asked the President of the Board of Trade whether arrangements have now been made and, if so, of what nature to increase the volume of perishable foodstuffs, especially meat, stored in cold-storage accommodation in this country; what is the present approximate total volume of such accommodation; and what proportion of it is regularly and fully used?

No arrangements of the kind suggested in the first part of the question have been made, or are in contemplation by the Board of Trade. With reference to the second part, a comprehensive survey of the cold storage accommodation in Great Britain is in progress. Until this has been completed, I am not able to give the detailed particulars for which my hon. and learned Friend asks.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the first results of the Census of Production taken in 1935 will be published?

Preliminary figures for all trades were published in the Board of Trade Journal in the course of last year. Part I of the final report was published last month.

asked the Minister of Labour what is the rate of the expenses of administering unemployment benefit to the net contribution of the insurance account of the Unemployment Fund for the last three financial years?

The cost of administration of unemployment insurance expressed as a percentage of the net contribution income of the insurance account of the Unemployment Fund for the last three financial years was as follows:

Year ended 31st March.	Per cent.
1936	7.0
1937	7.6
1938	7.8

The rise in the percentage is due mainly to the reduction in the rates of contributions under the General Scheme in July, 1936, and to the extension of unemployment insurance, at lower rates of contributions, to employment in agriculture in May, 1936, and February, 1937.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the number of unemployed registered in the borough of West Ham for the three months ending June, September, and the nearest available date in October, 1938; the number of persons who received unemployment allowances in transitional payments; the total amount paid; and, the amount paid each quarter?

pursuant to his reply (OFFICIAL REPORT, 3rd November, 1938; col. 341, Vol. 340), supplied the following statement:The table below shows for Employment Exchanges in West Ham, the numbers of persons aged 14 and over registered as unemployed at one date in each month from April to October, 1938, and the weekly numbers and amounts of payments of unemployment assistance (exclusive of payments in supplementation of insurance benefit) in those months.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that although panel doctors receive the same fee of 9s. per annum in respect of young health-insured persons between 14 and 16 years of age as in the case of those between 16 and 65, some of them charge a fee for the issue of medical certificates for the first category when required for claiming benefit from sources other than National Health Insurance though they are compelled to issue certificates for the second category for the same panel fee; and if he will take steps to remove this anomaly?

An insurance practitioner is obliged to give medical certificates without charge only if they are required for the purposes of National Health Insurance. He is entitled to make a charge for a certificate which is not required for those purposes, whether in respect of a juvenile contributor or of an adult insured person. The last part of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that many persons who joined the Spanish Government forces are now returning disabled and claiming benefits from the funds of approved societies; and, in view of the fact that such funds were never intended to carry those additional liabilities, he will take steps to secure compensation from the Spanish authorities for these disabled men?

As regards the first part of the question perhaps the hon. Member will let me have details of any case of which he has knowledge. As regards the second part the question of any approach to the Spanish Government is a matter which falls within the province of the Foreign Office.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will give the number of insured doctors who have taken courses of post-graduate studies in the period since such courses were introduced?

Of the insurance practitioners practising in England 58 attended a short series of experimental courses of post-graduate medical instruction in the autumn of 1937, and 862 will have attended courses this year when the current programme is completed this month.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the wooden houses erected near Hull by the Timber Development Association; and whether these will be admitted as eligible for the governmental subsidy under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1938, in cases where local authorities desire to erect them for agricultural workers?

I am aware of the houses referred to in the first part of the ques

			Date of appointment.
Nursing Services—Interdepartmental (with Ministry of Health)	…	…	November, 1937.
Domestic Subjects in Public Elementary Schools—Departmental	…	…	February, 1938.

STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
Consultative Committee	…	…	…	August, 1900.
Secondary School Examinations Council.	…	…	…	September, 1917.
Teachers' Salaries, Three Standing Joint Committees on	…	…	…	September, 1919; May, 1920; December, 1920.
Adult Education Committee	…	…	…	April, 1921.
Central Advisory Committee for Certification of Teachers	…	…	…	August, 1930.
All of the above Committees include representatives of the interests concerned.
With the exception of the Consultative Committee none is a Statutory Committee.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he can state the average number of children who obtained milk daily under the milk-in-schools scheme either free or by payment in grant-earning schools in England and Wales for the 12 months ended the last convenient date?

