asked the Minister of Labour the total number of applicants to the Unemployment Assistance Board who have not received any money payment because they have found full-time employment before the decision of the statutory authorities in respect of their applications had been received by the officers of the Unemployment Assistance Board?

I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider issuing an instruction permitting a determination to be made by the Unemployment Assistance Board to an applicant who has found work but has not received an allowance for the period he was unemployed owing to delay in submitting his application to the area officer of the Board?

The conditions under which a determination granting an allowance may be made are as laid down in the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1934, and I have no power to issue instructions purporting to modify these conditions.

Is the Minister aware that, under these conditions as they are working now a great number of men suffer?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that in miners' households where unemployment assistance is being received the amount of such assistance is being reduced in consequence of the increase in wages recently secured by the miners; whether this is being done on instructions from the board; and whether this policy of taking advantage of an increase in wages will be reconsidered?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Mansfield (Mr. C. Brown) on 20th February.

Is the Minister aware that the one shilling increase in wages which has been awarded to the miners is now being used, under the regulations, in order to relieve the Exchequer of part of the money which they ought to provide?

I have received representations on this matter from certain Members representing mining constituencies, and they are putting some points before me which I have promised to convey to the board?

What is the use of an increase in the miners' wages, if the household means of the miners are to be reduced in this way by the decision of the board?

The hon. Member must know quite well, that the whole question arises on the determination of means.

Is it the case that every miner who received increased wages is in a house where unemployment assistance is being received?

Is the Minister aware that, already, many parents have told their sons that they can leave home because of the deductions from the unemployment assistance grants, and that many have left home since they have had this increase in wages?

Is the right hon. Gentleman prepared to rectify this evil and injustice?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider the advisability of constituting Wales as a separate region of the Unemployment. Assistance Board?

The board's organisation provides for a regional officer for Wales with an office at Cardiff. It has been found convenient and economical, however, to extend his jurisdiction to cover certain adjoining English districts.

asked the Minister of Labour whether any special instructions have been issued to area officials of the Unemployment Assistance Board; and, if so, whether copies of such instructions can be supplied for the information of this House?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give particulars of the circulars and instructions issued by the Unemployment Assistance Board to the local area officers; and whether he proposes to make all these available to persons who desire them?

I would refer the hon. Members to the reply given to the hon. Member for Abertillery (Mr. Daggar) on l0th December last. I am still in communication with the board on the subject.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that an examination by the school medical officers reveals that 57 per cent. of the trainees at four junior instruction centres in the County of Glamorgan are suffering from malnutrition; and whether he will take steps to empower the local authorities responsible for these centres to supply meals as well as milk to trainees in attendance?

Local education authorities have no power to provide ordinary meals in junior instruction centres. Free milk is, however, being provided in the Glamorgan centres, and I am informed that the school medical officer expressed the view that since any food given at the junior instruction centres can only be a casual and temporary addition to the diet of the pupils, the milk available is more useful than any other food which could be suggested in the circumstances. I am, however, making inquiries into the adequacy of the existing arrangements.

When the right hon. Gentleman replied to a similar question in December he said that he was then considering the matter. May I put it to him that it is a matter which brooks no delay; that 57 per cent. of the boys and girls at four junior instruction centres have been found to be suffering from malnutrition, and that even one or two meals in a week would be of considerable assistance to them?

The question which was put in December was not in this precise form but with the information given by the hon. Member I will make inquiries.

asked the Minister of Labour whether service pensions are taken into calculation in assessing the allowances due to unemployed persons under the application of the means test; and, if so, whether he will take steps to put an end to this violation of the undertaking given to the House of Commons by his predecessor, and to rectify this imposition upon any ex-service men?

As a general rule service pensions are treated as part of an applicant's resources which are available to meet his needs, and I am not aware of any undertaking having been given that they should not be so treated. Section 38 (3) of the Unemployment Assistance Act, 1934, provides that the first.£1 a week of wounds or disability pensions, as defined in Section 54 of the Act, shall be disregarded.

Will the Minister consider whether service pensions apart from disability pensions ought to be taken into consideration in this connection; and furthermore does this not seem a poor return from a grateful country to men who have served it?

Is the Minister aware that there was considerable confusion on this question of service pensions when the matter was originally discussed; that great hardship is caused by the inclusion of these pensions in the household means; and, in issuing new regulations, will he take this matter into consideration and see whether something can be done?

