asked the President of the Board of Education how many teachers there are under the control of the Monmouthshire County Council; whether they exceed, or are deficient to, the number required; and, if so, by how many?

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to teachers in public elementary schools, as the secondary schools are, in the main, not under the direct control of the local education authority, and the amount of full time technical work is comparatively small. In Monmouthshire for 1935–36 an establishment of 1,695 teaching posts in public elementary schools was approved by the Board as a step towards the reduction necessitated by the fall of school population in the area. Although this involved a decrease of 30 teaching posts during the year, the Board informed the local education authority that in their view there was still room for further reductions. On the 31st March, 1936, there were 1,694 teachers in full time employment, in the elementary schools. I shall not, however, be in a position to say what the appropriate establishment for 1936–37 is until the detailed examination of the staffing of the individual schools has been completed.

asked the President of the Board of Education what was the cost of elementary education per child for the years 1934 and 1935 in the counties of Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, and Carmarthen, respectively; what was the average cost for Wales and for the whole Country for the same periods; and whether he is satisfied that the education authorities in South Wales are carrying out their duties efficiently?

The cost per child of Elementary Education is as follows:

—	1934–35.			(Provisional) 1935–36.
	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
Glamoragan	14	10	8	16	1	7
Monmouthshire	12	10	7	13	13	6
Carmarthensbire	12	18	11	14	9	9
Wales	13	12	0	14	18	8
England and Wales	13	3	5	14	7	10

While the progress made with re-organisation of the Public Elementary Schools in South Wales, on the lines advocated in the Hadow Report, has fallen short of that achieved in many other areas, I am satisfied that speaking generally, and having regard to the hampering effect of industrial depression, the Local Education Authorities in South Wales are carrying out their duties efficiently.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that during the last 10 years the average attendance in elementary schools in the country of Glamorgan has declined by 6,650, while during the same period the increase in elementary education expenditure is £184,000; and what is the explanation?

The Board's records show that between 1925–26 and 1935–36 the average attendance in elementary schools in the County of Glamorgan declined by 8,212 and the expenditure on elementary education increased by £139,587. The difference in expenditure is accounted for under the following heads:

	£
Salaries of Teachers	59,117 (increase)
Employers' contributions under Superannuation Acts	26,810 (new charge)
Loan Charges	8,293 (increase)
Administration	1,250 (decrease)
Other Expenditure	23,408 (increase)
Medical and Special Services	23,209 (increase)

The reason for the bulk of the increases is indicated generally in the folowing notes.

asked the Minister of Health what are the most recent investigations that have been made into the number and nature of basement dwellings in various parts of London?

In 1934 the returns were obtained by the London County Council from the Metropolitan Borough Councils as to the number of underground rooms used for sleeping purposes which were deemed unfit for human habitation within the meaning of Section 18 of the Housing Act, 1925. The total number of rooms included in these returns was 20,108.

asked the Minister of Health how many small dwelling houses of over 300 years of age have been pulled down under demolition orders of local authorities during the past five years in rural areas?

I regret that I have no information on the point raised by my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the heavy cost of public assistance in the county of Glamorgan, he will insist upon the strictest economy in the administration and expenditure of all other departments?

I have already brought to the notice of the Council the Importance of strict economy in administration.

asked the Minister of Health what action he has taken, or proposes to take, upon the recommendations made in the Report of the Royal Commission on Merthyr Tydfil?

On consideration of the Report of the Royal Commission, I reached the conclusion that the step which could most usefully be taken immediately would be the appointment of an experienced administrator to assist the Corporation. I have accordingly requested Mr. John Rowland, C.B., C.B.E., M.V.O., the Chairman of the Welsh Board of Health, to act for a period as adviser of the Corporation. This appointment does not preclude and may assist, the consideration at a later date in the light of the recommendations of the Commission of any further steps that may be desirable.The Corporation welcomed my proposal and I am glad to have this opportunity of acknowledging publicly their promise of cordial co-operation. As the title selected for Mr. Rowland's position implies, his functions will be advisory only. The right (within any statutory limitation) to take its own decisions as it may think fit, and to give effect to those decisions, rests unimpaired with the Corporation.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the first despatch of letters from Aberlady, East Lothian, only takes place at 1.30 p.m.; and whether, in view of the fact that a service of omnibuses runs from the village from 7 a.m. at half-hourly intervals, he can arrange for an earlier despatch?

Yes, Sir. The possibility of arranging an earlier despatch is being investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any Report on the settlement of Assyrians in Syria; how many have so far been settled; and what amount of money still remains to be found for completing the League of Nations' plan of settlement?

As my Noble Friend stated in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Twickenham on March 4th, the settlement of the Assyrians is in the hands of a Committee of the Council of the League of Nations. This Committee has recently been in session in connection with the preliminary arrangements for the settlement, but it has not yet issued any official report on its work since the beginning of this year.The position at the moment is that, as my Noble Friend informed the hon. and gallant Member on March 4th, over 6,000 Assyrians have already been settled provisionally or the Upper Khabur River in Syria pending their eventual removal to the proposed permanent settlement in the Ghab area. The Council Committee has just authorised an increase in this provisional settlement by the immediate transfer of 2,500 more Assyrians: from Iraq, so that there are likely in the near future to be nearly 9,000 Assyrians temporarily established on the Upper Khabur.Meanwhile preliminary work is taking place on the reclamation of the site of the proposed permanent settlement in the Ghab area. Until the site is ready, the plan for the settlement of the Assyrians which has been adopted by the League of Nations provides for the temporary establishment in the vicinity of the Ghab of the balance of the Assyrian immigrants from Iraq over and above those placed provisionally on the Upper Khabur river. I understand that arrangements for this further temporary settlement are under active consideration but that matters have not yet reached a stage where it is possible to begin to transfer Assyrians to the vicinity of the Ghab.As regards the last part of the question, the financial position in regard to the settlement is still, so far as I am aware, as it was described to the House on February 25th last by my Noble Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any special assistance has been given to the development of iron-ore deposits in Sierra Leone; and what have been the results of that development?

With a view to the development of certain iron-ore deposits at Marampa in the Protectorate of Sierra Leone, for which a concession has been obtained, a loan of £422,500 has been made available from the Colonial Development Fund towards the construction of capital works, including 55 miles of railway. The deposits were brought into production in 1933 and shipments up to the end of 1935 amounted to 680,000 tons.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will have inquiries made regarding the refusal of the Unemployment Assistance Board to make an allowance to Arthur James Goodyer, of 15, Essex Street, Shoreditch, N.1, in respect of the purchase of boots for one of his children, under Regulation No. 1,424?

I am informed by the Unemployment Assistance Board that they are making inquiries, and I will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as the result is known.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can give the approximate number of married women on the registers of the employment exchanges in Great Britain as at the last convenient date, and the number who were claimants for benefit?

At 4th November, 1935, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 106,282 married women registered as unemployed at Employment Exchanges in Great Britain; of these, 87,886 were applying for insurance benefit or unemployment allowances. Separate statistics as to the number of claimants for benefit are not available.