asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the names of the local authorities in Scotland having mental institutions under their jurisdiction; those that have a 48-hours week in operation for the nurses and attendants; those that have decided to introduce a 48-hours week; those that have a 48-hours week under consideration; and those that do not have a 48-hours week in operation and have not the question under consideration?

Following is a statement giving the information desired.

asked the Lord Advocate whether his attention has been called to the case of a person residing in Inverness who, having been fined 2s. 6d. by the court in Oban and having forwarded a postal order for 5s. in payment of the fine, was ordered to appear and pay the fine in person and had, in fact, to walk 120 miles each way in order to do so; and whether he will amend the law to make it unnecessary to appear in person in similar cases?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, but my right hon. Friend has been unable to verify whether the accused in fact walked 120 miles in the 48 hours which elapsed between the service of the citation and the sitting of the court. The proceedings were taken in the Justice of the Peace Court at Oban. It would have been possible under the existing law to have obviated the necessity for the accused's personal attendance at the adjourned sitting of the court. Proposals for amendment of the law on kindred topics are already embodied in the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Bill at present before this House.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can state the number of workers in the Chatham Dockyard, both established and unestablished, on 15th January, 1938, and 15th January, 1937?

The total numbers of industrial employés, established and un-established, employed in Chatham Dockyard on the dates mentioned, are as follow:

—	Established.	Unestablished.	Total.
15th January, 1937	1,827	8,568	10,395
15th January, 1938	1,838	9,241	11,079

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will state the extent to which petrol produced from British coal in this country is used by the Royal Air Force?

Petrol produced from British coal in this country is in use in a large number of squadrons, but it would not be in the public interest to disclose the extent to which it is used.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will state the insurance companies with which contracts of insurance, such as those for the building of battleships, have been entered into; and which of these companies refuse to recognise the accredited representatives of their staffs who have organised on a trade union basis?

Contracts of insurance in connection with the building of battleships and other warships are not entered into by the Department but by the shipbuilders. They are placed with a large number of insurance companies but a comprehensive list is not available. I have no information in regard to the point raised in the latter part of the question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the number of passenger-carrying aeroplanes equipped with wireless communication; and what objection there is to making such equipment compulsory in all these cases?

The number of British registered civil passenger-carrying aircraft equipped with wireless transmitting or receiving apparatus is 159. Under existing regulations all aircraft capable of carrying 10 or more persons including the crew are required to be so equipped. The objection to an extension of the requirement to all passenger carrying aeroplanes is that in present circumstances it would increase the existing congestion of wireless traffic within the United Kingdom. Consideration is, however, being given to a revision of the Regulations to embrace all civil aircraft of 4,000 lbs. gross weight and above, and operating companies are being consulted in regard to this proposal.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury when the Tithe Redemption Commission expects to start the task of apportionment of tithe-rent charge in respect of land in the ownership of two or more owners; whether he is aware that the delay is causing very great embarrassment to large numbers of persons, since the tithe commissioners are still adopting their normal policy of collecting the whole amount due from one tenant and compelling him to recover from the others; that such a tenant can only recover at considerable expense the small sums which may be due to him; and when he expects that the task of apportionment will be commenced in Sussex?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given to him on 10th December last. The Tithe Redemption Commission hope to be in a position to commence the work of apportionment in April next, in Sussex as well as in other counties. It is intended, so far as is practicable, to deal with the most urgent cases first. Wherever there is evidence of agreement between the landowners concerned as to the proportions in which an annuity should be collected, the Commission will arrange to collect on that basis, pending formal apportionment. In some cases where there is no such agreement, it may be possible to collect on a rotation basis. A considerable period must necessarily elapse before the work of apportionment is completed, but it is hoped by the procedure contemplated to minimise difficulties arising from the legal liability of the owner of any part of a tithe area to pay the whole of a redemption annuity.I should make it clear that ownership and not tenancy determines liability for payment. If, in any case, a demand has been made by inadvertence upon the tenant, he should communicate with the Commission's Collector from whom he received the demand, at the same time giving the name and address of the owner of the land.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the announcement that vessels insured at Lloyds must not carry Polish coal to destinations south of Bordeaux, he can state the nature of the occurrences which have rendered such a precaution necessary?

I understand that Underwriters now charge an additional premium for the insurance of vessels carrying Polish coal to destinations south of Bordeaux, because serious losses due to spontaneous combustion of Polish coal cargoes have occurred.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the relative quantities and value of the imports from the mines of the Asturias, or of those mining areas in North Spain including the Asturias, for which figures are obtainable, during the past three months and during the corresponding period in 1936?

