asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the impasse concerning the Llansaint-Kidwelly Road, Carmarthen-shire; and whether he will see that something is done to put the road in repair so that it can be fully used by the inhabitants of Llansaint?

Yes, Sir. The Kidwelly Town Council are the highway authority responsible for placing the road in a proper state of repair. I have no power to compel the authority to carry out the work, but I am prepared to consider making a grant of half the necessary cost if I am satisfied that the roads have through traffic value.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can give the figures showing the amount which each English county spent on all roads and Class A roads, respectively, in any recent year; and can he state in each case what rate in the £ had to be charged in order to raise the former sum?

The total amount (including Loan Charges) spent by each county on its roads and bridges and the rates in the £ levied for highway purposes are published in Part III of the Annual Local Taxation Returns for England and Wales. The aggregate expenditure on Class I roads incurred by county councils in England and Wales is shown in Appendix 14 to the annual reports on the administration of the Road Fund.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the handicap imposed on business enterprise in this country owing to the existence of a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit to heavy motor vehicles; and whether, in view of the far greater speed permitted in Germany and other European countries, he will consider introducing amending legislation at an early date to permit greater speed for heavy goods vehicles conforming to satisfactory standards in respect of brakes, tyres, and springing?

Parliament, with full facts before it, reached its decision in 1934 as to the speed of these vehicles.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will supply any figures to show, in convenient form, the number of parishes or villages in the rural districts of Louth, Grimsby, and Caister which have been reached by the recognised electrical undertakings, and those that are still without a supply?

I am informed by the Electricity Commissioners that in the three rural districts mentioned by the hon. and gallant Member, distributing mains had been laid at 31st March last in 9, 13 and 5 parishes respectively. At the same date there remained 79, 8 and 45 parishes respectively in which distributing mains had not then been laid.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether, in view of the failure of his Department and the garden staff to surmount the difficulties of the ground-slope and aspect of the undeveloped parts of the Queen Mary garden, and to recognise the potentialities of improving the Hylas gardens in Regent's Park without much expenditure, he will invite the advice of an expert landscape garden designer?

(for the First Commissioner of Works): My Noble Friend does not admit that the layout of these gardens presents any difficulty to his Department. Schemes have been drawn up and approved for the treatment of Queen Mary's Gardens as a whole. The northern area has been laid down to grass, and flower beds will be added during the coming year. At the same time, the work of improving the area adjoining the Open-Air Theatre will proceed. The garden next to St. John's Lodge has already been laid out in a way which, so far as my Noble Friend is aware, has given general satisfaction.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, why the public is excluded for 10 months of the year from that portion of Regent's Park used as an open-air theatre during two summer months; whether it can now be opened for public enjoyment; if it be decided to accommodate the theatre elsewhere in future will he employ an expert garden designer to convert the theatre area into a dell or wilderness or, in the alternative of its continued use for open-air plays, will he forbid the re-election of the unsightly sheds, roofs, and hoardings and the display of advertisements?

(for the First Commissioner of Works): The area in question is closed so as to enable the grass to recover. My Noble Friend has not under consideration any proposal for removing the Open-Air Theatre to another site, but he will consider the possibility of improving the external appearance of the theatre if it can be done without undue expenditure.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the unsatisfactory state of affairs in the Hatfield Rural District Council, he will hold a public inquiry into its administration?

I have no information of any unsatisfactory features in the administration of Hatfield Rural District Council and the second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether his attention has been drawn to the references made to the British Film Institute during the hearing in the High Court of the action of Lambert v. Levita; and whether he will consider the desirability of reviewing the constitution of the institute and its working?

I am aware that certain references were made to the British Film Institute in the course of the action named by my hon. and gallant Friend. The constitution and work of the institute, however, have been under consideration for some time past, and the conclusion had already been reached that changes were called for if the institute was to receive further assistance from the Cinematograph Fund. The matter is still engaging attention.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether any special facilities will be granted to ex-service men's organisations to witness the coronation of His Majesty?

The question to whom invitations are to be issued for the Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey is still under consideration.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether lie will now issue a report upon the oil from coal operations at Billingham?

I am not yet in a position to make a statement on the results of the commercial scale experiment in hydrogenation which is being carried out at Billingham.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the number of persons on the Employment Exchanges of County Durham who have been unemployed for two, five, ten, or more years?

