asked the Home Secretary whether in view of the increasing public interest in proposals for amending the procedure in matrimonial causes heard in courts of summary jurisdiction, he will consider the appointment of a committee to report what changes in existing law and procedure are desirable?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend gave him on 13th November. When the Summary Courts (Social Services) Committee has presented its report, my right hon. Friend will be prepared to consider whether any changes in law and procedure are desirable.

asked the Home Secretary whether and, if so, when legislation will be initiated with a view to making changes in the law, described as imperatively necessary by the Departmental Committee on imprisonment by courts of summary jurisdiction in default of payment of fines and other sums of money (Cmd. 4649)?

This report is receiving careful consideration, hut my right hon. Friend is not at present in a position to make any statement on the question of legislation.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has considered the influentially signed petition on women police presented by the National Council of Women to the Under-Secretary of State on 23rd July, asking that it should be made compulsory for certain duties to be undertaken by policewomen and for the appointment of a woman inspector at the Home Office; and whether he is in a position to give a reply to the petitioners on these points?

My right hon. Friend has carefully considered the petition referred to, and regrets that he will not feel justified in bringing pressure to bear on local authorities to appoint policewomen, or in present circumstances, in sanctioning the appointment of a woman inspector of constabulary. It must be recognised that the need for employing policewomen must be determined in the light of local conditions, but subject to this, my right hon. Friend proposes to ask local police authorities to give careful consideration to the whole matter.

asked the Postmaster-General how many of those who have had telephones installed since 1st October, 1934, are resident in rural areas; and also if it is his intention to make further provision for those situated more than two miles from an existing exchange who, although being often the type of person who would benefit most from a telephone service, are now in many cases faced with such a heavy installation charge that a telephone is impossible for them?

I am sorry that no information is yet available to show how much of the recent telephone growth has taken place in rural areas. The reductions made in charges to rural subscribers are of course as great as those made in urban districts, and my right hon. Friend regrets that it is too early to consider any further reductions at present.

asked the Postmaster-General whether in view of the complaints by the chief British interests in South America of the existing high tariff for air-mails to South America as compared with the tariff for air-mails to Great Britain, he can state the division of the charge for air-mails to South America among the different Governments concerned; and whether, in view of the steps that he is taking to cheapen airmail in different parts of the world, he will also take steps to cheapen air-mail between Great Britain and South America?

The relatively high air postage rates from this country to South America are due entirely to the high conveyance charges which have to be paid to the two countries which operate the services, namely, France and Germany. The rates charged in this country were originally fixed before the departure of this country from the Gold Standard; and as the conveyance charges have to be in gold, and no compensating increase has been made in the postage rates, the service is at present being run at a substantial loss. In these circumstances, I regret that I cannot effect any reduction in the existing charges to the public.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons at work in the cotton trade to-day as compared with the period from 1912 to 1914?

The only statistics, compiled by my Department, as to the numbers of persons at work in individual industries, are those which are obtained once a year by deducting the number of insured persons, aged 16 to 64, recorded as unemployed at the end of June from the total number of insured workers at the same date, as estimated on the basis of the annual exchange of unemloyment books. For the cotton industry in Great Britain the figures for the end of June, 1934, were as shown below:

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed registered at the Tottenham Employment Exchange for the latest date in the months of October for the years 1929–34, inclusive?

The following statement gives the information for which the hon. Member asks.Unemployed persons on the registers of the Tottenham Employment Exchange (including the Tottenham Juvenile Employment Bureau).

asked the Minister of Labour the names of the chairmen of the court of referees of the Leigh, Warrington, Wigan, and St. Helens area; how many sittings took place in 1933 and the latest figures for 1934; how much is paid the chairman for each sitting; what is

asked the Minister of Transport the number of level crossings to whose elimination his Department has made any grants in the last five years, giving the names and the amounts in each case?