The hon. Member knows that this question was very fully discussed and was decided by the House, but I will bear in mind what he says.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will make a statement on the age distribution of the unemployed registered at the Sunderland, Pallion, and Southwick-on-Wear employment exchange and the Sunderland

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has now considered the possibility of including in the future returns relating to the number of unemployed persons, the number of aliens included in such return, and the number of aliens in receipt of unemployment benefit?

Yes, Sir. The employment exchanges do not at present possess this information, and it would be a matter of great difficulty and considerable expense to obtain it.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the amount of unemployment in the Darling-

As the reply includes a number of figures, I will, if I may, circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I am aware of the difficulties resulting from the closing of the Linthorpe-Dinsdale smelting works, but the industrial situation in the neighbourhood of Darlington as a whole has improved materially in the last 12 months and the percentage of unemployment is now little worse than in the country as a whole. It would not be practicable to deal with Middleton St. George and the adjoining parishes in the manner suggested, and I would refer to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Westhoughton on the 12th December, 1935, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Minister of Labour how many men were medically examined before transfer from White-haven to the Kent coal mines during the three months ended 31st January, 1936; how many men were rejected as unfit; how many men were rejected as unfit on arrival at the Kent coal mines; the cost involved in transferring these men; and why all men cannot be medically examined before transfer?

Men are not medically examined before transfer to the Kent coal mines, but every care is taken to select men who are physically fit. The hon. Member will appreciate that medical examination before transfer would not guarantee that the men would pass the medical examination at the colliery. Two of the 35 men transferred from White-haven during the three months ended 30th January, whom I assume the hon. Member has in mind, failed to pass the colliery doctor; the cost to the Department of their transfer was £9 13s. 6d.

Are we to understand that when the men get to the Kent coalfield, they are medically examined?

Certainly.

In view of the fact that there are special circumstances attached to this mine, would it not be better for a standard examination to be set for these men before they are asked to go to the Kent coalfield, in view of a previous question to which the Minister has replied?

The hon. Member was good enough to communicate with me about this, and as a result I have gone into the matter. He will see that out of 35 men, 33 passed the examination at the colliery. I cannot see, therefore, what advantage it would be if the test were made before the men left home when they would have to meet another test at the colliery.

Is it a rule of the Government now to have men examined for a, job?

It has nothing to do with the Government at all.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of applications for unemployment insurance benefit dealt with by the court of referees at Castle-ford and Pontefract, respectively, during 1935; the number allowed and disallowed; and the number disallowed on the ground that they were engaged in a trade dispute?

am having the figures extracted, and will circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as they are available.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of cases in which additional allowance has been granted under the discretionary Clause in the Unemployment Assistance Regulations in the area covered by the Pontefract area office during 1935, and the approximate cost?

I am inquiring of the Unemployment Assistance Board whether this information is available.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed mine-workers registered as such; and whether the Government have any plan for their absorption into employment?

The numbers of insured persons aged 16–64 in the coal-mining industry classification recorded as unemployed in Great Britain at 20th January, 1936, the latest date for which figures are available, were 164,967 wholly unemployed and 18,181 temporarily stopped. The policy of the Government has throughout been directed to the only effectual means of reducing unemployment, that is, by assisting in every possible way the recovery of trade and industry in this country The measure of success which has attended this policy is shown by the fact that the numbers of insured persons in employment in all industries increased between January, 1933, and January, 1936, by 1,084,000.

Is not the hon. Gentleman aware that in addition to the registered unemployed in the coal industry, there is a vast number of other persons unemployed, and have the Government no plans for their absorption into employment at an early date?

A number of the million are those who were previously registered as miners.

Do we understand that the Government have no plans in contemplation beyond what has already been done?

We cannot debate that now, and I cannot be responsible for what the bon. Gentleman understands.

Has the hon. Gentleman any information with regard to the new proposals for the coal industry mentioned by the Lord President?

Perhaps the hon. Member will put that question down.

Can the Minister say how many of these men have lost their work owing to the operation of the Coal Mines Act, 1930?

Not now.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has received a report from the Unemployment Insurance Statutory Committee on the state of the finance of the Unemployment Fund; and whether he can make a statement on the Government's intentions in the matter?

Yes, Sir. The Unemployment Insurance Statutory Committee have reported that the Unemployment Fund is, and is likely to continue to be, more than reasonably sufficient to discharge its liabilities and that the fund has a disposable surplus of something under, but approaching, £6,500,000 a year. The Committee recommend by a majority that in the case of persons aged 18 and over the weekly rates of unemployment insurance contributions by employers and workers shall be reduced by 1d. Two members of the Committee append notes of dissent making other recommendations for the disposal of the surplus. The Government have decided to adopt the recommendation made by the majority of the Committee. A draft Order for the purpose, to operate from July next, will be laid before both Houses of Parliament in due course.

