asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the number of Arabs unemployed in Palestine; whether he is aware that Jewish firms that employ Arabs have recently been picketed by Jews to prevent the employment of Arab labour; and will he consider the strict limitation of further Jewish immigration while the problem of Arab unemployment exists?

The latest return available shows that the number of Arabs unemployed at the end of April was 14,000. There have been instances of picketing of the kind mentioned in the question, and legislation was enacted last month with a view to its prevention. The last part of the question is, I think, based on a misapprehension. Arab unemployment is taken into account in the determination of the half-yearly quotas of labour immigrants in accordance with the principles laid down in the Prime Minister's letter to Dr. Weizmann of 13th February, 1931, which was published in the OFFICIAL REPORT of the same date.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what were the number of licences for the sale of intoxicating liquors in force in Tel-Aviv and Jaffa, Palestine, for the year ended 31st December, 1930, and the year ended 31st December, 1933?

A recent report by the Deputy-Director of the Palestine Department of Health shows that in 1930 the number of licences issued in the municipal area of Jaffa (excluding "wholesale" licences) was 68, and in Tel-Aviv, 175, of which 115 were "off" licences. The annual report on Palestine for the year 1933, which has recently been published, shows that in 1933 the number of licensed premises (excluding "wholesale" licences) in the urban area of Jaffa was 65, and in Tel-Aviv, 265. I am unable to say how many of these were "off" licences. I should add that the increase in the case of Tel-Aviv is explained by the rapid increase in the population of that city, which, as the hon. Member is no doubt aware, contains practically no Moslems.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the remainder of the new legislation with respect to controlling the liquor trade and diminishing attendant excesses in Palestine, as referred to in Section XVIII, Sub-section C, Clause 22, of the Government's Report to the Council of the League of Nations, 1932, in particular with reference to the setting up of licensing boards and the employment of young girls for serving liquor in on-licensed premises, will be enacted?

The final proposals of the High Commissioner for Palestine for effecting a closer control over the sale of intoxicating liquors are described in paragraph 19 on pages 114 to 115 of the annual report on Palestine for the year 1933. A draft ordinance to give effect to these proposals, which cover the particular points mentioned by the hon. Member, has recently been approved.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, seeeing that an import duty has been placed on imported rackets, he can state where detailed information as to such imports can be obtained, in view of the fact that imports of rackets are not separately recorded in the trade returns of the United Kingdom?

Imports of rackets are not at present separately recorded in the trade returns of the United Kingdom, and detailed information as to such imports is not available. The question of their separate enumeration in the trade returns next year is now under consideration.

asked the Minister of Labour the total amount of insurance benefit and transitional payments paid for the year ended 31st March, 1934, and the number of men, youths, women and girls receiving such benefit for the same period?

The total amounts paid as insurance benefit and transitional payments during the year ended 31st March, 1934, were about £40,300,000 and £48,450,000 respectively. It is not possible to give the aggregate number of persons who received insurance benefit or transitional payments during the year, but the average weekly numbers of payments made were approximately as follow:

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has any statistics to show what was the amount of petroleum obtained from borings in this country during the last year; and whether any of such product was actually used by the public?

The production of petroleum in this country in 1933 was 38 tons. The figures for the three preceding years are given on page 97 of the Twelfth Annual Report of the Secretary for Mines, and are as follow:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will suggest to all school authorities that no kind of inoculation shall be performed on any school child without the written consent of the child's parent or guardian?

Measures for the inoculation against infectious diseases of children attending public elementary schools are taken by the public health authority and not by the local education authority, and the responsibility for obtaining the consent of the parent or guardian does not, therefore, rest with the education authority. In the circumstances, the question of making suggestions to local education authorities on the subject does not arise.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will advise all medical officers of health to ensure, when arranging schemes for any form of inoculation of school children or children attending clinics, that no child be inoculated without the written consent of its parent or guardian?

Advice of this kind has always been given in the official memoranda issued by my Department on this subject, and I have no reason to suppose that it is not generally followed.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, in a speech to sanitary inspectors, the deputy-medical officer of health for Leeds admitted that 8 per cent. of the children inoculated by him with toxoid, with a view to preventing diphtheria, had suffered very severe reactions; and whether he will request medical officers of health who are responsible for the introduction of this system to report to him all such serious results of the inoculations, together with information regarding the material used?

I am advised that the remarks to which the hon. Member refers related only to the use of powerful forms of diphtheria prophylactic employed to induce rapid immunisation. The speaker, therefore, stressed the importance of applying a preliminary test which would discover the possibly severe reactors, and of immunising these by the ordinary routine method. In the circumstances, the action suggested in the last part of the question does not appear to be called for.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what is the child population of Dagenham at the following ages: up to 5, 6 to 10, 11 to 15; how many Dagenham children at each of these age periods have received three injections of the diphtheria

asked the Minister of Health the total amount paid in widows', orphans' and old age contributory pensions

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of houses the construction of which was approved in each of the months of April

The child population of the Dagenham Urban District at the ages referred to by the hon. Member was, at the Census of 1931, (1) up to 5–15,954; (2) 6 to 10–15,503; (3) 11 to 15–8,559. As regards the remainder of the question, the following is the information furnished by the local authority. The figures for immunisation and testing for any year may not strictly correspond, as children immunised in any year are not necessarily Schick-tested in the same year.for the year ending 31st March, 1934, and the total number of persons receiving such pensions; the number of persons receiving pensions under the Old Age Pensions Acts; and the total amount paid during the same period?

The information asked for by the hon. Member is as follows:and May of this year, distinguishing between slum-clearance and other assisted houses?

The following table contains the information desired: