asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he is aware that at Letterkenny, county Donegal, on the 8th June, 1934, the skipper of the steam drifter "Mignonette," of Buckie, Banffshire, was at the instance of the Irish Free State authorities convicted and fined for a breach of the law in having fished with lines in Lough Swilly within three miles of the shore; whether he is aware that hitherto fishermen have acted in the belief that British territorial waters are open on the same terms to all British citizens; whether he can make a statement for the guidance of fishermen who are now uncertain as to their position in Irish waters; and whether he has made, or proposes to make, representations on the matter to the Irish Free State Government?

:I understand that the facts are as stated in the first part of the hon. Member's question. On the general question the position is that the control of fishing within the territorial waters of the Irish Free State is a matter within the jurisdiction of the Irish Free State. Legislation has been passed in the Irish Free State, namely the Sea Fisheries Protection Act of 1933, the general effect of which is to prohibit fishing within the territorial waters of the Irish Free State except by Irish Free State fishing vessels. As regards the last part of the hon. Member's question, if he will indicate to me the points on which he considers that representations should be made to the Irish Free State Government, I shall be happy to consider them.

:Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether His Majesty's Government acquiesce in this new view of British citizenship?

:If my hon. Friend will put down a question, I will give him an answer.

:Can the right hon. Gentleman say what is the position of Irish fishermen coming to Scottish and English waters?

:May I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman has already made any representations to the Irish Free State on this matter, or whether he proposes to do so?

:My hon. Friend knows that this is not a new question as far as the present position is concerned. I have not made representations on the particular point, but he will notice that in the last part of my answer I said that, if my hon. Friend will indicate to me the particular point on which he would like to have representations made, I will consider it.

:Has not the Liberal party always supported the giving of self-government to Ireland, and is this not one of the results?

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he can give the House any information as to the attitude of the Australian Government towards the report of the inter-departmental committee on migration policy, as gathered by the recent visit of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to that Dominion?

:My hon. Friend had some informal discussion on the matters dealt with in the report with authorities in Australia. I understand that they are giving these matters careful consideration, and I hope to have an opportunity of further discussion on the subject with Commonwealth Ministers when they are in this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether in view of the large number of coloured British subjects, paid-off seamen, in this country, and owing to the difficulty subsequently of their obtaining employment either on sea or land, he will consider the question of offering them facilities for returning to their own native country?

:It is the statutory duty of the Secretary of State for India to repatriate lascars found destitute in the United Kingdom. Apart from this provision there are, I understand, no powers to facilitate the return to their native country of the British subjects in question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider introducing legislation in order to ensure that British merchant ships shall only sign on seamen of British nationality (so long as these are available), and that at British ports overseas a system, of investigation be instituted in order to ensure that applicants are genuinely British and not merely temporarily domiciled on British territory?

:Many proposals similar to that made by my hon. and gallant Friend have been considered from time to time but we have not been satisfied that action of the kind suggested could usefully be taken. The most recent information available as to the present position is being collected by my Department and the question will be considered again on that basis.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether there is any existing Government organisation which is prepared to offer to those with money to invest in industry expert advice as to sites for factories and the apparent openings for remunerative trade;

(2)whether in guiding those who may ask the advice of his Department on the establishment of new factories in this country, he is taking into consideration the interests and claims of south-east Lancashire?

:Such inquiries as are received by the Board of Trade in connection with sites for new industrial undertakings are referred to the Travel and Industrial Development Association, which works in close contact with local Industrial Development Organisations including the Lancashire Industrial Development Council.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether in view of the rising adverse balance of trade, he proposes to take early steps through the proper channels by means of higher tariffs or reduced quotas, or otherwise, to retain more of these imports for home manufacture by our own people with the consequent beneficial effect on unemployment?

:I assume that my hon. Friend has in mind the movement of imports and exports as shown by the monthly Trade Returns, though in forming an estimate of the complete balance of payments there are of course numerous other factors to be taken into account. As regards the balance of visible trade, however, I would point out to my hon. Friend that for the year 1934 this, although slightly less favourable than in 1933, is almost exactly the same as in 1932 and shows a great improvement on 1931. There has been a substantial increase in the imports of materials for British industry, but the balance of trade in articles classed as wholly or mainly manufactured has shown a progressive improvement in each of the years since 1931. Moreover, an important part of the imports of goods classed in the Trade Returns as wholly or mainly manufactured consists of goods which are materials of industry. With regard to the last part of the question, if any particular industry considers that further protection is necessary, its proper course, as my hon. Friend is aware, so far as the goods in question come within the scope of the Import Duties Advisory Committee, is to make representations in the first instance to the Committee.

:Am I to conclude from what my right hon. Friend said that he is not going to take any further action himself, but will leave the whole thing to the industries concerned?

:Parliament laid down the process which has to be applied to cases of this kind.

