asked the Minister of Transport the number of pedestrian crossing schemes outside the Metropolitan area which he has approved at the latest convenient date?

Up to 21st May I have approved 245 schemes for the establishment of pedestrian crossing-places in England and Wales, outside the London traffic area, and 18 in Scotland.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the congestion of traffic at the Bond Street end of Bruton Street owing to a bottle-neck; and will he take steps to remove this, thus creating a wide road through Conduit Street from Berkeley Square to Regent Street?

:The widening of the eastern end of Bruton Street is primarily a matter for the Westminster City Council, and I understand that the whole question of planning in Westminster is being examined at the present time, and that Bruton Street is likely to be considered in this connection.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention as been called to the frequent complaints by cyclists of the anger created by the existence of steel studs on the roads; and hat is the view of his Department on the subject?

:Very few cases' have come to my notice in which it has been alleged that cyclists have skidded on steel tuds, and I have no evidence that steel studs are in themselves source of danger to cyclists or other road users.

asked the Home Secretary on what grounds a certificate for vivisection is issued, in view of the ambiguity of he wording of the licences and the wide powers conferred by various classes of certificates; and what steps if any, are being taken to ensure that licences are not issued to persons merely interested for commercial ends?

Certificates given under the provisos to Section 3 of the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, dispensing with some of the conditions laid down in the earlier part of the Section are given by the scientific authorities named in Section 11 of the Act, and not by the Home Office. A copy of any certificate given must be forwarded to the Secretary of State and does not come into operation until one week after a copy has been so forwarded. The power of the Secretary of State is confined to disallowing or suspending any certificate given under the Act.

asked the Home Secretary which establishments or individuals hold licences for vivisection and do not fall into the category of either public or private companies.

Licences to perform experiments on living animal sunder the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, are in all cases granted to individuals, and not to establishments or public or private companies.

asked the Home Secretary what percentage of licences issued during the last 10 years have been issued to persons who have never been connected with medical practice, and to persons under 30 years of age?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the desirability of granting a gratuity or bonus with the meritorious service medal which is awarded in certain cases to Admiralty industrial civil servants on retirement?

:The Imperial Service Medal is a decoration best owed by His Majesty under the statutes of the Imperial Service Order, a Civil Order of Distinction of which the Sovereign is head, and it would be in appropriate to associate a, monetary grant with it..

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether in view of the present practice of regulating wages in His Majesty's dockyards according to the rates paid in outside establishments, it is proposed to make any increase in the pay of Admiralty industrial employés consequent upon the recent increase of 2s. per week awarded to employés in the ship building and engineering industries?

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to the two increases of 1s. per week each in the war bonus of adult male workers in the engineering industry, which become operative as from 13th May and 15th July. In the event of an application being made for the grant of similar increases to Admiralty industrial employés, the matter would have to be discussed by the appropriate body, namely, the Shipbuilding Trade Joint Council.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many ex-service men are undergoing treatment in Edenhall Hospital, and how many of these are in receipt of treatment allowances?

There were 82 men undergoing treatment in Edenhall Hospital on 20th May. In 63 of these cases the men are in receipt of treatment allowances, or continue to receive remuneration in excess of the treatment allowances which would otherwise be payable, and 15 are receiving allowances at pension rates. Of the remaining four cases, two are at present under consideration.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of ex-service men who are receiving treatment at the expense of his Department, but to whom pensions have been refused by his Department?

I regret that the records of the Ministry do not enable this information to be given.

asked the Minister of Labour the proportion of Disallowed claimants to unemployment benefit who had to apply to the local authority for relief in 1934?

:I regret that statistics giving the information desired are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons in Lancashire, including the county boroughs, on transitional payments, and also the number receiving less than the rate of standard benefits.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 20thMay, 1935, col. 9, Vol. 302], supplied the following statement:At 15th April, 1935, there were 121,438 insured persons on the registers of employment exchanges in Lancashire, including the county boroughs, with applications authorised for unemployment allowances.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information to give the House regarding the molestation by Nazi youths of the British Vice-Consul in Munich?

Yes, Sir. On19th May Mr. Phillips, the British Vice-Consul in Munich, was ordered by a German civilian to remove from his coat lapel an emblem he had bought from a street collector for a Roman Catholic charity. Mr. Phillips appealed to a, member of the Reichswehr to fetch the police, who invited both parties to visit the police station for the investigation of the matter. After his arrival at the police station, Mr. Phillips produced his identity card. The inspector in charge expressed his regret at the incident, and required the individual who had interfered with Mr. Phillips to tender an unreserved apology.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that during the year 1934 the total sales of Selvyt polishing cloths, manufactured by a Manchester firm, exported to the United States of America, were invoiced at £534, while the duties imposed by the American Government on those values amounted to 2473; and whether he will make representations to the American authorities to obviate this?

:The figures in the question agree with those which have been sent to me by the manufacturers concerned. The cloths in question are dutiable on importation to the United States of America as articles manufactured from plain backed velveteen at the rate of 62½ per cent. ad valorem plus 10 cents for every pound of long staple cotton and a. tax varying from 6 cents to 10 cents per dozen imposed under the Agricultural Adjustment Act. The duty is levied, not on the invoice value of the goods buton the value of the goods as assessed by the United States appraiser after investigation of the books of the exporting firm. It is open to the manufacturers or their agents to appeal to the United States Customs Court for reappraisement. All possible steps have been taken to assist the manufacturers of these cloths, both by the Board of Trade and His Majesty's representatives in the United States of America, and my right hon. Friend does not consider that in present circumstances representations on this point would lead to any useful result.