asked the Minister of Labour the number of insured persons on the register at the following Employment Exchanges, at the last convenient date, Llanelly, Burry Port, Tumble, Ammanford, and Garnant; the number of unemployed

Number of insured persons recorded as unemployed at 15th November, 1937.
—		Llanelly.	Burry Port.	Tumble.	Ammanford.	Garnant.
Men, aged 18–64	…	2,381	684	2,154	503	961
Boys, aged 16–17	…	92	12	84	9	10
Boys, aged 14–15	…	18	3	1	8	4
Women, aged 18–64	…	197	14	19	23	33
Girls, aged 16–17	…	70	3	6	4	9
Girls, aged 14–15	…	25	—	1	—	1
Total	…	2,783	716	2,265	547	1,018

Applicants for insurance benefit and unemployment allowances at 15th November, 1937, who had been continuously on the register for a year or more.
—		Llanelly.	Burry Port.	Tumble.	Ammanford.	Garnant.
Men, aged 18–64	…	324	127	88	79	405
Boys, aged 16–17	…	—	1	2	—	—
Women, aged 18–64	…	4	1	—	—	4
Girls, aged 16–17	…	—	—	—	—	—
Total	…	328	129	90	79	409
Note.—Of the persons who have been on the register for a year or more, a proportion will have had one or more short spells of employment lasting not more than three days each during the period.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the estimated surplus in the Agricultural Unemployment Insurance Scheme on 1st December, 1937?

On 1st December, 1937, the balance of the Agricultural Account of the Unemployment Fund was about £1,770,000.

asked the Minister of Labour how many people are registered at West Ham Employment Exchanges for the years ending 1934, 1935, 1936, and 1937; and how many were receiving unemployment benefit for the year ending 1937?

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 2nd December, 1937; col. 2227, Vol. 329], supplied the following statement:

The available statistics relate to the numbers recorded as unemployed, and the numbers of persons applying for insurance benefit or unemployment allowances who had been continuously on the register for a year or more. The following table gives these figures for the Employment Exchanges in question:The average numbers of unemployed persons, aged 14 and over, on the registers of Employment Exchanges in West Ham in the years 1934, 1935 and 1936 and in the first 11 months of 1937 were as follow:

1934	…	15,993
1935	…	14,682
1936	…	11,903
First 11 months of 1937	…	10,168

The average number of unemployed insured persons, aged 16–64, on the registers of Exchanges in West Ham with claims admitted for insurance benefit during the first 11 months of 1937 was 6,303.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) how many male workers in agriculture between 18 and 21 years of age were registered as unemployed during the 12 months ended 30th October, 1937;(2) how many adult male agricultural workers were registered as unemployed during the first 10 months of this year;

MEN INSURED UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL SCHEME RECORDED AS UNEMPLOYED IN GREAT BRITAIN.
Date.			Aged 18–20.	Aged 21–64.
				Total.	Number of applicants for agricultural benefit with claims authorised for dependants' benefit.
14th December, 1936	…	…	1,539	15,896	*
25th January, 1937	…	…	1,809	20,961	*
22nd February, 1937	…	…	1,782	21,094	7,721
15th March, 1937	…	…	1,774	21,588	*
19th April, 1937	…	…	1,228	16,510
24th May, 1937	…	…	1,130	14,961	3,399
21st June, 1937	…	…	830	9,476	*
26th July, 1937	…	…	903	13,566	*
23rd August, 1937	…	…	1,180	15,660	2,389
13th September, 1937	…	…	1,063	15,621	*
18th October, 1937	…	…	1,274	16,678	*
15th November, 1937	…	…	1,579	19,928	4,120
Notes.
(1) As from 1st February, 1937, private gardeners have been included within the agricultural scheme of unemployment insurance.
(2) The figures for September, October and November, 1937, have been compiled in accordance with the revised procedure for counting the unemployed, under which persons subsequently found to be in employment at the date of the count are excluded.
*(3) The numbers of applicants with claims authorised for dependants' benefit are ascertained once a quarter.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his Department, in collecting family budget figures, will differentiate between the cost of premiums in respect of policies of insurance against the deaths of the breadwinner and of his dependent family and of the life of another policies in respect of others, and, further, between industrial assurance policies and ordinary branch and endowment policies?

The households from whom particulars of weekly expenditure are being collected have been informed that the objects of the inquiry are to provide data required (a) for a revision of the basis of the official cost of living index figures, and (b) for the study of questions relating to diet and nutrition. A detailed analysis of the insurance premiums paid by such households is not required for these purposes, and I doubt whether the inquiry which is now in progress could be

The following table gives the information desired so far as it is available:adapted to provide satisfactory information under the headings suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether his efforts to secure the preservation of Radnor House, Twickenham, have had satisfactory results?

The present position is that a report on the condition of the building, and the measures necessary for its preservation, has been prepared by my Department and forwarded to the Corporation of Twickenham for their consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the receipts from Customs and Excise for the years 1900, 1920, 1930, 1935, and 1937, respectively, and in the aggregate for each year?