:If an article goes through subsequent processes of manufacture in this country, are we to understand that its importation is regarded by my right hon. Friend as being without objection?

:My hon. Friend had better put down that question.

:May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he has any reason to believe that our invisible exports are increasing—the receipt of interest on foreign loans, shipping, banking, insurance payments—and that these help to pay for our increasing imports?

:The question on the Paper does not refer to invisible exports. I understand there is a further question on that subject, and perhaps my hon. Friend will put down his question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in the interests of the producers and consumers of honey in this country, he will take steps to prohibit the use of the designation honey by the producers and retailers of artificial honey?

:It is an offence against the Merchandise Marks Act, 1887, to apply to any goods a false description as to the material of which the goods are composed. If, therefore, my hon. and gallant Friend will furnish me with particulars of any specific case in which the name Honey is falsely applied, I shall be happy to consider whether any appropriate action can be taken under the Act.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what steps are being taken to make good the deficiency in stores and material which the Secretary of State for War recently stated at present existed, owing to the policy of unilaterial disarmament adopted by past Governments?

:It is not possible to deal with this subject within the ambit of an answer to a question, but I hope to be able to make some statement when I introduce the Army Estimates.

:Having regard to the great reductions which have been made in the strength of the Regular Army, are not the Government of opinion that it is essential that these Forces should be as efficiently equipped as possible; and surely the House may have some assurance that the deficiences that were referred to recently by the Secretary of State will be made good at a very early date?

:Yes, we believe in having the Army efficient, and I hope that I shall be able to give some satisfaction to my hon. Friend when the Army Estimates are introduced.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what is the present shortage of officers and men in the Regular Army and the Territorial Army, respectively; and what steps are being taken to give a training for national defence to young men who are unable to obtain civil employment and are in receipt of State assistance?

:Including the British Army in India, the deficit on the establishment for the Regular Army on 1st January was approximately 200 officers and 3,500 other ranks. The deficit on the recruiting establishment for the Territorial Army for the same date was approximately 1,100 officers and 32,000 other ranks. As regards the last part of the question, no steps are being taken by the War Office.

:Will my right hon. Friend make representations to the Government that, in view of the shortage of the defence forces in this country, it is desirable, both in the interests of the individual and also of the State, that some form of national service training should be given to young men who are unemployed and who are receiving assistance from the State?

:May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether, if the Unemployment Assistance Board gets its way, there will not be even fewer young men who will enlist in the Army or anywhere else?

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the selection board for the promotion of field officers of the Royal Artillery has at any time during the last three years received instructions to pass over for promotion a specified number or specified percentage of Royal Artillery majors irrespective of their records, qualifications, or suitability; and, if so, upon whom the responsibility for such instructions rests?

:The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the second part does not therefore arise.

:How does my right hon. Friend account for the passing over for promotion during the last few years of the abnormal number of 30 per cent. of Royal Artillery majors who have been recommended by their superiors for promotion?

:That is another question. I have answered the question which was put upon the Order Paper.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office to what object the profits derived from the Aldershot and other tattoos are devoted; whether any statement as to the receipts and expenditure is published; and, if not, whether he will arrange for some account to be rendered regarding these functions to which the public make large contributions and in which many public servants are engaged?

:The profits derived from the tattoos are devoted to military and civilian charities. Audited statements of accounts are issued to those mainly concerned, such as the chief military authorities or the charities which benefit; but since no cost in connection with tattoos fall upon Army funds, I see no reason for their publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any and, if so, which Scottish education authorities are yet operating the new milk-in-schools scheme; and how many children are affected thereby?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent the scheme for supply of milk to school children and the scheme of juvenile unemployment centres now applies?

:As the complete answer to these questions is long I will, with my hon. Friends' permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. But my hon. Friends may be interested to know that 13 education authorities are already operating the scheme, that nearly 200,000 children are receiving milk under it and that that number is expected rapidly to increase.

:Is it anticipated that all education authorities will be operating this scheme by the end of the present year?

:I should not like to answer that question without notice.

Following is the Answer:

The following is the position as at Monday, 4th February, 1935:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can make a statement regarding the recent disorder at Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow?

:On 21st December a number of prisoners created considerable disorder and did some damage. On the 22nd December some of the same men smashed the furniture and fittings of the cells to which they had been removed. Before order was restored extensive destruction of cell equipment took place, and injuries, though not of a serious kind, were sustained by 30 of the prisoners and nine of the warders. Since then, apart from a few incidents, conditions have been quiet at the prison. In view of the information which I have received, I have decided to hold an inquiry into the administration and discipline of this prison and into the existing arrangements for the inspection of Scottish prisons generally, and I have appointed Sir George C. Rankin to undertake this inquiry forthwith.

:Will the report of the inquiry be published?

:I cannot give that undertaking.

