asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has received any recent report as to the condition of the Income Tax office at Louth; whether the steps being taken to re-house the staff are being expedited; and what arrangements are being made to improve the working conditions?

I am informed that a rehousing scheme has now been prepared and every effort will be made to expedite the work. Meanwhile, I am afraid that no steps are practicable to improve the conditions of the existing premises.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the number of promotions from the "S" to the clerical class during the year ended 31st March, 1936?

The exact number of promotions from the "S" Class to the general and departmental clerical classes during the year ended 31st March, 1936, will not be known until certain statistics which are collected annually have been tabulated. From such information as is available, however, it appears that the number of such promotions during the year in question was in the neighbourhood of 1,300.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any satisfactory reply has yet been received from the Italian Government on the subject of the bombing of the British Red Cross unit in Abyssinia; and whether any compensation is to be demanded in this connection?

As regards the first part of the question, the Italian Government have not yet returned a reply to the note addressed to them by His Majesty's Ambassador in Rome on 10th April, which was included in the White Paper Cmd. 5160. As regards the second part, I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement contained in the final paragraph of that note.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of petroleum and petroleum products were exported from the United States of America to Italy and Italian dependencies in the separate months of January and February, 1936?

The following table shows, according to United States official statistics, the quantities of crude petroleum and petroleum products exported from the United States of America to Italy and Italian Africa during January and February, 1936.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what notices are reuared and what are the dates when the various Dominion and foreign agreements relating to the import of agricultural products can be terminated?

The following is a list of Dominions and foreign countries with which agreements have been concluded containing provisions relating to the import of agricultural products into the United Kingdom.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether, as enjoyment of the Queen Mary Gardens in Regent's Park as a public garden is curtailed by the unsightliness of the disused net-ball court and the derelict theatre grounds which are closed for 37 weeks of the year, he will consult an expert garden designer about utilising these spaces as an inexpensive undulating pleasance, with or without topiary work and seats?

No, Sir.

asked the Secretary for Mines what is the total amount of coal used at Billingham to produce, respectively, 100,000 tons of petrol from coal and 50,000 tons of petrol from creosote and low-temperature tar; and what is the amount of coal which would be used in both cases in an entirely new plant?

According to information made available by Imperial Chemical Industries, Limited, the overall raw coal consumption at Billingham for the production of 100,000 tons of petrol by the hydrogenation of coal is expected to be about 500,000 tons, and a further 100,000 tons would be used for the production of 50,000 tons of petrol by the hydrogenation of purchased creosote oil and tar. For a new plant is is estimated that the consumption of raw coal would vary from 3.5 to 4 tons per ton of petrol made by the hydrogenation of coal the actual figure depending upon both the ash and moisture content of the coal and its suitability for the process.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, what was the average number of workers employed in the past year and what is the present number of workers' holdings attached to the forests in Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, Argyll, and Sutherland, respectively?

The figures are as follow:

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, what is the total acreage owned by the Forestry Commission, the total plantable acreage, and the total area planted or replanted to date, in Ross-shire, Inverness-shire, Argyll, and Sutherland, respectively?

The acreages are as follow:

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, whether a co-operative marketing scheme for the forest workers' holdings at Thetford Chase is still in existence; and, if so, whether it is a success?

There is no co-operative marketing scheme for the forest workers' holdings at Thetford Chase in existence.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, whether thinning has started on any estates planted since 1919; and, if so, what were the number of days labour per 100 acres before and after thinning began in those areas?

Small areas planted since 1919 have been thinned. The work has been included in normal time work operations and, until thinning becomes extensive, no useful analysis of the labour involved is possible.