The total imports of iron ore and concentrates (excluding chrome iron ore and pyrites) into the United Kingdom consigned from Spain during the three months ended December, 1937, amounted to 316,000 tons, valued at £445,000; the imports during the corresponding period of 1936 were 251,000 tons, valued at £223,000. I cannot say what part of these imports was from the area referred to in the question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what raw materials other than steel billets are required for the production of steel rods for reinforced concrete work; in what proportion do these materials, and the steel billets and the necessary labour, contribute towards the cost of production of the rods; and what were the changes in the costs of these materials and in the wages of labour expressed in money, and as a percentage of the earlier costs or wages, which took place between 1st January and 1st May, 1937?

Information as to the costs of production of steel rods can only be obtained from the makers in confidence and cannot therefore be published. An investigation is now proceeding into the relation between the cost of iron and steel products re-rolled from billets and the cost of the billets, and, pending consideration of the results of this investigation, the Import Duties Advisory Committee have concurred in the maintenance of the present relationship between the prices of such products and the prices of billets.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will publish a table showing in relation to all the products whose price is controlled by the British Iron and Steel Federation, or one of its subsidiary associations, under the supervision of the Import Duties Advisory Committee, what are the price increases which have been authorised by the committee, and on what dates they became effective?

I am sending the hon. Member a statement giving the information that he desires.

asked the Minister of Health the number of areas that in 1937 reported water shortage; and what steps have been, or are being, taken to save these areas from water famine in the future?

In 1937 I received reports of shortage of varying degree from four boroughs, four urban districts and parts of 16 rural districts. In seven of these additional supplies have been provided, and in the remainder I am in communication with the local authorities on the remedial measures required.

asked the Home Secretary whether in view of the fact that a man who loses an eye in the course of his work, but is paid the same rate of wages as before the loss, can receive no compensation while at work, he will consider amending the law in the direction of affording such a man some adequate compensation for his partial deprivation of sight and the constant inconvenience he must undergo?

This point could not very well be considered apart from a general review of the benefit provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Acts. The present principle is to give compensation only for loss of earning capacity, measured by differences in rates of wages. To compensate for inconvenience or other disadvantages not affecting earnings would mean a substantial departure from that principle and introduce a far reaching change in the scope of the Acts.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can make a statement regarding the future policy of the Government with regard to rent restriction after the expiration of the present Acts?

The reports of the Departmental Committee on the Rent Restrictions

Applications to the Medical Board for certificates under the Various Industries (Silicosis) Schemes.
—	1937.		1936.
	Total.	Anthracite mines.	Total.	Anthracite mines.
Disablement or Suspension—
Number of applications for certificates	643	230	674	311
Number of certificates granted	286	132	319	182
Deaths—
Number certified as due to the disease	72	35	77	39

asked the Minister of Health what statistics his Department has showing the present housing requirements in England and Wales, and what is the present housing shortage; will he also give particulars of any estimate his Department has made for improvement; when it is anticipated that the population of England and Wales will be satisfactorily housed; and is it considered that the present rate of housing construction is in excess of normal requirements?

The number of houses required to complete the present slum clearance and overcrowding programmes is estimated at about 400,000. Those programmes will take approximately five years to complete. An estimate of the houses required for the general needs of

asked the Home Secretary the number of applications for certificates of disablement received by the silicosis medical board under the various industries silicosis scheme, from coal miners in Great Britain in the year ending 31st December, 1937; the number granted certificates of disablement, and also the number of deaths among coal miners caused by silicosis in the same period; and if he will give similar particulars for anthracite miners in South Wales, and comparative figures in each case for 1936?

The following are the figures:the population is contained in the Census of England and Wales, 1931, Housing Reports and Tables published in 1935 to which I would refer the hon. Member.As regards the last part of the question, I am not clear what precisely the hon. Member has in mind when he refers to "normal requirements," but it is not at present practicable to forecast what rate of house construction will be required when the slum clearance and overcrowding programmes have been completed.

asked the Minister of Health the number of new houses built for sale in the city of Leicester during 1937 up to the latest convenient date?

The number of houses built for sale in the city of Leicester in the year ending 30th September, 1937, was 1,573.

asked the Minister of Health the number of new houses built and let in the city of Leicester during 1937 up to the latest convenient date?

The number of houses built to let in the city of Leicester in the year ending 30th September, 1937, was 847.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will indicate, by numbers, the industries and percentages, respectively, and the course of employment for the city of Leicester for the month of December, 1937?

The following table shows, for the area served by the Leicester Employment Exchange and Juvenile Employment Bureau, (a) the numbers of insured persons, aged 16–64 years, recorded as unemployed in the principal industries at 13th December, 1937, and (b) these numbers expressed as percentages of the estimated numbers insured at July, 1937.

