asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the terms of reference sent from the Civil Service Clerical Association in regard to the pay of departmental clerks have been agreed by his Department?

The terms of reference have now been received, and a reply on the subject has been sent to the association.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the Civil Service organisations are given any facilities in the matter of the use of Employment Exchange premises for trade union meetings not available to non-Civil Service organisations?

No Sir, except in the case of meetings of associations consisting solely or principally of the staffs of the exchanges or other members of the staff of the Ministry. The chief difference as regards such meetings is that no charge is made for the accommodation.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air at what hour the Air Ministry inspector of accidents found that the commander-in-chief of the Fleet at Alexandria was asked to render assistance in the search for the flying boat "City of Khartoum" on 31st December last?

According to evidence available to the inspector of accidents the time in question was 8.40 p.m.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the effective life of cruisers, destroyers, and submarines is still assessed at 20, 16 and 12 years, respectively; and, if not, what are the accepted figures for these categories of ships and for capital ships?

I would draw the hon. Member's attention to Article 1 (c) of the London Naval Treaty, 1936, wherein the ages at which the various categories of warship are deemed to become "over age" are specified. At the same time I would point out that the object of defining these ages in the Treaty was merely to provide an agreed statistical basis for comparing the strengths of navies. Naturally the effective life of any particular ship depends on a number of material factors on which it would be unsafe to generalise.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what docking accommodation for the largest existing capital ships, and for the two new battleships, is available between Rosyth and Portsmouth?

The new dry dock at Tilbury will accommodate all existing capital ships except the battle cruisers. I am not prepared at the moment to disclose any information bearing on the dimensions of the two battleships of the 1936 programme.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what are the average fees charged by veterinary surgeons for attendance on cattle, pigs, horses and other livestock; and whether these fees vary in different districts of the country?

I have no information as to the average fees charged by veterinary surgeons in private practice, but I am advised that fees vary from district to district and also with the nature of the case.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can state the acreage of land in the Forest of Dean belonging to the Crown which is enclosed for the purpose of growing trees and for letting as grazing land to private individuals, respectively?

I have been asked to reply. The acreage of land in the Forest of Dean enclosed for the purpose of growing trees is 11,105 and for letting as grazing land to private individuals is approximately 368 acres.

asked the Minister of Pensions, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, why Tantalum lamps, which are not efficient and no longer in practical use to-day, are still employed to light the Strangers' Dining Room; and when he proposes to replace them by modern gas filament lamps?

There are no Tantalum lamps in use in the Palace of Westminster. The present vacuum lamps are being replaced by gas-filled lamps as they, wear out, and, in accordance with this programme, my Noble Friend had arranged that those in the Strangers' Dining Room should be replaced during the Recess.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he contemplates introducing legislation in the near future either to take over or else more adequately to control private employment agencies?

No, Sir. The policy of the Government in this matter is explained in the White Paper (Cmd. 4846) issued in March, 1936, in connection with the Draft Convention and Recommendation concerning Fee-Charging Employment Agencies which were adopted by the International Labour Conference.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can state the total expenditure in Monmouthshire during 1935 and 1936 in unemployment benefit, unemployment assistance, and grants made by the Commissioner for the Special

—						Monmouthshire.	Special Area of South Wales and Monmouthshire.
1935:						£	£
Insurance Benefit	…	…	…	…	…	492,000	2,276,000
Unemployment Allowances (including Transitional Payments).						1,290,000	5,624,000
1936, January—June:
Insurance Benefit	…	…	…	…	…	298,000	1,213,000
Unemployment Allowances		…	…	…	…	626,000	2,826,000

The figures are exclusive of payments made through associations, for which a geographical analysis is not available.As regards expenditure by the Commisioner for Special Areas, the activities grant-aided by the commissioner cover in many cases all the Special Areas, and it is not possible to state precisely what grants relate specifically to South Wales and Monmouthshire. It is, however, estimated that to 30th June, 1936, £300,000 has been expended out of a total commitment in respect of services in this Special Area amounting to approximately £1,500,000. Separate figures for Monmouthshire are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many inspections are made every year of firms with employés to ensure that the unemployment cards of all such employés are in order?

The approximate number of employers visited annually in connection with unemployment insurance for the purpose referred to is 250,000.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will introduce legislation

, pursuant to his reply (OFFICIAL REPORT, 9th July, 1936; col. 1374, Vol. 314) supplied the following statement:The following table shows the amounts of insurance benefit and unemployment allowances paid direct through Employment Exchanges in Monmouthshire and in the Special Area of South Wales and Monmouthshire, respectively, during 1935 and the first six months of 1936:whereby the giving of advice regarding the prerogative of mercy in capital cases shall not be under the sole control of the Home Secretary, but that such cases shall be referred to a committee of at least five persons?

No, Sir. I am satisfied that the discharge of this most grave responsibility is best left in the hands where it now rests.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will take the appropriate measure by royal proclamation or legislation to appoint the day on which a general election will be held a special day to be observed as a general holiday in Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

No, Sir.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the desirability of affording special facilities during the present Parliament for the consideration of a Bill to make the vivisection of dogs illegal?

No, Sir. I regret that I cannot undertake to give special facilities for a Bill of the nature indicated by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can state the cost per head per week for food in remand homes, approved schools, prisons and convict prisons?