:If the circumstances which led to the disturbance in this prison are to be inquired into, surely the public have a right to know what has been at the back of it, and the cause of the disturbances. Since an inquiry is to be held, would it not be better that the Secretary of State should make a statement in the House of Commons when he receives the report from the Commissioner?

:Certainly, if the inquiry elicits any fact which the House should know, I will convey that information forthwith.

:I take it that the right hon. Gentleman will acquaint the House, through the usual channels, when the report is ready and has been submitted to him and he has considered it, in case it may be necessary to put a question down?

:When the report is received and I am in a position to make a statement to the House, I will certainly inform, through the usual channels, hon. Members who are interested in the question.

:Can the right hon. Gentleman give us any indication who Sir George C. Rankin is, if he is the only gentleman who is to make the inquiry, and if the inquiry will be public, in the interests of the prison, the prisoners and the public generally?

:Sir George Rankin is a Scotsman who was Chief Justice in Calcutta for many years. He is now resident in Edinburgh. I cannot give any undertaking that the report which he will make will be published.

:That is not the point. The point is, will the inquiry be public? The right hon. Gentleman must be aware that in connection with the recent cases that were tried in court the evidence was so contradictory and the public were so dissatisfied that more ought to be known of the causes of the disturbance in the prison.

:It is in the interests of all concerned that the inquiry should be held in private so that witnesses may make any statement they desire before Sir George Rankin. As I have already stated, if any facts are elicited at the inquiry which should be made public, I will undertake to do that.

:Is is not a fact—

:Order!

:I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter at the earliest possible moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of occupied one-room and two-room houses, respectively, in Edinburgh?

:I am informed that the Valuation Roll, which was made up as at the 8th September, 1934, shows the number of occupied one-room and two-room houses in Edinburgh as 6,181 and 32,492 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that land for building and town improvements is required at Rothesay; and whether he will take steps to ensure that the owner of the land in question is not allowed to hinder the operations of the town council or the Bute county council in proceeding with their development schemes?

:In answer to the first part of the question, I am informed that all the land presently needed by the Town Council of Rothesay for housing purposes has been acquired. I have no information as to land being required for other purposes of town improvement. With regard to the reference to the county council in the second part, I understand that a question is under discussion with reference to the construction of a coastal road in the Island of Bute. Any question on this point, however, should be addressed to my hon. Friend the Minister of Transport.

:Is the hon. Member aware of the fact that the landowner referred to is the Marquess of Bute and that he has spent the whole of his life in retarding any improvement that might take place in the Island of Bute, or particularly in Rothesay?

:That does not seem to arise out of the question. I have given the hon. Member the answer to his question.

:Is it not a fact that to all intelligent people that question is entirely wrong?

:Is not this another example of one landowner trying to defend another landowner?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the Glasgow Corporation decided to give all the corporation employés, numbering 39,000, a holiday on 6th May with pay in celebration of the King's Silver Jubilee; and whether he will consider the advisability of taking Government action to secure that all other workers in Scotland will receive a similar holiday with pay on this occasion?

:The Glasgow Corporation has decided, as far as practicable, to grant municipal employés a holiday with pay on 6th May, employés who cannot then be released to be given another day instead. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to a question by the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Grundy).

:The Prime Minister's reply had nothing to do with Scotland. This question is addressed to the Secretary of State for Scotland, and if you read the question, Mr. Speaker, you will see that I am in perfect order in asking the Minister to reply on behalf of Scotland.

:He did reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can make a statement as to the appointment of the Milk Re-organisation Commission, its personnel, and its terms of reference?

:The constitution of the Milk Re-organisation Commission is at present engaging the earnest attention of the Minister of Agriculture and myself. We fully recognise the urgency of the matter and we hope to be in a position to make an announcement as to the personnel and the terms of reference at a very early date.

:Will the right hon. Gentleman endeavour to see that the commission when it is set up produces its report not later than May?

:I cannot give an undertaking, but I am sure that they will be fully seized of the urgency of the problem.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether there are any arrangements for the public notification of an epidemic of influenza and of the protective measures which should be taken by the public; and, if so, whether he is satisfied that the arrangements are adequate?

:In answer to the first part of the question, local authorities from time to time take steps by press notices and otherwise to draw the attention of the public to the existence of an epidemic of influenza and to indicate the precautionary measures which should be taken, and the Department keep themselves informed of the action so taken by local authorities. With regard to the second part, I am considering what, if any, further steps can usefully be taken in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can make a statement on the present position of the Scottish milk marketing scheme?

:Orders giving effect to the decisions on the complaints of the East of Scotland producers which I intimated in my statement to the House on 10th December were made on 28th December, and came into force on 1st January.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any statement to make regarding the proposed amendments to the milk marketing scheme in Scotland now upon the Table of the House?

:The orders which were made on 28th December and which have been laid before the House in accordance with the Act give effect to the decisions announced to the House in my statement of 10th December. If my hon. Friend desires further information on any point dealt with in that statement, I shall be glad to supply it.

:Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the dissatisfaction that exists among the South West milk producing farmers in Scotland in regard to the activities of the Milk Board there?

:Yes, I am well aware of the anxiety in many quarters of Scotland on this point.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that, while £137,500 was provided last year for the improvement of Scottish rural water supplies, the applications by local authorities for grants for this purpose amounted to over £1,000,000; and whether, in view of the seriousness of the water situation in rural Scotland, as shown by the above figures, he will endeavour to provide in this year's estimates a sum of not less than £250,000 for further schemes of improvement?

:The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, I can hold out no hope that the amount provided last year for this purpose will be supplemented.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the recent action of the sheriff substitute at Stornoway in refusing to permit witnesses to give evidence in Gaelic; and whether he will take any steps to secure that discrimination against the Gaelic-speaking inhabitants of Scotland shall cease forthwith?

:I have made inquiry and find that the Court decided to hear the case in English because the witnesses spoke both Gaelic and English, and appeared to be more familiar with the latter. A Gaelic interpreter is available at Stornoway when required and was provided in the present case. I am not aware of any discrimination such as is referred to in the second part of the question.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been drawn to the comparatively small number of inspections made by His Majesty's Inspectors on the afternoon and night shifts; and, in view of the fact that shot firing is mostly done on these back shifts, whether he will try to organise it so that a greater number of inspections shall be made on the afternoon and night shift?

:The answer to the first part of the question is yes. With regard to the second part, instructions have already been given which will result in a substantial increase in the number of inspections made by His Majesty's Inspectors of Mines on the afternoon and night shifts. During these inspections special attention is to be paid to the subject of shot-firing.

:In view of the number of accidents and the inadequate number of inspectors, will the hon. Member see that their numbers are increased?

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will give the number of inspections carried out by workmen at Adventure Colliery, Durham, under Sec- tion 16 of the Coal Mines Act, 1911, giviing the dates of such inspections, for each year from 1926 to 1934, giving each year separately.

:The total number of such inspections in the years 1926 to 1934 inclusive was eight. I am circulating a statement of the dates in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The dates of the inspections are as follow:

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the Coal Mines (Minimum Wage) Act, 1912, is in operation at Adventure Colliery, Durham; and, if so, what provision is made for the operation of Section 3 of such Act?

:The provisions of the Coal Mines (Minimum Wage) Act, 1912, apply to all workmen underground in coal mines. With regard to the second part of the question, Section 3 of the Act makes provision for the revision of minimum rates of wages and district rules by the joint district boards constituted under the Act. If the hon. Member will let me know if any difficulties have arisen, I shall be happy to discuss them with him.

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of accidents, fatal and non-fatal, at Adventure Colliery, Durham, for each year from 1927 to 1934, giving each year separately?

:No fatal accidents occurred at this colliery during the period 1927 to 1934. The number of persons disabled for more than three days were as follow:

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will make the necessary arrangements for the appointment of a medical or surgical expert resident in Scotland in all Scottish cases which are remitted for the consideration of an independent medical specialist in which a medical examination of the claimant is considered necessary?

:The arrangements already in force provide that, if in any case the independent medical expert consulted by the Ministry considers that a further medical examination is necessary, such examination can be carried out either by himself or by another medical man in accordance with his wishes.

:Where the claimant is residing in Scotland would it not be a great advantage if an examination is necessary, that the medical adviser should also reside in Scotland?

:The fullest information will always be available. In the case recently mentioned by the hon. Member, the independent medical specialist was an examiner at Glasgow University. The hon. Member has not realised that the independent medical person is there to advise the Minister of Pensions.

:In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this matter at the first available opportunity.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that Mary Brereton, whose father, late private, No. 4,636, Royal Munster Fusiliers, died of wounds in August, 1917, is suffering from defective vision, both eyes, and is, and has been for many years, unable to contribute in any way to her self-support; and whether he will have investigations made in this case with a view to authorising the re-issue of war orphan's allowance which ceased on her attaining the age of 21?

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that Florence Mary Sully, whose father (late private No. S4/128,193, Royal Army Service Corps) died from the effects of war service on 6th October, 1919, is suffering from a diseased hip and is, and has been for many years, unable to contribute in any way to her self support; and whether he will have investigations made in this case with a view to authorising the re-issue of war orphan's allowance, which ceased on 12th May, 1934?

:I have no authority to re-issue allowances in favour of the persons referred to. It is a long established principle that pensions liability for children should not extend at the utmost beyond the attainment of their majority, and, although an exception has been made as regards the special and limited class of young persons who become total orphans before reaching the age of 21, I cannot hold out any hope of a departure from the decision of the late Labour Government that the concession must be limited to this class.

:If the right hon. and gallant Member, as he says, is unable to authorise the re-issue of allowances under the Warrant, will he consider the advisability of introducing legislation to deal with cases of this kind?