The net receipts of Customs and Excise revenue for the years ended 31st March, 1900, 1920, 1930, 1935, and 1937, respectively, and in the aggregate for each of these years, were as follow:

Year ended 31st March.	Customs.	Excise.	Total.
	£	£	£
1900 (a)	23,279,000	37,074,000	60,353,000
1920 (a)	149,554,000	133,782,000	283,336,000
1930	120,611,000	127,371,000	247,982,000
1935	185,327,000	104,566,000	289,893,000
1937	210,496,000	109,532,000	320,028,000
(a) The figures for each of the years 1900 and 1920 include the revenue collected in that portion of Ireland which is now the Irish Free State. They include the amounts collected in respect of certain licences the collection of which was subsequently transferred to local authorities, and also the amounts derived from the taxes transferred to Northern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, namely, Entertainments Duty, Licence Duties other than Brewers for Sale, Distillers, and Tobacco Manufacturers.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the percentage of direct and indirect taxation for the years 1900, 1920, 1930, 1936, and 1937, respectively?

Following are the figures:

		Direct. Per cent.	Indirect. Per cent.
1900	…	49.40	50.60
1920	…	68.16	31.84
1930	…	65.77	34.23
1936	…	59.71	40.29
1937	…	60.70*	39.30*
* Budget estimate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total quantities of petrol imported by the Japanese in the year ending at the last convenient date; and the total amount exported to that country from the British Empire in the same period?

According to the Japanese official trade statistics, the total imports of crude and refined petroleum during the 12 months ended July, 1937, amounted to 1,102.5 million gallons, of which 62.8 million gallons were recorded as imported from British Borneo. Imports, if any, from other British countries were relatively unimportant. Direct purchases of petroleum on State account by the service departments are not included in these statistics. Separate particulars of imports of petroleum have not appeared in the Japanese monthly trade returns since July last.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Import Duties Advisory Committee has reported on the application of the Timber Trade Federation for the revision of the present tariffs on imported timber; and whether he proposes to take any action thereon?

The rates of duty which were the subject of the application cannot be increased during the currency of certain Trade Agreements with foreign countries. In the circumstances the Import Duties Advisory Committee have not made any recommendations or announced any conclusions on the applications, but they have furnished the Government with a statement of their views.

asked the Home Secretary (1) whether reports to the police indicate that cases of burglary in London and the country are or are not on the increase;(2) whether he is aware that reports from householders and insurance companies display anxiety at the number of burglaries during recent months; and what steps are being taken by Scotland Yard and the police to deal with the situation?

It is unfortunately the case that the numbers of burglaries and housebreakings known to the police are at present increasing. The police are taking all possible steps to counter the increase: the hon. Member will not expect me to say what they are, but I understand that as regards the Metropolis the Commission of Police intends to refer to the matter in his annual report.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can give particulars of the quantities of coal exported from Great Britain and Germany, respectively, for each year from 1930, and to the most recent date for the current year?

The information is as follows:

Exports (Cargo) of Coal from Germany and the United Kingdom.
Thousand Statute Tons.
—	Germany.*	United Kingdom.
1930	29,015	54,874
1931	27,033	42,750
1932	22,677	38,899
1933	22,602	39,068
1934	26,345	39,660
1935	26,749	38,714
1936	27,868	34,519
January—October, 1937.	31,814	33,765
* As from 18 February, 1935, the Saar has been included in the German Customs Union. For the purposes of comparison exports from the Saar to countries other than Germany are included and exports to the Saar from Germany are excluded in the figures of German exports.

asked the Home Secretary what instruction has been issued prohibiting men employed in the canteens of the Metropolitan Police Force from becoming members of trade unions?

I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that no instructions have been issued on this subject.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can give the House any information in connection with the crane accident on Wednesday at Deptford Wharf, where the crane-driver was killed; and what was the cause of the accident?

The cause appears to have been that a hook supporting the load which the crane was lifting caught under the edge of the hatchway. The Coroner's jury added to their verdict of accidental death a rider saying "without any censures."

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that it is proposed to appoint a fire brigade authorities council to consist of 34 members, 16 to be drawn from the Association of Municipal Corporations, 10 from the Urban District Councils Association, and eight from the Rural District Councils Association, to consider and report on fire brigade matters referred to it, and of the highly technical nature of many fire brigade matters, he will consider the advisability of widening the personnel of the projected council so as to permit of adequate representation from fire-fighting technicians, nominated by such bodies as the Greater London Professional Fire Officers' Board and the Institution of Fire Engineers, in order that the deliberations of the projected council shall have the advantage of expert advice from those with actual fire-fighting experience?