Would it not be in the best interests of the unemployed persons and of the country as a whole if, instead of reducing contributions by 1d. per person, the Government were to increase the benefits?

I hope that the report of the Committee will be in the Vote Office at 6 o'clock, and I suggest that Members should read the report before discussing these questions.

Has the Minister considered the recommendations of the Minority Report in the light of the great need in the country for more purchasing power among the working class?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is prepared to' promote a short Bill to amend the Special Areas Improvement Development Act, 1934, to give the Commissioner power to make grants for housing direct to the local authority instead of the roundabout means of giving the same Exchequer moneys to housing indirectly, via the housing association?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour in whom the houses built with assistance from the Minister by the North Eastern Housing Association, Limited, will be vested when the capital from which such houses are built has been repaid?

The houses will eventually vest in the Association.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is the intention of the Government at the 1936 Geneva International Labour Conference to support the 1935 convention of a 40-hour week?

The attitude of His Majesty's Government towards the 40-hour week Convention, 1935, has been indicated in the replies which have been sent to questionnaires issued by the International Labour Office on the subject of the reduction of hours of work in certain industries. The questionnaires and replies are long and I propose to circulate them in the form of a White Paper.

When sending a delegate to Geneva in July will the Government give him instructions to support a 40-hour week?

Will the right hon. Gentleman himself represent the Government on this matter?

There is another question on that point.

Do the Government propose, in connection with the 40-hour week, to do what has already been done in connection with the seven and a quarter hours convention—that is nothing?

The hon. Member had better await the White Paper.

Would the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to tell the House "yes" or "no," whether the Government intend to support the Convention?

With regard to this question it is not possible to give an answer "yes" or "no" without going into a long series of propositions and that is why I propose to inform Members of the House at length on the whole position by means of a White Paper.

Is it not the case that the Minister is sitting on the fence?

When are we likely to get the White Paper?

Very soon.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has been able to assist the International Labour Office to obtain the advice of textile experts in this country on the application of the 40-hour week to that industry; whether the National Confederation of Employers' Organisations and the General Council of the Trades Union Congress have been consulted with regard to the matters in question; and what has been their response?

In view of the decision of the governing body of the International Labour Organisation to place the subject of the reduction of hours in the textile industries on the agenda of the International Labour Conference in June next with a view to endeavouring to adopt a draft, convention by a single discussion, the director obtained authority to consult experts in those industries on the technical questions involved. He indicated that he wished to consult primarily persons belonging to the employers' and workers' organisations. The International Labour Office has, therefore, been in direct touch with employers' organisations and trade unions in these industries and members of the staff have both visited mills and consulted textile representatives. The director also asked that a Government expert should be nominated. It has not been found practicable, however, to nominate a Government representative properly qualified to give expert technical advice in all these branches of industry. In due course a report will be issued by the International Labour Office in preparation for the Conference and, in accordance with the normal practice, I shall consult the National Confederation of Employers' Organisations and the Trades Union Congress General Council with regard to the matters dealt with therein.

Is it a fact that the employers have adopted a policy of complete non-co-operation in regard to this matter?

I have told the hon. Member that the director has been in touch with the textile industries of various countries. I have no knowledge of the material obtained or to the extent to which expert advice has been given or sought in the various countries.

Can the Minister state more specifically why the Government have refused to nominate an expert of their own?

If the hon. Member will consider in fact that one expert would be asked to cover all these various industries—cotton, wool, silk, flax, hemp, jute and hosiery—he will understand me when I say that, in regard to the demand for the appointment of such an expert I felt rather like the man who saw a giraffe for the first time and said, "There ain't no such creature."

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will attend the 1936 International Labour Conference?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of people killed or injured to date by motor cars driven by any police officials while on duty or in uniform, and the amount of compensation paid or grants made to the next-of-kin of the person so flied and/or to the injured person?

During the past 10 years 16 persons have been killed as a result of accidents in which the car or one of the cars involved was a Metropolitan Police vehicle. Compensation amounting to £2,731 was paid in seven of these cases. As regards the others, in eight cases no question of police liability arose, though in three of them small compassionate payments were made, amounting to £70; the remaining case is still under negotiation. The number of persons injured in similar accidents during 1935 was 110. Compensation amounting to £1,807 has been paid in respect of 41 claims; 12 are still under negotiation, and in the remaining 57 cases no question of police liability arose or no claim was made. Corresponding information for provincial police forces is not available.

