asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that women are now appointed to the magisterial bench, he will consider the appointment of stipendiary women magistrates?

As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, the law requires that any person appointed to be a stipendiary magistrate shall possess certain professional qualifications which are not required of lay magistrates. A woman possessing such qualifications is eligible for appointment, and in making any recommendation my duty is to consider all the eligible candidates, and to endeavour to select the person who appears to be best fitted to carry out the duties.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what would be the estimated cost to his Department if the school-leaving age were raised to 161.

Any estimate must necessarily be somewhat speculative, but it is considered that, including maintenance allowances, the cost to public funds of raising the school

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is taking any steps to carry out the remodelling of the Entertainments Duty to which he referred last June?

Any such remodelling would be a matter for treatment in the Budget, which my hon. and gallant Friend will not expect me to anticipate.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1) the number of officials at present employed in the Paymaster-General's office in the grades of head of division and senior examiner, respectively, who served in the Army, Navy or Air Force during the Great War for a period of not less than six months prior to the armistice(2) the number of officials at present employed in the Paymaster-General's office in the grades of head of division and senior examiner, respectively; and the number in each of those grades who were, during the course of the War, within the limits of age prescribed for service in the armed forces of the Crown?

As stated in the reply on 19th June last to the hon. Member for the Yardley Division of Birmingham (Mr. Salt), it is estimated that of the total male non-industrial staff of the regular Civil Service on 1st August, 1914, excluding men over military age and men unfit for military service, about 77 per cent. were released to His Majesty's Forces. I cannot undertake at this distance of time to make detailed inquiries as to the position of particular departments or grades in this matter, nor can I see that any public interest would be served by such inquiries.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can make any statement regarding the proposed change in the postal direction of Gatehouse-of-Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire

Gatehouse Post Office was recently made a dependent office under Castle Douglas, involving the change of postal address from Gatehouse, Kirkcudbrightshire to Gatehouse, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire. This step was undertaken as a part of a general policy directed to simplify the process of sorting.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether hunger striking is still continuing in the gaols in Palestine, or whether the prisoners are now at liberty?

The position is as stated in. the answer I gave to the right hon. Gentleman on 18th February. In answer to my inquiry the High Commissioner for Palestine repotted that the hunger strike came to an end on 14th February, and that the prisoners who have been detained under the Immi

Cases of Diphtheria in completely immunised children.
Year.			No. of cases.	Length of time elapsed since Complete Inoculation.
1932	…	…	2	7 months; 1 year 11 months.
1933	…	…	3	2 years 8 months; 4 years 1 month; 6 years 1 month.
1934	…	…	8	1year; 1 year 7 months; 9 months; 2 years 7 months; 3½ years; 2¾ years; 1 year 7 months; 3 years 4 months.

Cases of Diphtheria in children not completely immunised.
Year			No. of cases.	Length of time elapsed since Inoculation.
1932	…	…	1	3 months.
1933	…	…	3	4 days; 2 years; 1 year 5 months.
1934	…	…	1	2 weeks.

asked the Minister of Health how many immunised children under 15 years of age developed diphtheria in Dewsbury in the years 1933 and

asked the President of the Board of Trade the quantity of liquid milk imported into the United Kingdom during the six months ended 31st December, 1934, with separate figures for England and Scotland?

During the six months ended December, 1934, the total quantity of fresh milk, including sterilised, homogenised or peptonised and skimmed liquid milk, imported into the United Kingdom was 40.434 cwts., of which 45 cwts. were entered at ports in England and Wales and 131 cwts. at ports in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of diphtheria have occurred in Birmingham in partly or fully immunised children during the years 1932, 1933 and 1934; and what interval elapsed between the last inoculation and the attack of diphtheria?

The following particulars have been supplied by the local authority:1934; how many of the cases were fatal; and what was the interval after immunisation which elapsed before the attack of diphtheria?

The following is the information furnished by the local authority on this subject. The number of cases of diphtheria occurring in children under 15 years of age who had received inoculation intended to be protective against diphtheria was as follows:

1933	…	…	…	…	26
1934	…	…	…	…	27

Of the 26 cases in 1933, two died; of the 27 cases in 1934, five died. All these cases were inoculated in 1932 and 1933, but were not proved to be immune by the Schick Test. No children who had been proved to be immune by means of the Schick Test have developed diphtheria during the period mentioned.The following table shows the length of time which elapsed between the date of the last inoculation and the development. of the disease in the cases mentioned above:

Months.				1933.	1934.
3	…	…	…	3	—
4	…	…	…	2	1
5	…	…	…	—	1
6	…	…	…	1	—
7	…	…	…	1	—
8	…	…	…	3	—
9	…	…	…	2	—
10	…	…	…	—	—
11	…	…	…	—	3
12	…	…	…	1	5
13	…	…	…	1	—
14	…	…	…	2	2
15	…	…	…	3	—
16	…	…	…	—	1
17	…	…	…	—	3
18	…	…	…	5	—
19	…	…	…	1	1
20	…	…	…	1	1
21	…	…	…	—	5
22	…	…	…	—	—
23	…	…	…	—	2
24	…	…	…	—	—
25	…	…	…	—	1
26	…	…	…	—	—
27	…	…	…	—	—
28	…	…	…	—	1
	…	…	…	26	27

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that Edith Marjorie Martin, whose father, late lance-corporal, No. 10,642, Middlesex Regiment, died of wounds on 18th April, 1916, is suffering from infantile paralysis in both legs 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 into this case with a view to authorising the re-issue of war orphan's allowance, which ceased on 20th June, 1932?

The reasons which preclude me from authorising a further extension of the allowance which ceased when the young person referred to reached the age of 21 years are explained in the reply which I gave on 5th February to the hon. Members for Deritend (Mr. Smedley Crooke) and Rhondda, East (Mr. Mainwaring), of which I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that L. H. Yeo and R. L. Grant were for periods of two years and one year, respectively, employed in the building trade in North London by an employer who failed to stamp their National Health Insurance cards during their time of employment and is now unable to pay the required sum due to financial difficulty; and if the Insurance Fund will take over the liability of their employer's contribution in order that they may obtain the required benefits?

I am aware of the circumstances referred to by my hon. Friend in the first part of the question. With regard to the second part of the question, I would refer him to the reply which I gave on 2nd July last to my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Sir R. Gower).