asked the Minister of Transport what are the plans of the Government for the replacement or reconstruction of Charing Cross Bridge?

I recently asked the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee to review the case for safeguarding the possibility of constructing a road bridge in the neighbourhood of Charing Cross, in so far as such case rests upon considerations of traffic.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he consulted the Cyclists' Touring Club before deciding upon separate paths for cyclists; and, if so, to what extent he has put their advice into effect?

The Cyclists' Touring Club was not consulted, but have, in fact, expressed opinions adverse to the provision of separate tracks for cyclists.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has considered the communication from the Edinburgh town clerk with reference to the proposed Forth road-bridge; and whether he can make any statement thereon?

I have received a communication to the effect that a meeting of the local authorities concerned will be held on the 22nd of this month to consider certain proposals which have received the general approval of the Edinburgh Corporation.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is now prepared to take any further steps that may help to provide better means o£ transport to their work for people living in North and North-East London?

I have no power to provide or require such facilities, but I have already brought this matter to the notice of the London Passenger Transport Board, who have informed me that the whole problem is having the careful consideration of the Standing Joint Committee.

asked the Minister of Transport the total amount received from Wales in respect of motor licences in 1934, and the total of grants made in respect of roads and bridges schemes in that country during the same year?

In 1933–34 motor licence duties collected in Wales and Monmouthshire amounted to £1,048,000 nett, and of this £843,000 accrued to the Road Fund. Grants amounting to £857,000 were made from the Road Fund in the same financial year to highway authorities in Wales and Monmouthshire, who also received the amounts due to them through the General Exchequer Contribution in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act, 1929.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will ask the subcommittee of the British Medical Association, now inquiring into the connection between the consumption of alcoholic liquor by road users and public safety on the roads, for their observations on the merits of the results of the experiments made by Kraepelin?

I will bring the hon. Member's question to the notice of the Association.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the current annual report of the Medical Research Council states that certain persons have a special liability to be the subject of accidents and that consequently the number of accidents can be reduced by eliminating the individuals who exhibit such liability; and whether he will consider introducing, in place of the present judicial disqualification in isolated cases, legislation which would eliminate, in the interests of themselves and others, the small minority of accident-prone persons?

I am aware of the statement to which the hon. Member refers. The council suggest that the first step to be taken is to ascertain what information on the subject of accident-proneness on the part of the drivers of motor vehicles is in the possession of insurance companies; and in regard to this matter I communicated with a number of insurance institutions last month.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons in Wales now unemployed who have been idle for over one year, for over two years, and For over three years, respectively?

At 25th February, 1935, there were 64,928 claimants for unemployment benefit or unemployment allowances on the registers of employment exchanges in the Wales Division who had been on the registers for 12 months or more: corresponding figures are not available in respect of persons who were not claimants for unemployment benefit or allowances. My right hon. Friend is unable to say how many persons had been unemployed for two years and for three years, respectively, but he is at present considering whether it will be practicable to obtain such information.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that, owing to the restrictions of the royal warrant, the pension allowance that was in issue to Joseph Thomas Jackson, son of the late Private John Jackson, No. 455, Durham Light Infantry, who was killed in action on 25th June, 1915, ceased at the age of 21, although he is suffering from paralysis and imbecility and is unable to contribute in any way to his own support; and whether he will consider amending the royal warrant with the object of ensuring that allowances are continued to totally incapacitated war orphans for so long as such incapacity exists?

I have no authority to reissue allowances in favour of the young person 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.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour whether he is in favour of unestablished messengers of his Department being eligible, with others, for promotion to the grade of established messenger, provided their age at the proposed date of establishment is such as, with reckonable previous service, will bring them to an age of 50 or under at such date; and, if so, will he give instructions that in future all unestablished messengers shall be considered when such promotions are about to take place?

It has always been the practice to regard as eligible for promotion to the grade of established messenger men serving in the class which my hon. Friend has in mind. Hitherto it has been regarded as necessary that very exceptional circumstances must exist to justify promotion in such cases, but it has now been decided that a somewhat less exacting test shall be applied to them in future.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether seniority or merit governs the promotion of officers of the Treasury and departmental clerical classes of the Admiralty; and to what extent is either factor predominant?

Both seniority and fitness are taken into consideration, but the latter is the predominant factor. This is in accordance with principles accepted by the National Council for the administrative and legal departments of the Civil Service in 1922.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that a proposal to set up a factory in Kenya Colony to manufacture sisal bags has been held up as a result of uncertainty as to whether it will be permitted to import these bags into the United Kingdom free of duty; and whether he will state the policy which it is intended to follow with regard to the importation of Colonial manufactured goods into the United Kingdom, so that existing and prospective manufacturing interests in the various Colonies may know their position?

I understand that the establishment of the proposed bag factory in Kenya has been deferred owing to technical considerations connected with the process of manufacture. The aim of the project is to supply the demand for bags in Kenya and not to export them, and there is no ground for suggesting that uncertainty as to the position in this country, if any such uncertainty exists, has contributed to the delay in setting up the proposed factory in Kenya. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to my replies to questions put by the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. North) and the hon. Member for East Cardiff (Mr. T. Morris) on the 14th and 15th of last November.