Have these payments been made in the nature of ex-gratia payments?

I explained on a previous occasion that in cases where there is negligence on the part of the driver there is nothing to prevent legal proceedings being taken.

Has a claimant an appeal to the right hon. Gentleman in any way?

If he has the right of action he has no reason to appeal to anybody. If there is a dispute it will be sent to the judge; if there is no dispute it will be paid.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will consider introducing further legislation to ensure prompter and easier certification of cases of silicosis in the mining and quarrying industry, and to ensure that compensation and measures for the recovery of the victims may be made more certain?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Hopkin) on the 13th of this month. If the hon. Member will be good enough to send me a statement showing where and how it is suggested that the medical arrangements and the procedure under the silicosis schemes could be improved, I shall be happy to consider it.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that both the law and the regulations operate very harshly towards these poor fellows?

It is a very complicated subject, as the hon. Member knows, but I have the fullest sympathy with those who want to have the whole situation cleared up and made as simple as possible.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the statement contained in Air Raid Precautions, Handbook No. 2, that respirators alone are insufficient to give adequate protection against vesicants, such as mustard gas and lewisite, and complete suits of oilskins are advocated for combating these gases, it is proposed to issue such suits to the civilian population at the public expense?

The handbook referred to is intended for the guidance of members of first-aid parties and others, whose duties might make it necessary for them to work in places where vesicants may be present in considerable quantities. The Government will provide protective clothing for these Services. One of the Government's recommendations to the civil population will be to remain indoors in a gasproofed room. The object of this is to protect them from vesicants in liquid form and so do away with the need for protective clothing.

Will the hon. Gentleman be good enough to ask the Government to put a question down to the League of Nations to abolish air-bombing so as to put an end to all this trouble?

Who is expected to provide gas-proof rooms in houses?

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that Wing-Commander E. J. Hodsoll, a Home Office official, stated publicly on 23rd October, 1935, that the gas mask for the protection of the civilian population now being developed under his direction will only give immunity from poison gas for 15 minutes; whether this type of gas mask includes cardboard and string in its construction; and whether he is satisfied that this mask will afford genuine protection against possible gas attacks and not merely an illusion of protection?

The gas mask referred to will give protection for at least 15 minutes against the highest concentrations of gas ever likely to be encountered. Against such concentrations as civilians might normally experience in time of war, this respirator will last several hours. No string will be used in the construction of the respirator and I can assure the hon. Member that the materials will be amply robust for the purpose required. I am satisfied that the respirator will give genuine and adequate protection. The Government would not be responsible for any respirator which, in their opinion, did not fulfil this condition.

How much are these gas masks to cost, and will the entire working class have an opportunity of securing them free?

I would like to see that question on the Paper.

asked the Home Secretary whether it is in accordance with prison regulations that permission to a prisoner to attend a concert in the prison is made contingent upon his attending church service; and, if this is not the case, will he make it clear to those concerned that no such bar to a prisoner's attendance at a concert should be permitted?

In no prison is permission to attend a prison concert made contingent on attendance at church service. If the hon. Member has it in mind that sometimes a sacred concert is held on Sunday afternoon in conjunction with a church service, it is in such a case impracticable to separate attendance at the concert from attendance at the service.

If I furnish the right hon. Gentleman with evidence in my possession that the practice referred to in the first part of the question does obtain, will he consider the desirability of making it clear that it should not?

I am quite clear that there has been no condition of that sort attached. I have made inquiries, but if the hon. Member has an incident in mind I shall be glad if he will let me have it.

Will it be possible for the right hon. Gentleman to make arrangements for the hon. Gentleman to go to a service?

Will my right hon. Friend say whether ample facilities are afforded prisoners to attend church?

There is every facility, of course, but I should never agree to making this a condition.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has made inquiry into the case of Frederick Minall, aged 22, who hanged himself in Lewes Prison shortly before Christmas, 1935, following punishment; whether he was aware that Minall had always shown signs of mental instability; whether any investigation of his mental condition was made before he was committed to prison; and whether be will consider implementing the report of the Departmental Committee on persistent offenders and providing adequate facilities for dealing with offenders in non-penal establishments?

Between December, 1929, and June, 1932, Minall was in a Borstal Institution, and his intelligence and mental condition were then regarded as "fair." His conduct while on licence was satisfactory and did not suggest mental instability. He was in Brixton Prison awaiting trial from 28th October to 25th November, 1935, and showed no signs during this period of any mental abnormality; nor did he show any such signs after his sentence. Whether, if there had been some special establishment for persistent offenders, Minall would have been sent to such an establishment rather than to prison seems doubtful, but in any event there is nothing in the circumstances of this case to suggest that his suicide can be attributed to his being detained in a prison rather than in such a special establishment.