:No, Sir. I am not prepared to do that.

:May I ask whether in the peculiarly distressing case there is not a fund at the disposal of the Minister?

:No, Sir. There is no special fund, but there are all the ordinary social services of the country, including the liabilities of the county councils which are available for such cases.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, whether he is aware of the widespread dissatisfaction aroused by its proposal to plant the upper part of the valley of Eskdale, and so to destroy its characteristic beauty in addition to depriving walkers of their existing right to wander at will over one of the most beautiful parts of the Lake District; and whether, in view of these facts, the commission will reconsider its decision?

:The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, there is no intention of interfering with existing rights. The third part of the question consequently does not arise.

:If an alternative scheme is put forward in the same neighbourhood, which would not interfere with the amenities of the Lake country, would the hon. and gallant Member give favourable consideration to it?

:No, Sir. The Forestry Commissioners are absolutely satisfied and have taken great pains to see that their work shall increase rather than diminish the amenities. There are always a certain number of persons who prefer that land should produce nothing rather than trees.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to correspondence with the medical section of his Department regarding the caning of girls attending school; and whether he is now prepared to accept the suggestion that an official opinion should be pronounced upon the medical aspect of this question for the guidance of all local education authorities?

:The administration of corporal punishment in the schools is a matter which has always been regarded as within the discretion of the school authorities, and my Noble Friend does not see any reason to vary this policy. I am satisfied that during recent years there has been a welcome decrease in the infliction of corporal punishment as a means of maintaining discipline. In the case to which the hon. Member refers, the Board regret to learn that the punishment, which consisted of one stroke with a cane on the hand, was inflicted by a male assistant teacher. This action was a direct contravention of the regulations of the authority.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he receives a yearly report from Messrs. Cadbury's day continuation school at Bournville; and whether he is satisfied that the teaching staff employed are fully qualified?

:Responsibility for the day continuation schools at Bournville attended by boy and girl workers from Messrs. Cadbury's is taken by the Birmingham local education authority and no reports are received by the Board of Education from the schools. The Board are satisfied that the staffs of the schools are suitably qualified for the work which is undertaken.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has considered the protest from the unemployed of Leigh protesting against the scales under the regulations which came into operation on 7th January, and will he state what similar resolutions have reached him from other organisations; and, in view of the strong feeling prevailing throughout the country, will he take an early opportunity of revising and increasing the scales?

:I have considered the representation to which the hon. Member refers and others from various quarters. I propose to make a statement on the whole subject later to-day.

asked the Minister of Labour the date upon which he received from the Unemployment Assistance Board the draft of their proposed regulations; whether the regulations submitted to and approved by Parliament are identical with the draft originally proposed by the Unemployment Assistance Board; and, if not, will he state what alterations were made and on whose initiative these alterations were made?

:The Board were required by Section 52 of the Unemployment Assistance Act to submit draft regulations to me within four months from the passing of the Act on 28th June. The Board found the task of preparing the regulations within this period a difficult one and while they complied with the Act by submitting draft regulations to me on 26th October, they found on further examination that this draft was incomplete in certain respects and required amendment. They accordingly prepared new draft regulations and submitted them to me in a form which was identical with the draft submitted to the House and approved by it on 19th December. The amendments contained in this latter draft as compared with the earlier draft had the effect of increasing the total amount of the allowances to be made.

:May I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman will submit to the House the original draft scheme submitted by the board, as laid down by the Act?

:That is not the effect of the Act at all. It is clear that the Act does not apply to this case.

:Did not the right hon. Gentleman make a statement to the House to the effect that the Act stated that the original draft had to be submitted to the House. If the board have submitted draft regulations to him and they are sent back, are they not the original regulations? May I ask whether a representative of the Treasury sat with the board when making these regulations and discussed them with the board, and what representations the Treasury made to the board during the discussions?

:With regard to the latter part of the question, it is obviously a matter of which I have no knowledge, and I do not think that the board would tolerate it. With regard to the first part, the provisions in the Act to which I have referred, are mainly designed to deal with cases of disagreement between the board and the Minister of Labour, when the Minister wants to make amendments in the regulations submitted by the board. In this case, before I had time to consider them the regulations were withdrawn and a new set of regulations presented by the board.

:Will the right hon. Gentleman submit to the House the body of original regulations put into his hands by the board?

:No, Sir. I am not bound to do that; and I do not see that it would in any way serve the public interests. It would also be unfair on the board which had to submit regulations in accordance with the Act within a certain time, and which they then warned me were incomplete.

:Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is said that these regulations were submitted to him and that owing to pressure by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and himself the scales were afterwards reduced? If that be not the case, why does the right hon. Gentleman not meet it by producing the original regulations so that there should be no dubiety on the point?

:I have already stated in my answer that the difference between the new and the old regulations was to increase the amount payable under the scales. I have already denied the rumour that any pressure was put by the Government on the board to reduce the scales.