Among 90,077 persons applying for insurance benefit or unemployment allowances at 26th October, 1936, at Employment Exchanges in the county of Durham (including the county boroughs), 25,474 had been continuously on the registers for two years or more, including 8,739 who had been continuously on the registers for five years or more. The number who had been on the registers for 10 years or more is not known. Corresponding figures are not available in respect of persons, registered as unemployed, who were not applicants for insurance benefit or unemployment allowances. Of the persons who had been on the registers for extended periods a proportion, which will increase as the period on the register increases, will have had one or more short spells of employment, lasting not more than three days each, during such periods.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women whose unemployment assistance rates will be increased and decreased, respectively, who are registered at the unemployment assistance offices in Bridgeton and Parkhead areas, Glasgow, when the new regulations come into operation?

Until the reassessment of all cases in accordance with the new regulations has been completed, it will not be possible to give any details about the effect of the new regulations in any area. It is anticipated that all current cases will have been reviewed by the end of about five weeks from to-day. As regards reductions of allowances, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12th November to the hon. Member for Chester-le-Street (Mr. Lawson).

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women in receipt of unemployment assistance in the Carrilachie Parliamentary Division, Glasgow, to the nearest available date?

I regret that this information is not available in respect of Parliamentary Divisions. Unemployed persons resident in the Camlachie Parliamentary Division would probably be registered either at the Bridgeton or at the Parkhead Employment Exchange.

asked the Minister of Labour the conditions under which an area is termed depressed; and what concessions are made to such areas?

The term "depressed areas" is used by the Department to denote those areas which have suffered most from severe and prolonged unemployment, and to which the facilities of the industrial transference scheme apply. Almost all these areas also enjoy a preference, other things being equal, in the allocation of Government contracts, which applies also to other areas satisfying the conditions set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams) on the 9th March last. I am sending the hon. Member a summary of the industrial transference facilities and lists of the areas.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that there is discontent in the Romford area at the dismissal of many temporary men, many of whom are ex-service men, who have carried out their work satisfactorily, and their replacement by new employés who are placed on the permanent staff; and will he arrange to place these temporary men on the permanent staff provided they can do their work properly?

Owing to the introduction of improved postal services at Rom-ford a number of additional postmanships have been created. About 30 temporary postmen have been employed for varying periods pending the placing of the staff on a permanent basis; but none of them has had long service and they all accepted temporary work on the usual condition that it conferred no claim to permanent appointment. Candidates for permanent appointment are selected from ex-service men put forward by the Employment Exchange in a definite order of preference. Ten of the temporary men have been so nominated and have been given permanent posts, but the remainder can only be considered for permanent appointment if they are eligible as ex-service men and are put forward in their turn by the registration authority.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the complaints regarding the last delivery of letters by the first post in Brentford, especially from the North and Midlands; whether he will investigate the whole system of postal deliveries in Brentford and consider giving Brentford the status of a head post office instead of making it a sub-post office of Richmond; and whether improvements are contemplated in the hours at which letters are collected at night in the area?

The first delivery in Brentford is normally completed by 8.30 a.m. Letters from the North and Midlands are usually included in this delivery, but there have been occasional failures owing to the late running of the mail trains. Steps have been taken to minimise these failures. A revision of the postal services will be carried out early next year and a later final collection will be provided. The latest time of posting at the Brentford Post Office has already been advanced from 9.45 to 10.30 p.m. I am sorry that there is no case for making Brentford a head office, but such a change would not affect the postal services.

asked the Postmaster-General what arrangements are being made for taking over the publication of the Classified Trade and Commercial Telephone Directory, the Buff Book, when the contract expires next April; and whether private publishers will be permitted to issue a similar directory in competition with the official edition?

Tenders were invited for the compilation of Classified Trades Telephone Directories for London and other parts of the country; and the contract has been given to Messrs. J. Weiner Ltd. An undertaking has been given in the contract not to make official material available for the compilation of similar directories in competition with the official publications.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the statement of the British Government representative, before the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations on 19th August last, to the effect that only Great Britain can decide whether steps shall be taken to impose duties upon goods imported into Palestine front countries which have left the League of Nations; and whether his Department proposes to take any action in accordance with this statement in so far as existing non-League States are concerned?