Will the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to reply to the last part of my question, as to carrying out the recommendation in the Departmental Committee's report?

The question of preparing legislation to give effect to the recommendations of the Departmental Committee will be considered as soon as the pressure of business permits.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that Frederick McKillop, aged 17, hanged himself in Strangeways Prison, Manchester, on 7th November, 1935, while on remand for failing to return to a Home Office school after a holiday; that he had been questioned at Albert Street Police station, Manchester, and asked to sign an admission of thefts; that he attempted to commit suicide by swallowing coins shortly after his arrest; whether he is satisfied that reasonable consideration was shown for the condition of the boy before he was remanded to Strangeways Prison; and whether he will take steps to establish observation centres for the more humane treatment of cases of this kind in accordance with the unanimous recommendation of the Departmental Committee on young offenders nine years ago?

I have made full inquiries about this sad case. The youth was arrested on 26th October as an absconder from an approved school. In view of his previous conduct the school authorities thought it right that, instead of being brought back to the school, he should be charged before a court. While in police custody he swallowed some coins or discs, but there is no foundation for the suggestion that he was questioned by the police about thefts or asked to sign any admission of thefts. He was treated with proper consideration by the police and was taken to the local hospital for treatment. He was discharged from the hospital on 4th November, his condition being then normal, and taken before the court. The court remanded him to Manchester Prison for a report on his suitability for a Borstal sentence. In the prison he was kept under medical observation, and there are no grounds at all for thinking that his action was in any way attributable to the conditions under which he was detained. In whatever type of institution this youth had been detained it would have been necessary, in view of his history, to subject him to custodial conditions.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Louis Henry Gardiner, aged 58, who died in Wandsworth Prison on 11th January of Bright's disease, having been committed on 2nd December under a three-months' sentence for loitering with intent to commit a felony; and whether, in view of the prisoner's condition at the time of his sentence, he will take steps to impress upon the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police the importance of a humane exercise of discretion and of regard to the present condition as well as to the past criminal record of the persons suspected, when making arrests for loitering with intent, when no crime has actually been committed?

The man in question was arrested on 24th November and had been remanded to prison for a week before he was convicted and sentenced. His arrest was not in any way due to his past record, which was entirely unknown to the officer who arrested him, and while he was in police custody he did not complain of illness nor did he appear to be in need of medical attention. Police instructions already provide for the medical examination and treatment of any person who seems to be suffering from illness when he is brought to a police station, but it is obviously impracticable to pro- vide for medical examination before arrest.

asked the Home Secretary the number of young persons between the ages of 14 and 18, and the number between the ages of 18 and 25, arrested and tried for criminal offences during 1935; and what proportion of these young persons were unemployed at the time the offences were committed?

I regret that I cannot give this information. Figures are published in the annual volume of Criminal Statistics showing the number of offenders in the age groups 14 to 16, 16 to 21, and 21 to 30, but there are no figures showing how many were unemployed at the time the offences were committed. I am sending the hon. Member the figures in the Criminal Statistics for 1934—which are the latest figures available.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the stag-hunting incident at North Petherton, Somerset, on 21st February; and whether he is prepared to consider introducing legislation to make illegal such cruelty?

My attention had not previously been called to this incident, but if the hon. Member will be good enough to forward to me any information in his possession I will consider it.

asked the Home Secretary whether the tripods with blinking lights forbidding traffic temporarily in one direction in some roads in the Metropolis are placed in position after consultation with the Minister of Transport and, if not, on what grounds; whether these obstructions are, in future, to replace the methods of the Orders hitherto laid upon the. Table; and under what statutory power these obstructions are being used?

Flashing signs, permitting the display of certain words, have been specifically authorised by the Minister of Transport under Section 48 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, for use in the Metropolitan Police District, and authority is being sought for the use of such signs displaying other words. The Commissioner of Police is empowered by Section 52 of the Metropolitan Police Act, 1839, to give directions to constables for keeping order and for preventing any obstruction in the thoroughfares in any case where the streets may be thronged or liable to be obstructed. In order to give effect to these directions, constables are normally posted at the points concerned, but where the arrangements are likely to last for more than a few days, as many constables as possible are withdrawn in order to save manpower, and flashing signs are exhibited for the purpose of giving the necessary directions. These temporary arrangements are not intended to take the place of Regulations made by the Minister of Transport under the London Traffic Act, 1924.