:May I ask for your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, on this matter? It is laid down in the Act that the draft regulations have to be submitted to the Minister, and even if he does not accept them he must submit them to the House. May I ask what redress the House has in this case, when the Minister refuses to submit the original draft to the House?

:That is hardly a question for me to answer. In the first place it depends on the Act; and in the second place on the Minister.

:On that point I submit that there was implicit in the Minister's statement, when this Bill went through, that the Regulations drafted by the board would be submitted to the House, apart from any Amendment that he made. Have you or anyone else no power, seeing that those statements have been made, to have the Minister carry out what was implicit when the regulations and the Bill were before the House?

:It is quite obvious that it has nothing whatever to do with me.

:But the Minister himself pointed out to the House that the original draft was to be submitted to the House if he did not agree with it. What protection has the House if the Minister refuses to carry out what he himself admitted to the House was in the Act?

:Had I, when I had finished the consideration of these Regulations, come to the conclusion that they could not be submitted to Parliament without amendment, I should then have had to submit the new Regulations and a draft of the ones submitted by the board, with the board's statement on the difference. The position here was that, before I had considered these Regulations or come to any conclusion upon them, they were withdrawn by the board themselves and new Regulations were submitted to me which I accepted in their identical form and submitted to the House.

:Can the right hon. Gentleman say why the board withdrew the Regulations?

:I have already explained in my answer. I agree now that unfortunately a provision was put into the Act that Regulations had to be submitted by a certain date after the passing of the Act. The board found, when that date approached, that they had not finished their examination of all the problems that the Regulations would have to cover. In order to comply with the Act they had to submit the Regulations, in so far as they had completed them, before the due date, but I say that I was warned at the time that they were incomplete and in some cases would be provisional. Before I had finished my examination of them the board of its own motion withdrew them and submitted the new Regulations which the House subsequently approved.

:Arising out of that reply—

:We cannot debate the matter.

asked the Minister of Health (1) whether he can state the average number of men employed on public works initiated under the Public Works Facilities Act, 1930, during the years 1931, 1932, 1933, and 1934;

(2)whether he can state the number of public works initiated under the Public Works Facilities Act, 1930, which were continued by the present Government and, if completed, the years of their completion and the number, if any, not yet completed?

:My right hon. Friend regrets that he cannot give the desired particulars. Where works have been authorised under the Act it then rests with the body to whom powers have been given to carry out the works and normally no returns are obtained of the progress of the works or of men employed. My right hon. Friend may say, however, that under Section 1 of the Act (which authorised the issue of orders for the carrying out of works but which ceased to operate at the end of 1933 except as regards schemes then being considered) 24 works were authorised, ten during the last three years, and that under Section 2, 377 orders for the compulsory acquisition of land have been confirmed, 162 in the last three years.

:Am I to understand that the Ministry are paying out the money without knowing what they are paying for?

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that, at the recent inquiry by the Ministry of Health held at Dorking, with regard to the erection of bungalows in the grounds of Camilla Lacey, adjoining the national beauty spot of Box Hill, evidence against the proposal was given by the Surrey County Council, the Dorking Urban District Council, and the Dorking and Leith Hill District Preservation Society, AS well as by the National Trust, the lord-lieutenant of the county, and many local residents; and what were the reasons which induced the Ministry to disregard so authoritative a body of evidence and to approve the building of the bungalows complained of subject to the retention of certain trees?

:I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on the 19th December last to the question of my hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Sir P. Hurd), a copy of which I am sending to him.

:I am quite aware of that question, but will my hon. Friend inform the House what is the object of the Minister holding an inquiry of this kind when his decision is directly contrary to the evidence, the most representative evidence, which is given to him on the matter? Can we not know the grounds which induce the Minister to set aside the very representative evidence which was given to him at the inquiry?

:The object of holding an inquiry, of course, is to ascertain all the facts. Whoever gives evidence at the inquiry, the owners of land have their rights. In this particular case there was a scheme for a proposed development, and it was discovered that the scheme of the owner did not conflict with the scheme of the authority itself. If the authority said there should be no development at all then, of course, they could negotiate and purchase this land and stop all development.

:Do I understand then that the owner is prepared to allow the land to be left as an open space if proper compensation is paid to him?

:I imagine that any owner would agree to that course. All that we must do is to see that the land is not expropriated without compensation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the report issued by the Building Industries National Council with regard to the simplification of the regulations governing the designing of buildings from the point of view of the provision of adequate means of escape in case of fire; and whether he proposes to redraft the regulations in such a form that they can be applied as broad principles rather than as hard-and-fast requirements?

