling?

I have no such intention in my mind.

Does the situation not show the disadvantage of what is called a managed currency?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of claims admitted for repayment of tax deducted by limited companies from their shareholders; the number of shareholders in limited companies registered in Great Britain; the total amount repaid in respect of such claims and the total amount of the income on which tax is paid by the said companies; the number of persons paying tax upon interest on capital received from co-operative societies; the amount of tax paid and the sum on which tax is paid; the total amount of interest paid by co-operative societies registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies' Act; and the number of members of the said societies?

I regret I am unable to supply any of the Income Tax statistics asked for by the hon. Member. The Inland Revenue Department deals with over 1,800,000 claims for repayment annually but these claims relate to all kinds of income that have been subject to tax and no records are kept which would show how many of these claims relate to dividends paid by companies. In the case of co-operative societies the interest paid is not subject to deduction of tax at the source but is assessed to Income Tax in the hands of the recipient if he is liable to Income Tax and no statistics are compiled showing the extent to which the interest in fact bears tax. With regard to the amount of interest paid by co-operative societies and the numbers of their members, I would refer the hon. Member to the report of the Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies for 1931 (Part 3, Section 2).

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total value of goods imported into Great Britain from Denmark for the year ended 31st December, 1932, and the total value of purchases by Denmark of goods manufactured in Great Britain during the same period?

As stated in the issue of the "Accounts relating to Trade and Navigation of the United Kingdom," for January last, the total declared value of merchandise imported into the United Kingdom during the year 1932 and consigned from Denmark (including Faroe Islands) amounted to £40,556,327. The exports of the produce and manufactures of the United Kingdom consigned to that country during the same year amounted to £9,860,999.

May I ask what steps the Government are taking to right this terrific adverse balance of trade with Denmark?

They are conducting trade negotiations with Denmark for that purpose.

Is this amazing difference in the figures between imports and exports constantly before the Danish delegation throughout these negotiations?

Yes, and not only that, but the great discrepancy to which the hon. Member refers is considerably less than it was in the year 1930–31.

Is it not the case that Denmark in many instances would purchase direct from this country but for the regulations of European cartels?

May I ask whether a portion of this disparity in the balance of trade is not due to the action of Imperial Chemical Industries in co-operation with the Bank of England in forcing Denmark to buy from Germany fertilisers which she would prefer to buy from this country?

I was not aware of either suggestion.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of the imports into this country of wire mattresses for the 12 months ended 28th February, 1933, or the latest date for which figures are available; and how these figures compare with the years 1931–32 and 1930–31?

The total declared value of wire mattresses imported into the United Kingdom during the years ended January, 1930, 1931 and 1932 amounted to £18,999, £6,130 and £2,824, respectively.