When the obstruction has been there for two or three days can we, according to the right hon. Gentleman's answer, ignore it?

No, Sir. I do not say that.

Has the right hon. Gentleman's attention been drawn to the fact that these blinking lights are used, sometimes, for the purpose of prohibiting traffic and sometimes merely to draw attention to the surrounding circumstances, and that therefore their use is not uniform?

I should like to have an illustration of what the hon. Gentleman has in mind.

asked the Home Secretary to what extent it is the practice for the police to conduct prosecutions in courts of summary jurisdiction; and whether he can give the figures for the last completed year as between police and solicitors.

It is the usual practice for a police officer, as informant, to conduct the prosecution before a court of summary jurisdiction in cases which are not likely to present special difficulty, but I have no information which would enable me to say how such cases compare in number with those in which the prosecution is professionally represented.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that closing time in Kensington is now 10 p.m. and at Knightsbridge 11 p.m., in Hammersmith 10 p.m. and in Chiswick 10.30 p.m., at Lambeth 10 p.m. and at Westminster 11 p.m., at Notting Hill Gate 10 p.m., at Paddington 10.30 p.m. and at Marble Arch 11 p.m.; that it is possible for a man with a bicycle to take part in the closing ceremonies in three different licensing divisions on the same evening; whether this state of affairs has the approval of the Government; and, if not, will they introduce a measure to correct it?

The differences in closing time referred to by my hon. Friend are due to the principle laid down by Parliament that in view of differing circumstances in different parts of the country, licensing justices should have a certain discretion in fixing permitted hours. Unless there is to be a fixed hour of closing over the whole country, provincial as well as metropolitan and rural as well as urban, a boundary line must exist somewhere, and I have no reason to think that a proposal to carry uniformity to this length would be generally approved.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that these variations are a principal cause of drunkenness or of excessive drinking, and is it not time the Government paid serious attention to this very important matter?

We certainly pay attention to it, but the hon. Member will see that it is mathematically correct to say that if you have different rules in different places there must be a point at which the rules meet.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say in how many closing ceremonies a man with a motor car can take part?

Have there been many cases of people being had up for being drunk in charge of a bicycle?

Can the right hon. Gentleman indicate the differences in local conditions between the districts specified in this question?

Under the existing law that is a matter for the licensing justices to consider.

Would it not be the case that the speed of the cyclist would he a decreasing one the further he went?

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the methods of annoyance and persecution employed by Fascist organisations towards Jewish shopkeepers in the borough of Bethnal Green; and whether he will instruct the police to take any preventive steps?

Yes, Sir. This matter is engaging my close attention in consultation with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. While this class of offence may be difficult to detect and to bring home to offenders, it is intolerable that any section of the population should be subjected to these methods, and the hon. Member may be assured that the police will take every possible step to put a stop to them in this country.

May I take it that the reply applies not merely to Bethnal Green but to the whole of London, and to Hackney in particular?

It is a general principle.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the Governor of Cardiff Prison has circulated to the parents of certain persons a lengthy questionnaire inquiring into the antecedents of the latter now committed for trial in connection with the Taff Merthyr Colliery dispute; that the questionnaire does not contain the appropriate caution that any information given may be used against the accused; and will he take immediate steps to prevent the continuance of this practice which assumes in anticipation the guilt and conviction of the accused, and which causes added pain and anxiety to the persons involved and their families?

I have already been considering this matter, and intend that in the future letters of inquiry of this kind sent out by the prison authorities shall contain a fuller explanation of their purpose, so as to avoid any possibility of such misunderstandings as have arisen in this case. The object of these inquiries is to enable the prison authorities to carry out their statutory duties of preparing reports for the use of the court as to the suitability of defendants for Borstal treatment. The information obtained is made use of only in the event of the defendant being convicted and in the event of acquittal is treated as entirely confidential. The parents are under no obligation to answer such inquiries.

Does the right hon. Gentleman approve of the type of question put to the parents of young persons awaiting trial, particularly a question of this kind: "Are you prepared to give him (or her) a home and supervision when he (or she) is again at liberty?"? That definitely assumes the guilt and conviction of persons who have not yet been tried.

I am much obliged to the hon. Member for giving me that example. It is not intended that there should be any such assumption, but in the interests of the young person himself it is very important that the court should know, at the time it has to decide, what can be done with the co-operation of the parents at home as distinct from having to send the young person to an institution. It is really an effort by the prison authorities to collect information on which the court can act; but I quite agree that there should he no use of a phrase which seems to imply the guilt of the young person.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will consider affording means in our educational system for an improvement in the teaching of modern languages, so that our trades will have their staffs better trained to undertake, salesmanship abroad?

My Department is constantly occupied in considering means of improving the teaching of all subjects of the curriculum, including modern languages, and with this end in view they are in frequent consultation with representatives of industry and commerce in order to ascertain their needs. I do not doubt that the importance of modern languages, both as a cultural subject, and regarded from the point of view of salesmanship abroad, is fully appreciated by local education authorities and governing bodies.

Does the Minister agree that there is need for improvement in the system of teaching languages?

In view of the present state of world affairs, will the Minister consider teaching Russian in the schools?

Is it not a fact that foreign broadcasting stations provide ample opportunity for the learning of modern languages?

asked the President of the Board of Education in how many places the local education authorities have undertaken to grant pensions to supplementary teachers; what is the weekly amount of such pensions; and whether in any places, the supplementary teachers pay any contributions towards the expense of such pensions?

I have no information enabling me to give my useful figures on this matter, but I understand that a number of local authorities have admitted supplementary teachers to the benefits of pension schemes conducted by them, whether under the Local Government and Other Officers' Superannuation Act, 1922, or local Acts. In general, the rate of pension in these cases would not be fixed, but would vary with amount of service, final salaries and possibly other factors; contributions would be payable by the teachers.

Is this a matter entirely for the local education authorities, or have the Minister and his Department power to advise the granting of such a pension?

It is a matter entirely for the local authorities.

If a local authority has had a member of its permanent staff transferred for any reason to the supplementary list, can the authority escape its superannuation obligations?

Perhaps the hon. Member will put that question on the Paper.

asked the President of the Board of Education which of the British Dominions the system of education in the public schools does not provide for religious instruction?

The information available on this subject is not easily summarised within the limits of a Parliamentary Question and Answer, and I am therefore sending the hon. Member a note containing such particulars as I have been able to collect.

Has the right hon. Gentleman any information to show whether in New Zealand, which is a Dominion where no religious instruction is given in the schools, the morals are inferior to those of other Dominions?

The information which I have as to the education and the morals of New Zealand will be found in the letter.

Does the answer of the right hon. Gentleman cover the situation in the Province of Quebec?

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware of the inadequate school accommodation at Halton, in the city of Leeds; that the present school is old and unsuitable for the children; that all children over 11 years of age have to go long distances in tramcars or omnibuses to school; that in a Bill promoted by the Leeds Corporation in 1928 a Clause was inserted that a school may be provided within five years at Halton and that, to-day, agitation exists and petitions are being signed by the parents for a new school; and what action the board will take to ensure adequate and healthy accommodation for the education of the children in this area?

I am aware that the premises of the Halton council school are old, but I have no reason to think that they are inadequate for the numbers attending, unsuitable or unhealthy. I am informed that the local education authority will be prepared to provide new accommodation when circumstances justify it, but that they do not regard it as needed at the present time.

Is the right hon. Gentleman willing to see me on the matter?

Yes, certainly.

asked the President of the Board of Education what attitude he is adopting towards the proposal of the governors of the Doncaster Grammar School to throw the planning of the proposed new school open to competition?

In the first instance, the Board expressed some doubt as to the wisdom of throwing open the plans to competition. The question has, however, since been discussed between representatives of my Department and of the local education authority; and I do not wish to interfere with the authority's discretion, if they are satisfied that this course is calculated to result in the production of a thoroughly efficient design for the new buildings.

When is this new school likely to be completed, in view of the deplorable conditions that prevail in the existing school?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in a good many parts of Doncaster the authorities are getting anxious about the delay in providing ample school accommodation, and will the right hon. Gentleman do his best to expedite the matter?

I can certainly give that assurance. We are very anxious to get it done as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many pupils attend the Doncaster Grammar School?

On 1st October last, the latest date for which figures are available, the number of pupils was 582.

asked the President of the Board of Education on how many occasions during recent years the pupils attending the Doncaster Grammar School have been sent home owing to intense cold?

I have no information on the subject; but I am causing inquiries to be made, and will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will consider the simplification of the present grant formula for grants to local education authorities for primary, secondary, and technical education; whether he will substitute some other form of calculation for that part of the formula which reduces the grant by the amount of a 7d. rate; and is he aware that the operation of this formula places local education committees in a difficult position when making their yearly estimates?