:My right hon. Friend has no power to issue such regulations as he gathers my hon. Friend has in mind. The report to which my hon. Friend refers is stated in its preface to be intended to deal with difficulties arising in London, and in London matters of this kind are regulated by the London Building Act. My right hon. Friend understands that the London County Council intend to promote a Bill in the present Session the object of which is to empower them to substitute by-laws for statute law as the instrument for controlling building.

asked the Minister of Health whether any decision has yet been reached on the question of the Manchester Corporation's proposal to establish a new municipal airport at Ringway, Cheshire; and, if so, whether he can make any announcement?

:The Secretary of State for Air and my right hon. Friend hope to be in a position very shortly to announce a decision in this matter.

:Will my hon. Friend take into account the very considerable opposition to this proposal which is entertained by the Cheshire County Council?

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the advisability of introducing legislation enacting pensions at 60; the raising of the school-leaving age to 16 years, with an allowance for children at school and a regulation that no employer be allowed to engage boys or girls under 16 years of age; and instituting a 40-hours week, with holidays with pay, as steps towards the reduction of the ranks of the unemployed?

:I would refer the hon. Member to the answers recently given by my colleagues on these three subjects, namely, by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the 31st January to my hon. Friend the Member for the Yardley Division of Birmingham (Mr. Salt); by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education on the 29th January to the hon. Member for Westhoughton (Mr. Rhys Davies), and by the Minister of Labour on the 28th January to my hon. Friends the Members for East Leicester (Mr. Lyons) and Wallsend (Miss Ward).

:Arising from that reply, I would like to ask the Prime Minister what is his position on these three questions which I have submitted. I do not want to know what the other Ministers have replied. I want to know what the Prime Minister's view is.

asked the Prime Minister what considerations necessitate the retention on the active list of 30 per cent. of unemployed officers in the three senior ranks of the Navy and 19.3 per cent. in the Army, whereas in the Air Force no such officers are considered necessary?

:As the reply is somewhat long, I will, with my hon. and gallant Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the reply:

The regulations of all three Services provide for officers of the three senior ranks to be retained on the Active List (Half-Pay List). As regards the Army, as stated on page 253 of the Army Estimates, 1934, the establishment of general officers is made up from the number of appointments appropriate to general officers as determined by military requirements plus a margin sufficient to permit of the selection of a suitable officer as each vacancy occurs among the appointments. A considerable diversity of qualifications is demanded by the various appointments and the existing system permits of the best selection for each particular vacancy. It has the further advantage that eminent officers are not lost to the Army after a single tour of service. For instance, should a general officer (late Infantry) whose services merit further employment complete a tour, and the next vacant appointment require Artillery qualifications, it is possible under the existing system to retain him on the active list until a later vacancy occurs for which Infantry experience is required. Meanwhile the Artillery appointment can be filled by an officer (late R.A.).

In the case of the Navy, the larger margin of senior officers who are unemployed is partly due to the fact that they are required to do courses, and that naval appointments being of shorter duration a larger margin of reliefs is necessary; otherwise the conditions are much the same as in the Army.

In the Royal Air Force, also, senior officers are carried on half-pay to such extent as is required from time to time.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to that part of the report of the Home Office departmental committee on the statutory definition and classification of firearms and ammunition in which the committee commented adversely upon the practice of inserting in Acts of Parliament well-known and easily understandable words and then, in a definition clause, attributing to them meanings which in the ordinary way they do not possess; and if he will consider circulating this part of the report among those officials entrusted with the drafting of Government Bills?

:My hon. and gallant Friend may rest assured that the considerations referred to by the committee in its report are constantly borne in mind by those entrusted with the drafting of Government Bills.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether when considering relaxation of the embargo upon the issue here of foreign loans, he will as a precaution against repetition of pre-war foreign over-borrowing in London adopt the general principle that the embargo shall continue against loans designed to provide interest upon the same foreign borrowers' earlier loans floated here?

:I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for North Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Sir N. Grattan-Doyle).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give the number of exemptions from Entertainments Duty which have been approved within the last 12 months owing to the fact that private profit is not being made?

:The absence of private profit is only one of the conditions which must be satisfied to obtain exemption from Entertainments Duty. It would therefore appear impossible to answer my hon. Friend's question in the form in which he has put it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he could state the approximate total expenditure from national funds during 1933–34, and the estimated approximate total for 1934–35, in respect of development works of all kinds, including

Of the above items, 1 to 20 are met out of moneys provided by Parliament and, with the exception of a proportion of the expenditure under items 6 and 7 which is recovered from the Unemployment Insurance Fund, they fall directly upon the Budget. The amount recoverable from the fund in respect of the two items mentioned may be esti-

all subsidies, assistance to industry, agriculture and fisheries, housing, slum clearance, telephone and postal development, shipping, transport, roads, civil aviation, land settlement, forestry, distressed areas, financial aid to the unemployed (other than insurance), and grants by, or estimated capitalised liabilities of, the Treasury for Imperial developments overseas?

:With my hon. Friend's permission I will circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the statement:

mated at £263,000 in 1933–34 and £502,000 in 1934–35. The net total charge on voted moneys for items 1 to 20 is therefore £27,449,000 in 1933–34 and £36,237,000 in 1934–35.