The formation of a fire brigade authorities' council on the lines mentioned by my hon. and gallant Friend was suggested to the Home Office by certain representatives of local authorities, but I do not anticipate that the proposal will be given effect in that form. It would undoubtedly be desirable to have some representative body available for consultative purposes on matters affecting the Fire Service as a whole, and I hope to make provision for that purpose in the forthcoming Fire Brigades Bill. I have not yet reached a decision as to the appropriate constitution for such a body, but I agree that provision should be made for associating with it representative Chief Officers of Fire Brigades.

asked the Minister of Health the amount of insulin prescribed to diabetics under the National Health Insurance Act for the years ended 31st December, 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1936?

I will send the hon. Member statistics of the prescriptions for insulin, which now number well over a quarter of a million a year and show an increase of nearly 28 per cent. over the period of four years.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give statistics showing the average sickness per annum of insured persons, male and female, respectively, under the National Health Insurance scheme for each quinquennial period since the scheme came into operation?

I regret that statistics in the form asked for by the hon. Member are not available. To obtain the desired information would involve a critical analysis of all the relevant data over a period of years, and I do not feel justified in asking the Government Actuary to undertake a task of this magnitude.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is prepared to consider the creation of a poultry institute for the purpose of supplying the poultry industry with facilities and service on poultry diseases?

Considerable advisory and educational facilities already exist in connection with poultry disease problems. Whether there is a need for supplementing these facilities is a matter which is, I have no doubt, engaging the attention of the Poultry Technical Committee.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the existing stagnation in the manufacture and sale of broadcast relay apparatus owing to the absence of information as to whether or not such apparatus will be taken over by the Post Office in 1940; whether any decision has yet been taken as to the particular system to be employed for future development; and, if not, whether he will undertake, in the event of existing licences being terminated, to purchase all apparatus of approved efficiency irrespective of the system employed?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the Government's proposals which were announced in the White Paper on the Report of the Broadcasting Committee, 1935 (Cmd. 5207), and have been approved by the House. Research and experiment are being pressed forward in order that the information necessary for a decision may be laid before the Government with the least possible delay. Meanwhile, I regret that I am not in a position to give the undertaking asked for in the last part of the question.

asked the Postmaster-General why orders sent by business houses at Townhead, Rochdale, before 6.30 p.m. on Mondays, are not delivered in London before the following Wednesday?

Letters prepaid 1½d. and printed papers prepaid 1d. posted at Townhead before 6.30 p.m. on Monday secure first delivery in London on Tuesday. Printed papers prepaid ½d. must be posted by 5 p.m. to secure the same treatment, and the orders to which the hon. Member refers were presumably sent as printed papers prepaid ½d. and posted late.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will issue a list giving particulars of the cases of interference with, and collectivisation of, assets of companies, wholly or partially British-owned and/or managed, trading in territory under the control of the Valencia Government, including Catalonia?

It would, as I explained to my hon. Friend on 6th December, be impossible for me to give, in answer to a question, full particulars of the cases of interference with such assets. As regards, however, the more specific question of the cases in which wholly or partially British-owned enterprises have been the subject of collectivisation or of the intervention of workers' committees or of the Spanish Government my information is that at least 35 such firms have been affected. At the same time I must emphasise that it is impossible for me to guarantee the comprehensive character of my information and that, since further particulars of losses, suffered by British interests in this connexion are still being received by His Majesty's Government, the present total must necessarily be regarded as incomplete.Over and above these instances, my hon. Friend will no doubt be aware that British banks and insurance companies have been subjected to varying degrees of Governmental intervention, and that certain mines in which British capital is invested have, especially in the provinces of Murcia and Cartagena, been taken over by the Government.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many officers of the Royal Air Force who have served on the staff of or been students at the Imperial Defence College have now left the active list or are unemployed?

None of the 58 officers who have served on the staff of, or been students at, the Imperial Defence College and who are still on the active list, is unemployed. Three have retired, and three have died.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider amending the regulations to admit of naval ratings invalided from the service from foreign service to be granted the foreign-service leave carried to date of invaliding in addition to the leave granted on invaliding?

I am afraid that the concession suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend could not be justified. I will, however, consider whether invaliding leave itself can be increased, and will inform my hon. and gallant Friend of the result.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs through what channel His Majesty's Government communicates with the Shanghai Municipal Council as to the action they consider the council should take in regard to demands formulated and action taken by the Japanese military authorities?

The Shanghai Municipal Council is an international organisation, and any advice of the nature indicated would be communicated to it collectively by the Consular Body through the Senior Consul at Shanghai. And, conversely, if the council desired such advice, it would refer to the Consular Body through the Senior Consul.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what demands the Shanghai Municipal Council has received from the Japanese military authorities and what reply has been returned?

I am informed that on 3rd December a Japanese representative handed to the Commissioner of the Shanghai Municipal Police a statement indicating that the Japanese military authorities must reserve the right to take independent action in the International Settlement without previous notice to the council if the situation rendered it necessary. The municipal council has referred the matter to the consular Body, who are, I understand, now in communication with the Japanese authorities.