No figures are available showing the average number of children who take milk under the Milk-in-Schools Scheme daily throughout the year. On 31st March, 1938, the latest date for which figures are available, 2,853,038 children in schools in England and Wales recognised for grant by the Board took

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what committees connected with his Department are now in being; and whether he will state in each case the name of the committee, whether it is classified as departmental, advisory or otherwise; whether it is a statutory committee or otherwise; when it was appointed; and whether it consists of or includes representatives of interests concerned?

The following is a list of committees (excluding committees composed exclusively of officials) connected with the Board of Education:milk under the scheme, of whom 461,288 received it free and 2,391,750 obtained it on payment.

asked the Postmaster-General what has been the approximate expenditure to date on the provision of a television service; what has been the approximate amount of revenue received from licences for television receivers; and what is the approximate number of such receivers in existence?

I am informed by the British Broadcasting Corporation that the capital expenditure incurred on the television service up to the 30th September, 1938, less depreciation written off, was approximately £126,000, and that the revenue expenditure up to that date, including depreciation and programme, engineering, and staff costs, was approximately £660, 000.In accordance with the recommendation of the Television Committee, the reception of television is at present regarded as covered by the ordinary wireless receiving licence and no special television licence is required. The question of introducing a special licence is reviewed from time to time by the Television Advisory Committee, but they do not consider that such a course would be desirable at the present stage of development of the service.I have no precise information regarding the number of television receivers in existence. I understand, however, that the Television Advisory Committee receive confidential information, from time to time, from the Radio Manufacturers' Association concerning the total number of sets sold by members of the Association.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that viewers of television in the neighbourhood of aerodromes have their viewing seriously interrupted by low-flying aircraft; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I am not aware that any serious interruption of television reception has been caused by low-flying aircraft, but if my hon. Friend will furnish particulars of any complaint on the subject I will have the matter investigated.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the Central Electricity Board employs disabled ex-service men for light work; and, if so, for what kind of work?

The Central Electricity Board employs ex-service men whenever practicable. Most of the manual work, however, is unsuitable for disabled men, involving as it does the climbing of towers and working at heights on overhead lines.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will have inquiry made into the complaint of the rural district council of Goole about its inability to secure any electricity supply in the parishes of Fockerby, Reedness, Whitgift, Cusefleet, Adlingfleet, Haldenby, and Eastoft, even in cases where the overhead lines cross the district and where the premises are within 20 yards of the electricity mains?

The Electricity Commissioners are making inquiries and I will let the hon. Member know the result in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is taking any steps to protect the Sea Island cotton industry of the West Indies; if he is aware that while the Sea Island cotton from the British West Indies to the United States of America pays an import duty of seven cents per pound, Florida ships Sea Island cotton duty-free to the United Kingdom; and is this matter being considered in the new trade agreement with the United States of America?

The position of the West Indian Sea Island Cotton Industry has been engaging my attention for some time, and every endeavour is being made to secure satisfactory outlets for it in this country. I can make no statement at present as to the subjects included in the negotiations for a Trade Agreement with the United States.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether all the outstanding requirements of the Army Council have received Treasury sanction?

Decisions in regard to all important measures requisite for the defence of the country rest with the Cabinet. The various Departments concerned, for instance, the Treasury and the War Office, then take the necessary steps to give effect to such decisions.

asked the Secretary of State for War what proportion of the horses owned by the War Department are docked or nicked; what proportion of these were docked or nicked after being acquired by the War Department; and whether he has any statement to make as to the policy of his Department towards such docking or nicking?

Except in the very rare cases in which docking is a surgical necessity owing to injury to the tail, the docking or nicking of Army horses is not permitted; nor are docked or nicked horses purchased for the Army.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Lance-Corporal A. J. Muttock, No. 2038116, 340th Company, 35th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers, was called for duty during the late crisis and that he has a wife and seven children and has not received any separation payment during his period of service, although his wife had received a notice stating that the regimental paymaster would be forwarding her marriage allowance; and will he take steps to expedite this payment?

It appears that owing to an oversight in Sapper Muttock's unit there was delay in the issue of his emoluments. During his fortnight's service he received £6 15s. 6d. He was invited on 23rd October to collect the balance of £3 0s. 9d. owing to him, but has so far failed to do so. I am endeavouring to ascertain the cause of the delays.

asked the Home Secretary what steps have been taken to request judges and magistrates not to specify the nature of imprisonment when imposing prison sentences but to leave this matter to the discretion of the Prison Commissioners; and what has been the response to this request?

