asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of live cattle imported from the Irish Free State for each of the last six months of 1933?

The following table shows the total number of live cattle imported into the United Kingdom and registered as consigned from the Irish Free State during each month July to December, 1933.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will communicate the expected result on Merseyside of the further restrictions of cattle?

As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture announced in the House before the Adjournment, imports from the Irish Free State of fat cattle during the current quarter are being reduced to 50 per cent. of imports during the corresponding quarter of 1933, and imports of store cattle, and of hulls and dry cows, are being restricted to the same numbers as were imported in that quarter. Licences to import cattle are being distributed by the Irish Free State Government to exporters on the basis of their exports during the corresponding period of last year. It is to be expected therefore that trade under the new conditions will continue in the normal channels.

asked the Home Secretary why he is taking no steps to prevent the sale of Irish sweepstake tickets in this country, in view of the proceedings taken against the Atholl Fund and the Gracie Fields Lottery?

My hon. Friend is under a misapprehension in thinking that no steps are taken to deal with the sale in this country of tickets in the Irish Free State sweepstakes. Suitable action is taken wherever the necessary evidence is available.

asked the Prime Minister when he will be able to give a day for the discussion of the reform of the League of Nations?

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has to-day informed the House, His Majesty's Government take the view that any questions connected with the reform of the League are secondary to, and successive upon, the more immediate and urgent question of disarmament. In the circumstances, I hope my right hon. Friend will agree that it is premature for me to say anything about fixing a date for the discussion of this problem.

asked the Minister of Health (1) in connection with the administration of additional benefit under the provisions of S.R. and O., No. 1,061 (1930), the names of approved societies who have been or are now within these regulations providing additional benefits in cash or treatment to members joining or transferring to such societies where the members have not fulfilled the qualifying conditions for membership contained in Article 11 (a), (b), and (c) of these regulations, and similar information respecting societies providing such benefits from funds donated by the parent bodies of such societies;(2) the names of approved societies which have been allowed under Article 28 of the appropriate regulations to transfer sums for purposes under headings (

So far as I am aware, no society has provided additional benefits to persons not entitled to such benefits under the Additional Benefit Regulations, though several societies have taken advantage of their powers under Section 75 (1, b) of the National Health Insurance Act, 1924, to make eleemosynary payments to charitable institutions which may in some cases provide treatment similar in character to that obtainable by way of additional benefit. I am not aware of any case in which grants have been made by the parent bodies of approved societies in order to secure treatment for the members of those societies. The power under Article 28 of the Regulations to transfer sums not required for any particular additional benefit to augment the amount available for another additional benefit has been freely exercised by societies, the number of such transactions running into many thousands. 450 societies in England have allocated sums amounting in the aggregate to approximately £14,000 a year towards making payments to charitable institutions in accordance with Section 75 (1, b) and the corresponding figures for additional benefit No. 5 are approximately 800 societies and £36,000 a year. No society has been allowed to exceed the prescribed maximum of 2d. per member per annum for payments under Section 75 (1, b). No maximum is laid down for allocations to additional benefit No. 5.

asked the Minister of Health if his housing officers are in regular consultation with the local authorities responsible for housing in Stepney; and is he in a position to make a statement on the efforts being made now, and on those now being planned?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The borough council are clearing two areas containing 315 houses and providing new accommodation for 1,963 persons with assistance under the Housing Act, 1923. They are purchasing under the Act of 1930 an area containing 72 houses and are about to commence rehousing work on this area. The provision of rehousing accommodation on two further sites is under consideration. 23 dwellings provided under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, are approaching completion. The London County Council are clearing two areas in the borough containing 682 houses with assistance under the Act of 1923 and providing now accommodation for 4,306 persons. They are arranging with a public utility society for the rehousing of the occupants of an area to be cleared which contains 45 houses. Orders made by the county council for the purchase of two areas containing 41 houses have been the subject of proceedings in the Courts which terminated successfully for the council on Thursday last. The purchase of further sites for rehousing is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the provision that tourists in Palestine must deposit a sum of money against their ultimate departure from that colony is to apply to all classes of tourists; and whether he will make a statement as to the position in order that the tourist traffic to Palestine in the early part of the year shall not suffer?

I have been asked to reply. This provision is intended to apply only to visitors to Palestine, travelling other than by first class, from Poland, Germany, Rumania, Bulgaria, and other countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. My right hon. Friend has no reason to doubt that the High Commissioner for Palestine appreciates the importance of the tourist traffic, and he is not prepared to question his view as to the necessity for this action, which is designed to put a check on illicit immigration.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the unanimous report of the Ministers Powers' Committee that, until the Crown Proceedings Bill or a similar Measure is passed into law, there will still remain a gap in the constitution where the supremacy of the law does not prevail, he can now say when it is hoped to introduce such a Bill?

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave my hon. Friend on 6th December last.