I understand the hon. Member's question to refer to the grant formula for elementary education as the grant on secondary and technical education is at a flat rate of 50 per cent. I have had the question of revising the formula for elementary education before me, but I have come to the conclusion that it would be desirable to gain some experience of the working of the Government's proposals for educational reform before considering whether any change in the grant formula should be made.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that in consequence of the enormous fall in the number of the child population, particularly of the distressed areas, this formula is affecting the education rate, for example in places like Glamorgan and Monmouth?

It is rather a difficult question. As the hon. Member knows, the depressed areas are assisted over and above the ordinary educational grant.

Our education rate has increased by Is. 6d. in the £ this year, owing to the fall in population.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to the rising prices of shares of firms that may benefit from rearmament; and whether he will reassure public opinion by indicating what principles govern the policy of the Departments concerned in placing orders for arms, aircraft, and equipment to ensure that manufacturers' profits are strictly limited?

I would refer my hon. Friend to what I said on Monday last in replying to a question addressed to me by the hon. Member for the Central Division of Bradford (Mr. Leach).

Can the Prime Minister assure the House that competent firms will be given an opportunity of tendering for orders.

I believe so. Perhaps my hon. Friend will put a detailed question like that on the Paper.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government, simultaneously with its other preparations to meet the possible contingency of another war, will arrange for the preparation of a scheme, through the appropriate Department, to prevent profiteering in national necessities, and will have such a scheme drawn up in a form which will make it capable of immediate application?

If the hon. Member is referring to armaments, I can add nothing to the statements which have already been made to the House. The question of prices and profits in relation to other commodities in the event of a national emergency concerns many Departments, and the nature of the steps to be taken must depend upon the circumstances of the particular emergency. Arrangements are in hand to meet the contingency if it were to occur.

asked the Prime Minister, in view of his pledge to make the British Air Force equal in strength to that of any other country within striking distance of our shores, which great Powers he includes in that category at the present moment?

I cannot amplify the statements already made on behalf of His Majesty's Government.

Why does the formula, not include "within striking distance of the British Empire"?

Does the right hon. Gentleman not consider that unless we can be told the countries upon which the Government are basing their calculations, it is difficult for the House to form a just appreciation of the expansion programme?

The matters comprised in this question have been very fully debated in the House, and certainly will be debated again. I think assurances have been given which will convey satisfaction to my hon. Friend. It is a little difficult to make statements of a very definite nature Lo the House on a matter of this kind. The standard was laid down for this country, and it is for this country that the Government are primarily responsible. My hon. Friend the Member for West Islington (Mr. Montague), whom I do not think we had the pleasure of seeing in the last House, may remember that there were

asked the Minister of Health the number of the deaths attributable to chloroform poisoning for the years 1933, 1934 and 1935?

As the answer involves a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the House any information as to the number of fatalities in maternity cases?

Is there not to be an Empire policy for defence?

asked the Minister of Health how many of the deaths associated with vaccination on certificates of deaths in the years 1933, 1934 and 1935, respectively, were or will be classified by the Registrar-General to vaccinia; and how many deaths under five and over five years of age, respectively, were or will be classified as chicken-pox and erysipelas during the years in question?

As the answer involves a tabular statement, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate the figures, so far as they are available, in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I would prefer that the hon. Gentleman should look at the figures. If he wants any further information, perhaps he will put down another question.

Following is the answer:

In 1933, 10 deaths from chloroform poisoning (five suicides and five accidental deaths) were registered in England and Wales, of which four were attributable to chloroform alone and six to liniment (aconite, belladonna and chloroform). The corresponding figures for 1934 were four deaths (three suicides and one homicide), of which two were attributable to chloroform alone, one to chloroform and iodine, and one to liniment. The figures for 1935 are not as yet available.

asked the Minister of Health the number of persons in the parish of Pinxton, Derbyshire, who were affected with scarlet fever during the months of November and December, 1935, and January, 1936; whether he is aware that complaints have been made regarding the unsatisfactory sanitary arrangements in this parish; and whether he is assured that such sanitary arrangements have no connection with this outbreak?

The number of persons affected with scarlet fever during the time mentioned was, as I am informed by the local authority, 25. According to the report by the medical officer of health, no evidence has been found that the sanitary conditions contributed to the outbreak in question. I am informed, however, that the sanitary conditions at Pinxton are not regarded as satisfactory, and that the rural district council have under consideration a scheme for the reorganisation of the sewage disposal works of the parish.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a burning pit-tip at the Harworth colliery, in the Bassetlaw division of Nottinghamshire, is causing a nuisance and is injurious to the health of the residents in the near vicinity; and whether he will take steps to have the nuisance abated?