asked the Minister of Labour in which of the exporting industries employment has increased since 1923?

I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" for December, 1934, which gives on pages 458–9 a table showing the changes between June, 1923, and June, 1934, in the numbers of insured persons in employment in each of the industries for which separate statistics are available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he intends to issue a White Paper showing the amount of benefit arrears that have been repaid to the various local authorities, and the number of persons affected?

asked the Minister of Labour the amount of money which has been repaid to the unemployed by the Unemployment Assistance Board?

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 21st February, 1935; col. 504, Vol. 298] supplied the following statement:Payment of all claims for arrears of unemployment assistance allowances under the provisions of the Unemployment Assistance (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1935, has now been completed, either under the arrangements made with certain local authorities for interim payments to claimants during the week ended 9th February, 1935, or at local offices of the Ministry to claimants attending during or subsequent to the week ended 16th February. The total amount so paid is approximately £100,000 and relates to payments in respect of periods before the week ending 16th February. Payments in respect of that week were made in full in accordance with the Unemployment Assistance (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1935. The local authorities concerned have not all submitted claims in respect of the part payments to claimants under the arrangements referred to, but from the information available it is anticipated that the total of the claims will be approximately £3,000 in respect of about 8,000 persons to whom the payments were made; the total of £3,000 is included in the figure of £100,000 referred to above.

asked the Secretary for Mines the total production of coal in Great Britain in 1931, 1932, 1933, and 1934, and also the total exports of coal in those years?

The information is as follows:

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office to what extent machines have been substituted for hand clerical labour in his Department; and what is the estimated annual saving deriving from the substitution, allowance being made for the purchase and/or renting of machines, maintenance thereof, and material used in connection therewith?

Apart from typewriting and duplicating machines, 205 machines of various types are in use in the War Office and the outside military establishments in substitution for hand clerical labour, and the introduction of further machines is under continuous consideration. The annual saving secured is known to be considerable, but it would not be possible to give an estimate without a disproportionate amount of labour.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will provide a table showing the total expenditure on political services in the tribal areas of the North-West Frontier Province, giving the main headings under which this expenditure can be classified?

I would refer my hon. Friend to pages 358–363 of the Finance and Revenue Accounts of the Government of India for 1932–33, a copy of which is in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will publish a table showing the area of and estimated population and number of rifles in each of the tribal areas in the North-West Frontier Province?

The following is the information asked for so far as it is available:

asked the Minister of Pensions how many ex-Service men are at present in receipt of pensions for 40 per cent, disability and upwards?

At the end of March last approximately 221,000 officers and men were in receipt of pensions at the rate of 40 per cent, or over?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the tonnage of British aircraft carriers that will be over age on 31st December, 1936, and on 31st December, 1937, 1938 and 1939.

No British aircraft carrier will be over age on any one of the dates mentioned. It should be explained, however, that the Argus, Eagle, Furious and Hermes are classed as experimental ships, and as such are, under the Washington Treaty, replaceable at any time, without regard to their age.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) the tonnage of British cruisers which will be over age on 31st December, 1936, and on 31st December of the years 1937, 1938, and 1939;

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the annual production in Great Britain in 1934 of the various kinds of honey; how much was imported into this country from the Dominions and Crown Colonies and foreign countries, respectively; and whether he is satisfied that the time has come for the steepening of the import duty on foreign honey imports?

The production of honey in this country varies considerably from year to year according to climatic conditions, but it was estimated, from information relating to England and Wales in 1929 and to Scotland in 1930, that the annual production in a normal year in Great Britain was about 36,400 cwts. In 1934 the quantities imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland were:

If none of the ships in question were, in the meantime, removed from the effective list, the figures would be as follow. These figures, however, do not take into account scrapping in accordance with the London Naval Treaty.in this country to apply to the Import Duties Advisory Committee for an increase in the existing duty of 7s. per cwt. on foreign honey.

asked the Minister of Agriculture (1) the number of members of the Bacon Marketing Board and their terms of remuneration; the total numbers of salaried officers of the board, with the numbers falling within the following categories: Annual salaries of £500 and more, salaries of £400 and less than £500, salaries of £300 and less than £400; and the respective number of the members of the board and of its salaried staff who are or were, at the time of their appointment, officers or officials of the National Farmers' Union;(2) the number of members of the Potato Marketing Board and their terms of remuneration; the total numbers of salaried officers of the board, with the numbers falling within the following categories: Annual salaries of £500 and more, salaries of £400 and less than £500, salaries of £300 and less than £400; and the respective numbers of the members of the board and of its salaried staff who are or were, at the time of their appointment, officers or officials of the National Farmers' Union;

The numbers of members of the Pigs, Bacon, Milk and Potato Marketing Boards and their remuneration as voted by the registered producers concerned are as follow:

asekd the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the report by Major-General Sir Llewelyn W. Atcherley, His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, to the effect that recent additions to the ordinary constable's duties, particularly relating to the enforcement of the Road Traffic Acts and the regulations made thereunder, have already had the effect of smothering or crowding out his primary duties; and what action is being taken to increase the police force, seeing that with the introduction of the speed limit the disadvantages to which attention is called will become accentuated?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I have given to-day to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for the City of Chester (Sir C. Cayzer).

asked the Home Secretary whether he will take steps to secure that in all inquiries into motor accidents by coroners, magistrates and police the part played by the consumption of alcoholic liquor in causing accidents should not be overlooked?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to a similar question which he put to me on 30th January.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that inconvenience is caused to the local residents and loss to local business people by reason of the non-stopping of trains at Barola's Court station; and whether he will make representations to the London Passenger Transport Board regarding the matter?

I have, as the hon. Member will appreciate, no control in the matter, but I will, with pleasure, bring his question to the notice of the London Passenger Transport Board.

asked the Postmaster-General the numbers of auxiliary postmen employed in each of the counties of Wales; the average number of hours worked per week; and the average wage paid?

Inquiry is being made in relation to the matter, and I will communicate further with the hon. Member as regards it.