Works of this nature usually form part of larger improvement schemes, and it is not practicable to extract the actual cost of eliminating a level crossing from the cost of the scheme, of which it forms part. During the years 1930–1934, Road Fund grants have been made to 26 schemes for eliminating or avoiding level crossings.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will publish statistics showing in each district the number of men over 60 in receipt of Poor Law relief and without any old age or other pension at all, indicating at the same time the percentage of such men who may be regarded as unemployable owing to age or infirmity?

I regret that I could not give the desired information without obtaining from local authorities special returns for which I do not feel justified in asking, especially having regard to the pressure of work upon them. Further,

The following table gives the information desired:the question whether a man is unemployable could be answered only as a matter of opinion, without some definite criteria and individual examination.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the desirability, provided no expense is involved, of causing a thorough examination to be made into the therapeutic value of waters at British spas with a view to giving official recognition thereto and thus discouraging the unnecessary use of foreign spas?

Proposals on the lines of the question have already been made to me, but after full consideration I came to the conclusion that the suggested examination would make no substantial addition to information already available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is still intended to effect a trade agreement with Turkey; whether any negotiations have been in existence for this purpose; and whether he will give further attention to the matter at an early date, in view of the fact that British trade with Turkey, especially so far as textiles are concerned, is being, seriously impeded under existing conditions?

Yes, Sir. As explained in my answer of the 6th November to the hon. Member for East Birkenhead (Mr. White), certain counterproposals put forward by the Turkish Government were under consideration. These proposals called for close and detailed examination, and instructions are about to be communicated to His Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople in the course of the next day or two. Every effort will be made to bring the negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion at the earliest possible date.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider the desirability of making boat drills on all ships at sea compulsory for the passengers and not, as at present, left to their own inclination as to whether they attend or not?

The great majority of passengers in their own interests attend the musters held for their benefit, and I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by attempts to apply compulsion.

asked the Parliamentary: Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will consider the desirability of introducing legislation which will authorise local education authorities to provide free milk to children attending public elementary schools in all cases where the parents of such children have been unemployed for more than six months?

As the existing law makes it possible to provide free milk for all necessitous children who are unable by reason of lack of food to take full advantage of the education provided for them, my Noble Friend is not satisfied that it is necessary to introduce legislation which would enable free milk to be given to all children of parents who have been unemployed more than six months, irrespective of the physical condition of the children. The board have made it clear, in their Circular 1437, that in their opinion children should be selected for the provision of free meals or milk who show any symptoms, however slight, of subnormal nutrition.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education when applicants for sanction to build a new non-provided school were first urged to provide two acres of ground as a minimum site; and is the provision of such a site area regarded as essential by the board?

The need for securing sites of adequate size for public elementary schools has been forced upon the board's notice, not only by developments in school planning and the increased requirements of physical training, but also by the desirability, in the interests of economy, of safeguarding the possibility of the enlargement of schools. The question assumed greater importance as the development of new housing areas led to a large increase in the number of proposals for new schools in those areas, where it would be particularly regrettable if the standard of school provision fell below that of the improved housing conditions provided. Since 1930 the board have felt it incumbent upon them to urge upon all bodies proposing to provide new public elementary schools the very great desirability of securing sites of not less than two acres in order to meet the considerations mentioned above. But the board have not required a site of two acres as a minimum, and in the case particularly of built-up areas, and where land is very expensive, the board have accepted sites of a smaller extent.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education in how many cases has sanction been withheld by his board to applications to build all-age new non-provided schools; and how many sanctions have been given to build such schools?

Since 21st July, 1931, the board have considered 23 proposals for the provision of new all-age non-provided public elementary schools. Of these proposals eight were disallowed, and five allowed in part only (four as schools for juniors and infants only, and one as a school for seniors only); the remaining 10 were allowed as all-age schools.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of Exchequer issues for the Defence Forces for each year 1925 to 1934, inclusive, the estimated provision for 1934–35, and the corresponding figures for 1913–14?

The following table gives the actual expenditure as