asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will give particulars of the sizes of classes of the 350 schools in the city of Leicester in which the scholars on the rolls exceed 40 in number?

The information for which the hon. Member asks is given in the following table:

LEICESTER COUNTY BOROUGH.
Details, of classes containing over pupils, 31st March, 1937.
No. of children in the class.				No. of classes.
41	…	…	…	37
42	…	…	…	36
43	…	…	…	32
44	…	…	…	36
45	…	…	…	35
46	…	…	…	29
47	…	…	…	38
48	…	…	…	22
49	…	…	…	22
50	…	…	…	15
51	…	…	…	15
52	…	…	…	12
53	…	…	…	11
54	…	…	…	6
56	…	…	…	1
58	…	…	…	3
Total			…	350

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will state the number of uncertificated teachers employed in elementary schools in England and Wales; the number of such teachers employed in the county of Essex; their minimum and maximum salaries as compared with those of certificated teachers; and whether the services demanded from the uncertificated teachers are inferior to those of the certificated teachers?

Following are the figures:

Estimated number of uncertificated teachers employed in public elementary schools in England and Wales on the 31st March, 1937	25,194
Estimated number of uncertificated teachers employed in public elementary schools in the administrative county of Essex on the 31st March, 1937	834

Salary scales for teachers in the administrative county of Essex:—

			Minimum.	Maximum.
Men.			£	£
Certificated Teachers	…	…	180	366
Uncertificated Teachers	…	…	108	£174 if appointed on or after the 1st April, 1914.
				£222 if appointed before the 1st April, 1914.
Women.
Certificated Teachers	…	…	162	288
Uncertificated Teachers	…	…	99	£153 if appointed on or after the 1st April, 1914.
				£174 if appointed before the 1st April, 1914.

As regards the last part of the question, generally speaking the services demanded from uncertificated teachers are less responsible than those expected from certificated teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will state the number of accidents suffered by school children on school premises, attending schools under the jurisdiction of the Dunbartonshire County Council, for the two years ending the last convenient date; and the amount of compensation paid in respect of such accidents over the like period?

I am informed by the education authority that the number of accidents to school children on school premises reported to the authority in the last two years is 179. As some of these cases are still under investigation or are the subject of legal proceedings, it is not possible to state the amount of compensation paid in respect of these accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware of an accident which happened to W. Cunningham, 172, Middleton Street, Alexandria, in May, 1937, whilst attending Main Street public school, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, as a pupil, and that this accident was materially contributed to as a result of the waste material being left strewn in an unprotected state on the premises; and what steps, if any, does he propose to take in the matter?

I am aware of the accident referred to. As a claim for repayment of expenses has been intimated to the county council of Dunbarton, it would not be proper for me to express any opinion on the case or on the accuracy of the statements contained in the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the shortage of building materials is causing certain local authorities in Scotland to postpone their building schemes; that overcrowding is increasing and that rents are rising; and will he call a conference in Edinburgh, represented by Members of Parliament with representatives of the principal burghs and county councils, to discuss wages and means of solving the problem of housing?

I would refer to the answer given to the question by the hon. Member on this subject on the 29th June.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the postal facilities at the Highland Show were housed in an unpainted wooden shanty; and whether he will consider making better use in future of the opportunity for postal advertisement provided by these shows?

I was not aware of this, and my hon. Friend's suggestion has been noted.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the reduction in the charges for letters by air mail to South Africa and Australia, it is proposed to make similar reductions in respect of letters so sent for India and the Far East?

My hon. and learned Friend will find full particulars of the Empire Air Mail Scheme in the White Paper issued under the number Command 5414. First class mail is now carried by air to East and South Africa at a flat postage rate of 1½d. per half ounce for letters and 1d. for postcards. It is hoped to extend the arrangement to first class mail addressed to Empire countries on the route to India and Malaya towards the end of this year, and to first class mail addressed to Australia and New Zealand at the beginning of 1938.

asked the Minister of Labour how many of the 818 industrial disputes during 1936, involving 322,400 workpeople, and resulting in the loss of 1,829,000 working days, were unofficial, and were called without the consent and support of the executive of the union or unions concerned; how many workpeople were involved and how many working days lost in these unofficial stoppages; and will be state the number of strikes that took place in the engineering industry on the same basis of calculation?

Statistics are not available showing the total number of trade disputes in which action by the workers was taken without the consent and support of the executive of the union concerned, since specific inquiries on this point are not made by my Department. From an examination of such information as is in its possession, however, it would appear that the total of 818 disputes recorded in 1936 included 435 in which the dispute was not recognised officially by the trade unions concerned, 189 m which the dispute was thus recognised, 115 in which information as to recognition by a trade union is not available, and 79 in which no trade union was concerned. The number of workpeople involved in the 435 disputes was about 210,000, and the aggregate duration of the disputes was about 900,000 working days. In the engineering industry, out of 45 disputes which began in 1936, at least 25 were not recognised by the trade unions concerned.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he is aware that the Unemployment Assistance Board's premises in Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool, are unsuitable; and when is he likely to secure suitable premises?

The answer to the first part is in the affirmative. Arrangements have been made with the landlords for effecting necessary repairs to the building, and my Department is also actively negotiating for other premises to which it is proposed to transfer part of the work.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any retired engineer officers are engaged to recruit men for the engine-room artificers' branch of the Royal Navy; if so, how many; what method is followed to secure fully qualified men to offer their services; and are employers of labour being interviewed for this purpose, and with what result?

Three engineer officers, one electrical officer and one ordnance officer from the retired list are engaged in the recruitment of men for the artificer branches of the Navy. These five officers have been appointed to the London, Newcastle, Bristol, Birmingham and Liverpool recruiting areas. They visit the towns in their areas to give information about service in the artificer branches to interested candidates and interview candidates at local recruiting offices and drill halls. Since these officers were appointed early this year, there has been an increase in the number of artificers entered. Employers of labour are also being interviewed, and I hope that the Admiralty will receive from them as much co-operation as the demand for skilled men in private industry enables them to give.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what means are used to warn the inhabitants of a village or villages in Waziristan that bombing from the air is to take place; and what period elapses between the warning being given and the beginning of air action?

Warning notices are invariably dropped from aircraft over the villages concerned and wherever possible are also distributed by messengers. Sometimes an announcement is made as well to the tribal jirga. The period of warning, which is always adequate for the evacuation of the area of danger, depends upon the circumstances of each case, and is never less than two days. In addition, final warning notices are issued about 24 hours before air action begins.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware of the complaints of excessive movements from place to place of tax office officials, especially inspectors; and what steps he is taking to deal with them?

I am not aware of any complaints of excessive movements from place to place of His Majesty's Inspectors of Taxes. As regards members of the Departmental Clerical Class employed in Tax Offices, I am informed that an exceptional number of transfers has recently become necessary in order to accommodate an unusually large number of new recruits to that class, and that in a few cases appeals have been lodged by or on behalf of officers who have received notice of transfer. So far as is consistent with the needs of the Service consideration is given to individual preferences in arranging transfers and there are facilities for the discussion of individual cases with representatives of the Staff Association. In these circumstances I do not think that further machinery to deal with complaints is necessay.