asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will take steps to prevent companies registered in England using their British registration as a cloak for political activities in foreign countries?

His Majesty's Government have no power to control the activities of British companies abroad except in countries where His Majesty's Government possess extra-territorial rights. In the latter cases the powers are those conferred by the relevant Order in Council governing the exercise of such rights. As regards the question, however, of affording diplomatic protection in any particular case, this is in all countries a matter within the discretion of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, and would depend entirely upon the circumstances involved.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) the number of persons entering and leaving the Insurance Industry Unemployment Board Scheme during the years 1929 to 1933, inclusive, in respect of the following industrial assurance companies and collecting friendly societies: Britannic, Co-operative, Liverpool Victoria, London and Manchester, Pearl, Prudential, Royal Liver, Royal London, Wesleyan and General;(2) the number of persons entering and leaving the Insurance Industry Unemployment Board Scheme during the years 1929 to 1933, inclusive; and the number who left by reason of dismissal and resignation, respectively, together with the age groups and insurance service of those coming within these two categories?

Statistics with respect to the number of persons entering and leaving employment which is insurable under the Insurance Industries Special Scheme are not available. For the 12 months ending on the dates shown below, the average numbers in insurable employment under the scheme on the quarter days in respect of which contributions were payable were as follow:

31st March, 1930	…	…	96,090
31st March, 1931	…	…	100,093
31st March, 1932	…	…	104,302
31st March, 1933	…	…	109,172
31st March, 1934	…	…	113,339

The numbers of persons who left insurable employment under the special scheme and made claims for benefit in

the years ending on the dates shown below were as follow:

31st March, 1930	…	…	6,100
31st March, 1931	…	…	7,697
31st March, 1932	…	…	8,102
31st March, 1933	…	…	8,685
31st March, 1934	…	…	8,511

If the hon. Member will communicate with me, I will see whether any further statistics are available which would be of use to him.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the £100,000 estimated cost involved in the consolidation of civil service pensions, at a rate appropriate to the cost-of-living figures of 55, includes pre-War and pre-bonus pensioners?

The answer is in the negative. The pensioners referred to are not affected by the consolidation arrangements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that load-lines are assigned to ships by his Department under powers conferred by the Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Lines Conventions) Act, 1932, and that under the same powers his Department have also appointed Lloyd's Register of Shipping, the British Corporation Register of Shipping and Aircraft, and the British Committee of the Bureau Veritas to assign load-lines to ships on their behalf; whether the load-lines assigned by the Department itself and the other bodies mentioned are computed under the Statutory Rules and Orders made by his Department under the said Act; and whether his Department takes the necessary steps to ensure that the load-line rules are impartially applied by all the bodies authorised to assign load-lines?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for India (1) the number of persons killed and wounded in riots, terrorist crimes, communal disturbances, and civil disorders in British-India during each year from 1919 to 1934, respectively;(2) the number of policeman who have been killed and wounded, separately, in riots, communal disturbances, and civil disorders in British-India during each year from 1919 to 1934, respectively?

I regret I have no complete information available covering all the categories included in the hon. Member's questions. I am sending him such information as I have available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much public money has been spent on the medical officer's house at Perth prison for reconstruction and decorating during the past three years?

During the past three years £320 has been spent on the reconstruction, and £18 on the painting, of the medical officer's house at Perth prison. The house was not occupied as an official residence from 1919 until 1930, when extensive structural and other defects were discovered.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that 17 of the old occupied officers' quarters at Perth prison have not been reconstructed or modernised within living memory and only partly decorated for some years, and that in many cases the windows are so high up that the occupants have to stand on chairs in order to look out; and whether he will state the number of these old quarters, forming a part of the prison wall, that have heavily barred windows and overlooking the prison?

I am aware that 17 warders' houses at Perth prison which do not lend themselves to reconstruction, and of which one is unoccupied, are unsatisfactory and have windows which are unduly high. It is anticipated that it will ultimately be possible to dispense with their use, and in the meantime a scheme of redecoration has been completed. Five of the houses, including the one which is unoccupied, form part of the prison boundary and their windows are consequently barred.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the Prison Department has ruled that warders or others officially transferred between Duke Street and Barlinnie prisons do not come within the terms of the Removal Expenses Circular, dated 24th October, 1925, and approved by the Lords of His Majesty's Treasury; is he aware that distance between stations has nothing to do with the terms of the circular; and will he arrange for the Scottish warders to have the benefit of the circular of which they have been deprived for nearly 12 years?

I am not aware that a ruling of the nature indicated in the first part of the question has been given by the Prisons Department for Scotland. The suggestion in the second part of the question is not in accordance with the terms of paragraph 6 of the Removal Expenses Report referred to; but, in the light of the paragraph, the application of the report to cases of the kind mentioned is duly considered. As regards the third part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question on 15th November of which I am sending him a copy, and from which he will see that the provisions of the Removal Expenses Report, as applied to the Civil Service generally, were also applied to the Scottish prisons service as from 6th September last.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the total consumption of coal for the years 1913 and 1933 in the gas and electrical industries, respectively?

The coal consumption at the electricity generating stations of authorised undertakers and railway and tramway authorities was 10.33 million tons in 1933 and 4.9 million tons in 1913. The amount of coal carbonised at gas works was 17.36 million tons in 1933 and 17.37 million tons in 1913.