asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether he has considered the representations made against the marketing scheme proposed by the Egg and Poultry Reorganisation Commission for Scotland; and whether he is aware that the great majority of the producers are not likely to accept any scheme unless the Government can hold out some assurance of control of imports by tariff or quota;

The promotion of a marketing scheme under the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1931, is a matter for producers, and not for the Government, to decide. No such scheme for regulating the marketing of eggs and poultry has yet been adopted by Scottish producers. I regret that I cannot anticipate what action may be taken by the Government on the recommendations to be made by the Reorganisation Commission for Great Britain which is now considering the manner in which the operation of marketing schemes for eggs and poultry could be facilitated by any measures affecting imports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will set up an inquiry into the administration of the staff pension fund of the Anchor Shipping Line in order to see whether some means may be devised to prevent the money which has been contributed for years past by the employés of the Anchor Line from being appropriated to set off against the general liabilities of the company?

The Board of Trade have no power to take the action suggested by the hon. Member. I am informed, however, that the portion of the staff pension fund which represents employés' contributions is, under a trust deed, invested in trustees securities.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been called to the claims of the Iron and Steel Federation that through the work of their research council there has been an annual saving in fuel to their industry equivalent to some £4,500,000 a year; and whether he has any information to show what such saving represents in terms of the decline of coal output and unemployment of miners?

I have seen references in the Press to a speech made by the President of the Iron and Steel Federation in which he stated that, as a result of the work of their research council, the iron and steel industry was saving about £4,500,000 per annum in fuel costs. I understand that this figure is based on a comparison of the quantity of coal required for the production of one ton of pig iron and one ton of steel in 1923 and 1934 respectively. On this basis the quantity of coal saved in the latter year amounted to about 6,250,000 tons, which would represent the employment of about 22,000 miners.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any date has been fixed for the conference between motor insurance experts and representatives of the Medical Research Council to discuss the accident-prone

Unemployed persons on the registers of the Cleator Moor and Million Employment Exchanges at 25th February. 1935.
—	Cleator Moor.	Millom.
Total number aged 14 and over on registers	2,461	668
Number, aged 16–64, with claims admitted for Unemployment Benefit.*	420	189
Number, aged 18–64, with applications authorised for Unemployment Allowances.	1,551	326
* The numbers exclude 13 claimants at Cleator Moor and two claimants at Millom whost contribution position under the First Statutory Condition had not been determined ae 25th February.
Separate figures are not available for Egremont, Frizington, and Lamplugh.

'asked the Minister of Labour the number of young persons, 18 years of age and under, in the county of Durham, including the boroughs, who were unemployed on the latest available date?

At 25th February, 1935, there were 13,621 unemployed boys and girls under 18 years of age on the registers of employment exchanges in the county of Durham (including the associated county boroughs). Statistics are not available as to the numbers, aged 18 and under 19 years, on the registers. ness of motorists; and exactly what the agenda at this conference will be?

Arrangements have been made for a, conference to be held at the end of this week between representatives of the Medical Research Council and of authorised insurers for informal discussion of the paragraphs in the report of the Medical Research Council (Cmd. 4796) which deal with accident-proneness and road dangers.

asked the Minister of Labour the latest figures of the unemployed, showing separately those on standard benefit And receiving unemployment assistance, in the Cleator Moor, Egremont, Frizington, Lamplugh and Millom areas?

The following statement gives the information desired, so far as it is available:

asked the Minister of Transport the exact nature of the requirements upon which he is insisting in connection with preventing trolley-omnibuses from interfering with radio reception; whether his requirements will apply to existing trolley-omnibuses as well as new ones; whether he can give a list of those places to which the requirements will apply; and, if not, whether he can provide a list of towns which already possess trolley-omnibuses which do not conform to such requirements?

In approving the designs of new trolley vehicles I now require such vehicles to be so designed and equipped as to minimise, as far as practicable, interference with the radio broadcast reception, but I have not as yet prescribed any particular method of fulfilling this requirement. I am not in a position to give a list of the towns possessing trolley vehicles which do not conform to this requirement, but the majority of trolley vehicles constructed during the last two years are so equipped.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give any detailed information regarding the 1,500 houses for the working classes which the city council of Birmingham are constructing without subsidy; and whether any other local authorities are adopting a similar policy?

The Birmingham Corporation have been informed that my right hon. Friend is prepared to entertain proposals for the erection of unsubsidised houses to meet the needs of families living in lodgings, and specific proposals relating to 120 unsubsidised houses have been approved. A number of local authorities are building unsubsidised houses where it is not likely that the needs of the district will be met otherwise.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the number of men registered as in the building trades group in 1913–1918 and 1923–1928, and in the last year for which figures are available; and what numbers were registered as carpenters and joiners and as bricklayers in each of those years?

The following table shows the estimated numbers of persons aged 16 years and over in the building industry in Great Britain who were insured under Part II of the National Insurance Act, 1911, in the years 1913 to 1918:End of Insurance

Year.
1913–14	…	…	…	776,400
1914–15	…	…	…	640,500
1915–16	…	…	…	481,600
1916–17	…	…	…	427,800
1917–18	…	…	…	442,300

The figures relate to manual workers only, since non-manual workers were not insurable under the Act of 1911. Statistics are not available as to the numbers of carpenters and joiners, or of bricklayers, included in these totals.The estimated numbers of insured persons in the building industry classification in Great Britain in the years 1923 to 1928 and 1934 were as shown below. The figures for the years 1923 to 1927 relate to insured persons aged 16 years and over, those for 1928 and 1934 to persons aged 16–64.

Year (beginning of July).		All occupations	Carpenters and Joiners.	Brick-layer
1923	…	703,250	109,000	62,600
1924	…	713,530	110,600	63,500
1925	…	745,450	112,050	64,410
1926	…	789,560	123,950	71,270
1927	…	833,940	131,670	74,410
1928	…	802,200	124,220	72,810
1934	…	911,340	134,410	85,360

In view of the extensions in the scope of the unemployment insurance scheme which were effected by the Act of 1920, the figures given for the years 1923–1934 are not comparable with those for the years 1913–1918.