asked the Postmaster-General the gross revenue, expenditure and surplus from the wireless telephone service to ships at sea or land stations for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

The estimated gross revenue and expenditure during the last financial year of the radiotelephone services operated by the British Post Office were £148,000 and £177,000 respectively. The services are in an early stage of development; and the expenditure includes a considerable sum for experimental and development work.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) how many telephone lines there are at present between London and Edinburgh and between London and Glasgow; and whether it is intended substantially to increase this number in the near future;

There are now 24 direct telephone lines between London and Edinburgh and 39 between London and Glasgow. The total number of such lines has been increased from 26 to 63 since October, 1934, with the result that they are now adequate for ordinary purposes, and no further substantial increase in them is contemplated in the near future. The number of calls handled in the London Trunk Exchange on the evening of Wednesday, 8th April, was the greatest handled on any evening since the introduction of the 1s. night call in October, 1934. It was about 50 per cent. above normal and, in these circumstances, some delay was inevitable. In the case of trunk calls to Scotland, it varied from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Steps were taken at Easter, as at all holiday seasons, to make special arrangements for coping with the large increases in traffic which occur at such times.

asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence whether steps are being taken to co-ordinate the defence of the Dominions with that of this country and of the Colonies?

I can assure the hon. Member that very close touch is maintained between His Majesty's Governments in this country and in the Dominions with a view to securing the greatest possible co-ordination of defence.

asked the First Commissioner of Works the amount of accommodation that has been taken in the new block of flats of Lansdowne House, Berkeley Square, by a department of the Admiralty; the period for which it has been taken; and the annual rental?

The actual working space, exclusive of corridors, will be about 32,000 square feet with, in addition, about 3,500 square feet of storage space. About 390 persons will be accommodated. It would be contrary to well-established practice to disclose the terms of the individual lease, but, as was stated in reply to a previous question on the 8th April, the rent to be paid compares favourably with other rents paid for office accommodation in Westminster.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in following the example of the Shipbuilding Employers' Federation to increase wage rates by 2s. a week, the Admiralty will apply the increase to all employés in Admiralty establishments irrespective of grade or trade?

It is not possible to undertake that any increase in wages, which might be given to industrial employés in His Majesty's Dockyards following increases in the outside shipbuilding and engineering industries, would be applied irrespective of grade or trade, as the existing rates of pay of the various grades would obviously have to be considered in relation to those paid to corresponding grades of workpeople in the outside industries.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what further progress has been made with reference to the establishment of a central airport for London?

I regret I cannot at the moment usefully supplement the reply I gave to my hon. and learned Friend on the 19th February. The Maybury Committee, to which I then referred, has now entered upon the final stages of its proceedings.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of meetings that have been held by the committee of inquiry appointed by him to consider ways of electricity distribution costs; whether the report has yet been received; and can he make a statement?

The answer to the first part of the question is 60; to the second, No; and to the third that I am not in a position to make a statement about the report until I have seen and considered it.