asked the Attorney-General if he can make any statement as to the new powers given to the Registry by the President of the Divorce Court under the Debtors Act (Matrimonial Causes) Jurisdiction Order, 1932; and when these new powers will be exercisable?

The President of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division has found in certain cases that business losses and unemployment have rendered performance of existing orders of alimony or maintenance impossible or oppressive. He has accordingly issued a direction providing for a speedy and inexpensive method of dealing with such cases. This direction was published in the "Times" of 6th April and elsewhere, and is now in operation. So far the President has personally heard the whole of the applications.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the traffic commissioners who decide on the arrangements for Essex usually meet at Cambridge, which is an inconvenient place for residents in the Essex areas; and whether arrangements can be made for this body, when considering purely local applications, to meet in places convenient for the parties concerned?

It is the practice of the commissioners to hold public sittings in various towns throughout their area, and to arrange the hearing of applications with due regard to the convenience of applicants and objectors. Urgent applications, however, have to be fitted into the programme as best may be. During the past six months the traffic commissioners for the Eastern Area have held sittings on 25 days at Cambridge. On 27 days they sat at other towns, namely, Colchester, Hertford, Ipswich, Norwich and Southend.

asked the Home Secretary whether the recent negotiations between his Department and trade organisations with reference to the excessive hours of labour imposed upon cer- tain classes of young persons have been concluded; the title or names of the organisations or persons with whom the negotiations have been conducted; and whether, as a result, any legislative proposals are to be laid before the House in the present Session of Parliament?

The discussions have not yet been concluded. They have so far been carried on principally with the National Chamber of Trade, but steps are being taken to obtain the views of other important trade organisations. As regards the last part of the question, I am afraid that there is no prospect of the introduction of legislation in the present Session.

asked the Home Secretary if he proposes to intro duce at an early date legislation to give effect to the recommendations of the Select Committee on Sky Writing?

It is not proposed to consider the question of introducing legislation until some experience has been gained of the effectiveness of the voluntary control which is being exercised by a body representative of advertisers, advertising agents, firms engaged in sky writing, and other interests which has been set up in accordance with the recommendation contained in paragraph 44 of the Report of the Select Committee. Should legislation ultimately prove to be necessary, the experience of the working of the voluntary system will provide useful knowledge of the practical difficulties for which provision may have to be made.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the fact that a Select Committee of this House has recognised 276,594 signatures to the petition recently presented praying that experiments on dogs should be prohibited; whether it is his intention to introduce legislation to give effect to the prayer; and whether he has any statement to make on the subject matter of the prayer?

A copy of the petition from the Canine Defence League, which I am informed had 276,594 signatures appended, has been forwarded to the Home Office by the Select Committee on Public Petitions. In this, as in all other matters, the Government must be guided by considerations of the general interest, and having regard to the reasoned opinion expressed in the memorandum of the Medical Research Council presented to Parliament in 1927, and to the valuable results in the prevention and treatment of canine and human diseases which have been achieved by means of experiments on dogs, I am not prepared to introduce legislation on this subject.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has now considered the recommendation contained in paragraph 290, volume 1, of the Report of the Select Committee on Shop Assistants; and what action, if any, has been taken in relation to the installation of heating apparatus in shops?

Inquiries have been carried out, at my request, by the Minister of Health in accordance with the recommendation referred to, and the results of these inquiries are now under consideration. The question of temperature in shops is included in the matters which are being considered in connection with proposals for amending legislation, but I am afraid that there is no prospect now of the introduction of such legislation during the present Session.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will take steps during the present Session of Parliament to amend the law relating to the provision of sanitary accommodation in shops in accordance with the recommendation contained in paragraph 285, volume 1, of the Report of the Select Committee on Shop Assistants?

The question of sanitary accommodation in shops is included in the matters which are being considered in connection with proposals for amending legislation, but I am afraid that there is no prospect now of the introduction of such legislation during the present Session.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that large consignments of printed linens have just arrived from Russia and are being offered at very low prices, causing further unemployment in the block-printing industry; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

My attention has been drawn to recent consignments of printed linens from the Soviet Union to this market. With regard to the second part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement of Government policy which I made on 6th April during the Committee stage of the Russian Goods (Import Prohibition) Bill.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education the number of school building schemes throughout Great Britain prepared at 1st August, 1931, and since that date the estimated total cost thereof; and the number suspended or abandoned, together with the estimated cost?

The total number of schemes for the building of new schools or the improvement of existing schools in England and Wales, which were under consideration by the Board of Education on 1st August, 1931, or received since that date, is 1,223, involving an estimated expenditure of £5,257,000. Of these schemes 93, involving an estimated expenditure of £313,000, have been rejected by the Board.

asked the Minister of Labour the average numbers of workers registered as in employment in Great Britain during each of the years 1911 and 1931, and the number at the last convenient date?

Statistics of the numbers of persons in employment are available only in respect of persons insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts for the years since 1924. The estimated average numbers of insured persons in employment in Great Britain in 1924 and 1931 were 9,526,000 and 9,421,000 respectively. At 20th March, 1933, the number is estimated provisionally at 9,443,000.