In addition to the items mentioned in the table, the Treasury has incurred a nominal net capital liability of £1,570,000 in respect of the Nyasaland Guaranteed Loan which was raised in 1933–34 for purposes of development in connection with the Zambesi Bridge and the improvement of other communications in the Protectorate.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what sums Parliament will have voted in the present financial year in respect of the beet-sugar subsidy if the Supplementary Estimate now proposed is agreed to; and what is the estimated cost to the Exchequer in the same period of the rebate of taxation allowed to British-produced beet-sugar?

:As shown in the Supplementary Estimate (House of Commons Paper 24), the total amount which Parliament is being asked to vote in the current financial year in respect of beet-sugar subsidy is £4,450,000. On the basis of the estimate of Excise Duty given in the same paper, the rebate of taxation, taken as the difference between the amount of duty receivable on sugar and molasses manufactured in this country from home-grown beet and the amount of duty which would be payable on a similar quantity of British refined sugar and molasses of foreign origin, is estimated at approximately £2,900,000,

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that no Red Star liner has yet been transferred to a foreign flag, he can give the House any information with regard to the actual or probable disposal of the "Belgenland"?

:From inquiries I have made I understand that the British register of the "Belgenland" was closed on the 24th January, 1935, on sale to owners in the United States of America.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been drawn to the operations of so-called stags which have prevented the complete success of the latest Australian loan conversion; and whether he will confer with the stock exchange-committee and loan-issuing houses with the object of a distinction being made between genuine subscribers to a loan and speculative stags by means of preferential allotment to those who renounce right of application withdrawal before allotment, in order to protect the public against detrimental effects upon the prices of public issues of loans by the withdrawal of applications by stags?

:I have no information beyond what has appeared in the Press respecting the particular operations to which my hon. Friend alludes. I understand that the general question of the activities of so-called "stags" has been engaging the attention of the authorities concerned, but no action by the Government appears to be called for at the present time.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many cattle smuggled into Northern Ireland have been seized during the last three months; and whether cattle smuggling from the Irish Free State has increased recently?

:It would not be in the public interest to furnish the information asked for in the first part of the question. As regards the second part, the reply is in the negative.

:Is the hon. Gentleman aware that recently a Customs officer stationed on the Northern Irish border sold the stock on his cattle farm, on transfer to another station; and does he not think that that sort of thing may lead to Customs officers having their attention distracted from their proper duties?

asked the Minister of Health to what extent municipal bodies which are road authorities carry on quarrying; and whether it is the practice for accountancy purposes to separate the cost of quarrying from the cost of road-making?

:My right hon. Friend is informed that 24 county councils in England and Wales carry on quarrying for road purposes, but he has no figures available for other authorities. As regards the second part of the question, he agrees that it is proper to separate quarrying charges from road charges. In the case of highway expenditure assisted by grants from the Road Fund, this separation is necessarily made, and my right hon. Friend has no reason to suppose that the desirability of separating the two general classes is not fully recognised.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether his attention has been called to the announcement by the Honourable D. A. Croll, Ontario, Minister of Municipal Affairs, to the effect that Ontario municipalities which are in default on bond obligations need only pay 3 per cent. interest instead of the 5 per cent. stipulated for when the obligations were entered into; and whether he will make inquiries of the Dominion Government in view of the injury that may be involved to Canada's high credit in this country?

:I have seen reports in the Press that a statement of the nature referred to by my hon. Friend has been made. I am making inquiries on the subject and will communicate with my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport the total number of persons killed and seriously injured on roads from the first year when statistics were compiled to the nearest available date; at what part of the day, morning, afternoon or night the greater number of accidents occurred; and how many children under the age of 10 years have been killed and seriously injured during the past five years to the nearest available date?

:I have been asked to reply. As the answer to the hon. Member's question contains a number of figures, I will, with his permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the answer:

The numbers of persons killed on roads in Great Britain during the nine years, 1926 to 1934 were as follows:

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the manufacture of coloured bricks made of concrete; whether the durability of the concrete brick is equal to the clay brick; whether they are of the standard size; and whether he is in a position to state the price per thousand?

:The hon. Member has been good enough to draw the attention of my right hon. Friend to a newspaper cutting on the subject of his question. My right hon. Friend is advised that concrete bricks and clay bricks suitably constructed may be equally durable. It is open to the manufacturers, if they so desire, to apply to the Building Research Station for a report on the material now in question. The information sought in the last two parts of the question is not in the possession of my right hon. Friend and he would suggest that the hon. Member should communicate with the manufacturers.

:When the hon. Gentleman states that the Minister is satisfied that the concrete bricks and the clay bricks are equally suitable, are we to take it that that opinion has been arrived at after consultation with the Research Department?

:I should like notice of that question.