—	Number.	Per cent.
Building	1,304	15·7
General Engineering, etc.	253	2·0
Printing, Publishing and Bookbinding.	118	3·1
Hosiery	3,940	10·4
Boots, Shoes, etc.	2,455	12·2
Distributive Trades	805	5·1
All other industries and services.	3,253	8·2
Total, all industries and services.	11,678	8·7

NOTE.—The figures given in the table above are exclusive of insured persons within the agricultural scheme; the number of such persons, aged 16–64, recorded as unemployed at the Leicester Employment Exchange at 13th December, 1037, was 114.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information to give the House as to the position of affairs in Palestine?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the position in Palestine; and what immediate prospect there is of the proposed Commission visiting that country?

There is not much that I can add to my previous statements on the subject of Palestine. Outbreaks of terrorism and violence continue. The constant pressure of the military and police has been maintained and there have been several successful encounters with armed bands, notably the operations in Galilee towards the end of December, the result of which was the dispersal of the bands in that district. The economic and financial situation in the country gives rise to anxiety, and there has been an increase in unemployment more particularly at Haifa and Tel Aviv. With regard to the last part of the question of the hon. Member for South-West Bethnal Green, I hope shortly to be in a position to make a statement regarding the personnel and visit to Palestine of the proposed technical Commission.

asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence whether any decision has been taken with regard to the storage of wheat and flour for defence purposes?

No decision has been taken to store wheat and flour in addition to commercial stocks.

asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence whether, in view of the gravity of the situation both in Europe and in the Far East, any measures will be taken to accelerate the expansion of the defence forces; and/or whether increased provision will be made to develop the production of munitions and supplies?

The policy of the Government has been, and continues to be, to expand our forces and develop the production of munitions and supplies at the maximum speed attainable in the conditions. They keep constantly in mind such factors in the situation as those referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence whether, in the event of the use and advantages of the Port of London being in jeopardy in time of war, the facilities of unloading and distributing foodstuffs and raw materials at Western ports and the condition of the roads radiating from them have been considered by the Committee of Imperial Defence or by a sub-committee; and, if so, can he indicate whether any measures have already been taken or are in contemplation?

I have been asked to reply. The matters to which my hon. Friend draws attention have been receiving close examination and I would draw his attention to the answer which I gave on 15th December last to a question by the hon. Member for Paisley (Mr. Maclay), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England at the lack of co-operation between Government Departments when the acquisition of land for defence purposes is under consideration; and how much agricultural land has been purchased for defence purposes in each of the last three years?

As regards the first part of the question, I would assure my hon. and gallant Friend that, while particularly at the present time the needs of national defence must receive priority, it is the Government's desire, in which the Service Departments share, to carry out each part of the Defence Programme in the way best calculated to cause the minimum disturbance to other interests. After careful examination of the problem, suitable machinery has been established in each of the Defence Departments which will ensure that other interests of national importance shall receive adequate consideration when the selection of sites is being carried out and that that consideration shall take place in sufficient time to enable due weight to be given to the results by the Department concerned before decisions as to acquisition are taken.As regards the second part of the question, I am advised that the amounts of agricultural land which were purchased for defence purposes in the years 1935, 1936 and 1937 were 6,724, 12,387, and 13,204 acres, respectively. I understand that 514 acres of the last figure have been re-let to farmers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will make a statement respecting the progress of foot-and-mouth disease?

Since my last statement in the House as to the foot-and-mouth disease position on the 11th November, 1937, additional farms have been declared infected, but in the great majority of these cases infection was due to contiguity to existing outbreaks. There has on the whole been an improvement. Excluding an isolated outbreak in Essex confirmed on the 22nd January, and one in Kent on the 14th January, there have been no outbreaks for three weeks in any of the eastern or south-eastern counties to which, as will be remembered, it was necessary to apply a "Standstill" Order on the 9th November. Of a total of 36 outbreaks confirmed during the past 14 days, 33 were in the adjoining counties of Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, Berkshire and Hampshire, the remaining three outbreaks being in Essex and the West Riding.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of depositors in the Post Office Savings Bank and the aggregate amount of their deposits on 1st January, 1938?

The number of depositors in the Post Office Savings Bank on the 1st of January, 1938, was approximately 10,700,000, and the aggregate amount of their deposits with accrued interest was £470,500,000.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can give an estimate of the yearly revenue which the Coal Commission will have when the mining royalties are nationalised?

The latest available figure for royalties and wayleaves is £5,031,000 for the year 1936. I cannot give any estimate of future yields, in the event of the unification of royalties, because clearly such yields must depend upon a number of contingencies.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can give an estimate of the total yearly expenditure of the Coal Commission and state separately the amounts for interest, redemption, taxes, welfare levy, registration, cost of coal committee, etc.?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Labour when it is proposed to introduce the Bill to regulate the wages and conditions of employment in the transport of goods by road?

I am not yet in a position to make a definite announcement, but can assure my hon. Friend that there will be no avoidable delay in the matter.