The cost per head per week for food in approved schools and ordinary and convict prisons in Scotland in 1935 was as follows:

	s.	d.
Approved schools—
Senior and intermediate schools	4	11
Junior schools	5	7
Ordinary prisons	2	5
Convict prisons	3	3

The lower expenditure in the case of senior and intermediate schools is doubtless due to such schools drawing larger supplies from their own farms and gardens than do the junior schools. As regards remand homes, the arrangements for the provision and use of such homes vary considerably, and information as to the weekly cost per head for food is not available.

asked the Postmaster-General how many complaints of late delivery of letters in London districts have been received during each of the past three years?

Exact figures are not available, but the approximate numbers of complaints of late delivery in London for each of the past three years are: 290 for 1934, 280 for 1935, and 190 for the first six months of 1936.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give the estimated loss of revenue to the Exchequer if the penny postage for letters and the halfpenny postage for postcards were introduced in the United Kingdom?

I have been asked to reply. The estimated loss of revenue on existing traffic and under present conditions would be £7,300,000 on letters and £800,000 on postcards, making a total of £8,100,000. This loss of revenue would probably be reduced by about £600,000, the estimated amount of the net profit on new traffic and on the diversion of existing traffic to a higher rated category.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, what were the earnings of the herring steam-drifter boats in 1935 fishing from the following ports: Buckie, Fraserburgh, and Peterhead?

The estimated gross earnings of the steam drifters belonging to the three districts in 1935 were:—

—	Herring.	White Fish.	Total.
	£	£	£
Buskie	206,448	7,969	214,417
Fraserburgh	135,888	31,335	167,223
Peterhead	133,489	14,910	148,399

These figures refer, of course, to only part of the Scottish herring fleet.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India for what reason the Labour Commissioner refused to intervene in the labour dispute between the joint steamship companies, the India General Navigation and Railway Company and the River Steam Navigation Company and their employés, who resorted to strike action as a protest against dismissals for refusing to work overtime after working for 12 hours; and whether his refusal was approved by the Government of India?

I have no information about the action of the Labour Commissioner in this matter. I would remind the hon. Member that this officer is a servant of the Government of Bengal and that the matter is primarily one for that Government.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the Bombay film-censoring authority has prohibited the exhibition of a talking film made by Jawaharlal Nehru; and whether he will take steps to obtain the removal of the ban?

Yes, Sir. As regards the second part of the question, this is a matter within the discretion of the local authorities.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the number of collieries at which inundations of water were reported from 1925 to 1935; the number of such accidents in each of the inspectorate divisions, respectively; and the number of fatalities due to such inundations in the same period?

The particulars are as follow:Inrushes of Water into Collieries during the eleven years 1925–35, inclusive.(The figures include cases of inrush of water from the surface and from the strata as well as cases of inrush of water from old workings.)

Division.	Number of cases of inrush of water.	Number of persons killed.
1. Scotland	26 (at 25 mines)	3
2. Northern	25 (at 24 mines)	42*
3. Yorkshire	3	2
4. North Midland	3	—
5. North Western	5	4
6. Cardiff and Forest of Dean.	8	—
7. Swansea	18 (at 15 mines)	1
8. Midland and Southern.	9	—
Total	97 (at 92 mines)	52
* Including Montagu Colliery Inrush on 30th March, 1925 (38 deaths).

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has received the report of an accident which occurred at the Glapwell colliery, Derbyshire, on the 18th instant, where a workman was fatally injured as a result of a shot fired in the mine; whether he is satisfied that due and audible notice was given to all the men working in the vicinity where the accident took place; and, if not, will he take steps to see that a more efficient method of signalling is adopted with a view to safeguarding life?

I am satisfied that proper warning had been given. The men had actually taken shelter but one of them looking back saw a light from a lamp which had been left behind at a spot some 19 yards from the shothole, thought mistakenly that somebody was there in danger, returned to warn him and was fatally injured when the shot went off. The jury at the inquest suggested that lights should not be left in the coal face in such circumstances and the colliery company is giving effect to that recommendation, which should prevent any further accidents of the kind.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by what date it is anticipated the final arrangements will be completed for the housing of the British Embassy to China at Nanking?

My hon. Friend is no doubt aware that arrangements already exist for the accommodation of the Ambassador and one secretary at Nanking and that the Ambassador resides at that capital for considerable periods during each year. In his absence at Peking it is usual for the counsellor of the Embassy to reside at Nanking. I am unable to state when it will be possible to move the whole staff of the Embassy to Nanking as this must depend upon the construction of the necessary premises. Up to the present the site for these premises has not been definitely acquired, though, as was stated in reply to a question on 29th June, His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires is negotiating with the Chinese Government for a suitable site. I should like to make it clear that the abandonment of the present Embassy at Peking is not contemplated. There are important British interests in North China which render its retention desirable.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will furnish an estimate of the number of consumers of electricity at the most recent date for which an estimate can be made; and if he will state the increase in five years up to that date?

The number of consumers of electricity at the end of the year 1929–30 was 3,472,043 and at the end of the year 1934–35 6,901,000, being an increase of 3,428,957 in the period.

asked the Lord President of the Council (1) whether, in the course of his inquiries into the work and position of the British Film Institute, he will request the governors to furnish him with a detailed account of the relationships between the British Film Institute and the film company known as Educational and General Services for Cinema and Radia during 1935 and 1936;(2) whether, in the course of his inquiries into the work and position of the British Film Institute, he will request the governors to furnish him with the reasons for the resignation of the late general manager of the institute, Mr. J. W. Brown?

A reply is at present awaited to a letter recently addressed to the British Film Institute in which the governors were asked to furnish the Privy Council with certain information. Until that reply is received I am unable to say whether it will be thought necessary to request the governors to supplement it.