asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of persons in Scotland in receipt of Poor Law relief at 15th December, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931, respectively, giving

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of persons in Scotland in receipt of able-bodied poor relief, and their dependants, at 15th December, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931?

I regret that, except for the years 1930 and 1931, the figures

I regret that, except for the years 1930 and 1931, the figures asked for are not available. The following table shows the number of poor persons in Scotland in receipt of poor relief (including relief to the able-bodied poor) at 15th May in each year from 1927 to 1931, and at 15th December in the years 1930 and 1931. The children mentioned in column (2) are children receiving relief in their own right and not as dependants of an adult recipient.asked for are not available. The following table shows the number of able-bodied persons in Scotland in receipt of poor relief at 15th May in each year from 1927 to 1931, and at 15th December, in the years 1930 and 1931.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any information based on the last Census returns or otherwise as to the approximate number of citizens of the Irish Free State resident in Scotland?

At the time of the 1931 Census, 54,854 persons born in the Irish Free State were resident in Scotland.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether it is the intention of the Government to introduce legislation to raise the school-leaving age?

I am not in a position to add anything to the answer given to the Noble Lady on 9th November last.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there has been any change in the attitude of the British Government towards the new State of Manchukuo; and whether this State has been recognised by any foreign Governments belonging to the League of Nations?

As regards the first part of the question, No, Sir. As regards the second part, no foreign State except Japan has, as far as I am aware, accorded recognition to the present regime in Manchukuo.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he proposes to draw the attention of the League of Nations to the growth in propagandist broadcasting all over the Continent; and whether he proposes to take any steps to diminish this tendency to produce international irritation?

The Council of the League of Nations had before it at its recent session a draft international agreement for the use of broadcasting in the cause of peace, drawn up by the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation, one of the purposes of which is described in the preamble as being the prevention of the use of broadcasting in a manner prejudicial to good international understanding. The Council decided to communicate the draft to the members of the League and non-member States for any observations which they might desire to make. When this document is received it will receive careful attention from His Majesty's Government.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether any decision has yet been reached as to the manner in which the Cinematograph Fund will be applied by the Privy Council?

The Privy Council have decided to make a grant of £5,000 to the British Film Institute which was formed to promote the objects for which the Cinematograph Fund was constituted under the Sunday Entertainments Act, 1932. I am not in a position to make a detailed statement on the subject, since certain aspects of the matter are still under consideration. I would, however, remind the House that the fund is not large, and it is in consequence improbable that the Privy Council will be in a position to entertain other applications for assistance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can make any further statement with regard to the progress of the Anglo-Soviet negotiations?

At the moment, No, Sir.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air to what extent it is intended during the current year to increase the percentage of Russian basis to lubricating oil used in Royal Air Force machines; and what attempts have been made to enable such lubricating oil to be based entirely on oil from fields within the Empire or under British control?

There has been no change this year in the Air Ministry specification for lubricating oil. Of the considerable number of firms tendering, however, none offered an oil derived from Empire sources and the choice therefore lay between oils with foreign components. The oil ordered, which was in fact from Russian components though it is blended in England, was by far the cheapest offered. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to-day to the hon. Member for Lewisham, West (Sir P. Dawson).

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any recent information as to the extent to which unemployment benefit is received during the season by seasonal workers who are disqualified under the anomalies regulation for the receipt of benefit during the off-season?

In order to obtain recent information with regard to the operation of Regulation 2 of the Anomalies Regulations (Seasonal Workers) an analysis has been made of the benefit experience of one-third of all the claimants whose claims to unemployment benefit or transitional payments were disallowed under the regulation in the three months September to November, 1933. The cases of 3,604 claimants were examined, of whom 1,863 were men and 1,741 women.