I presume that my hon. Friend is referring to the following statement made by Mr. Trusted, the principal British Accredited Representative for Palestine, on the 9th of June last at the eighteenth meeting of the Twenty-ninth Session of the Permanent Mandates Commission:

"The question whether discriminatory action should or should not be taken against particular countries which have not the right to economic equality guaranteed to them under the mandates was one for the mandatory Power to decide in the light of circumstances and of its obligations under the mandates—which of course involved its having regard, as a primary consideration, to the interests of the inhabitants. In considering whether to terminate economic equality for Japan (or Germany) the mandatory Power was not entitled to take into consideration solely the benefits which would accrue thereby to its own trade by so doing or to the trade of other Members of the League of Nations."

As regards the second part of the question, His Majesty's Government do not propose to take any action in the matter as, apart from any other considerations that may be involved, they have no reason to suppose that it would be in the interests of the inhabitants of Palestine to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether it is the intention of His Majesty's Government not to suspend immigration. into Palestine during the period id which the commission of inquiry will conduct its investigation; and whether, having regard to the confidence in the good intentions of Great Britain expressed by the Arab kings, the decision not to suspend immigration at least until the commission has completed its inquiry and submitted its report, may be reconsidered?

I would invite the hon. Member's attention to the reply which I gave on the 5th November to the hon. Member for the Don. Valley (Mr. T. Williams), to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the recent disturbances at His Majesty's Prison, Parkhurst: and whether he can make any statement?

I am glad to have this opportunity of contradicting the stories which appeared in. a newspaper last Sunday that there had recently been disturbances at Parkhurst Prison, and that special precautions had been taken, including arrangements for military assistance, in anticipation of further unrest. Apart from the fact that one prisoner recently climbed on the roof on two occasions, there is no foundation whatever for these stories.

asked the Attorney-General the number of occasions on which the fiat of the Attorney-General has been asked for, given, and refused during each of the last three years under the Prevention of Corruption Acts?

The information is as follows:

	Number of Applicants.	Fiat Granted.	Fiat Refused.
1934	24	24	—
1935	47	42	2
1936 to 13th November.	26	24	1

NOTE.—In four cases during this period the applications were not proceeded with.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will state the number of persons in England and Wales upon whom sentences of corporal punishment have been passed by courts of assize, quarter sessions, or courts of summary jurisdiction for the 12 months to the last convenient date?

The latest figures available are those for 1935. During that year out of 6,385 males convicted at courts of assize and quarter sessions, 14 were ordered to receive corporal punishment; 13,248 boys under 14 were found guilty of indictable offences by courts of summary jurisdiction and 214 were ordered to be whipped.

asked the Home Secretary who is responsible for appointing members of the area medical boards to deal with silicosis cases; what special qualifications they possess; the terms of their appointment; and whether any member of these medical boards can act for employers in other compensation cases?

The area panels of the medical board are appointed by the Secretary of State. They are whole-time salaried officers and are not free to act for employers or workmen. In a few districts in which cases occasionally arise and which are not conveniently served by the panels, special doctors are appointed to act in conjunction with a whole-time member when necessary. The terms of appointment of these doctors would not preclude their acting for an employer or workman in some compensation case, but a report or certificate under the scheme cannot be issued except with the authority of at least two members of the board. The special qualifications of the members consist partly of their previous experience of respiratory diseases, in the light of which they are appointed, and partly of the knowledge and experience gained by constant examinations under the schemes in consultation with their colleagues.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the position as regards the settlement of the Assyrians in Iraq?

As the hon. and gallant Member is no doubt aware, the Committee of the Council of the League of Nations which has this matter in hand was instructed by the Council after the breakdown of the Ghab scheme to continue its efforts to find a permanent place of settlement outside Iraq for those Assyrians who still wish to leave that country. The task is a difficult one, and I cannot say more at present than that the Committee is aiming at making proposals at the January session of the Council. Meanwhile some 8,500 Assyrians from Iraq are provisionally settled in the Upper Khabur region in Syria. In the course of the reply which I gave on 4th November to a question by the right hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Colonel Wedgwood) about recent events in Iraq, I mentioned that there was nothing to show that the safety of the Assyrians in that country was in jeopardy. I am glad to say that this is still the case.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air for what purpose our Royal Air Force is kept in Iraq; what does it cost a year; and does this country pay for the whole cost?

As regards the first part of the question I would refer the hon. Member to Article 5 of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of Alliance, which was ratified on 26th January, 1931, and published in the White Paper "Treaty Series No. 15 (1931)," Cmd. 3797. As regards the second part, the cost is in the neighbourhood of £1,400,000 a year, and the answer to the third part is in the affirmative.