The questions whether a sentence of imprisonment should be with or without hard labour, and whether any direction should be given as to the division in which the sentence is to be served, are for the court to decide having regard to the relevant statutory provisions and the circumstances of the individual case.

asked the Home Secretary what action has been taken or is in contemplation to give effect to the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on the use of celluloid (Cmd. 5790)?

Legislation will be necessary to give effect to the recommendations of this committee, and I am not at present in a position to make any statement about legislation on this subject.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the circumstances of a recent industrial accident in Hull, when John William Dailey, aged 63 years, an oilmiller of Barmston Street, Hull, suffered a double fracture of the left arm at the Oxford Street mill of Messrs. Chambers and Fergus; and whether, in view of the fact that the workman received his injuries while trying to place a creeper belt on some machinery, resulting in the trapping of the arm between the belt and the pulley, he will have inquiry made as to the observance of proper safety measures?

Yes, Sir; inquiries have been made and the question of the action to be taken is now under consideration.

asked the Home Secretary what action he proposes to take to give effect to some or all of the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Coroners?

I do not think that it will be possible to undertake legislation on this subject this Session.

asked the Lord Privy Seal under what Act local authorities are held responsible for part-payment of expenses on air-raid precautions incurred by their permanent officials acting on direct instruction from Government Departments without reference to the local authority concerned; and is he considering assuming the whole responsibility for such expenses?

I do not appreciate what the hon. Member has in mind in referring to expenses incurred by local officials of a local authority on direct instruction from Government Departments without reference to the local authority. Instructions, for example, with reference to distribution of respirators, digging of trenches and the preparation of first-aid posts were issued to local authorities in the ordinary way. The one exception in which directions were given to local officials was in connection with evacuation, and in this case the Government are assuming responsibility for the whole of the expenditure incurred as a result of those directions.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware that despite the shortage of gas-masks in certain Black Country towns, masks have been distributed to small villages in purely rural districts where the population is only two or three hundred and where there is no likelihood of a gas attack; and whether there will in future be better co-ordination in the work of gas-mask distribution with proper regard for the relative requirements of urban and country districts?

The distribution of respirators was carried out through the local authorities. When distribution commenced stocks were not sufficient to supply every local authority, and priority was given to the authorities responsible for the areas most vulnerable to attack. Where these vulnerable areas were included within the jurisdiction of a county council, that council would have received its full complement of respirators and some of these would have been distributed to persons resident in the rural parts of the county. In the short time available for the despatch of the respirators from the regional stores, it would not have been possible to discriminate, among persons resident in counties given this priority, between those resident in the urban and those resident in the rural areas.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he is aware that despite all local municipal representations, no gas-masks have been issued for use in Stourbridge up to the present moment; whether it was ever the intention of the authorities to provide Stourbridge with gas-masks during the recent crisis, and, if so, what was the cause of their non-arrival; whether the local authorities were informed that these gas-masks could not arrive before the lapse of approximately two months; and what is the present position of Stourbridge in relation to gas-mask distribution?

Yes, Sir. It was always the intention that every person in the country should be provided with a respirator. When, however, distribution commenced stocks were not sufficient to supply every area, and priority was given to those which were most vulnerable to attack. Stourbridge was not among the areas to which this priority was given. It is not the case that the local authority were informed that they could no be supplied with respirators until after a lapse of approximately two months. The present position is that the local authority have been asked to ascertain, by inquiry of the residents, how many respirators of each of the various sizes will be required; and, as soon as these particulars are forwarded to the Home Office, the required numbers of respirators will be issued.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can state the approximate amount of damage done by rats during last year; whether he is satisfied that one national rat week per year represents a sufficient effort to deal with this serious menace; and whether he will consider advising local authorities to organise these rat weeks more frequently?

I fear that it is not possible to give a reliable estimate of the damage done by rats, but it is common knowledge that the extent of the damage each year is serious. The main object of the national rat week is to focus public attention on the necessity for taking effective action for the destruction of rats and I do not think that, for this purpose, it is necessary for my Department to organise more than one rat week in any year. I have reason to believe that the local authorities, who are responsible for the enforcement of the provisions of the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919, realise that the suppression of the rat pest calls for continuous effort throughout the year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the official statement that the increase in the total imports of mutton this year is due to larger arrivals of ewe mutton, he can state the countries from which it comes and the amount of such ewe mutton which has been imported in each of the last three years?

Imports of ewe mutton are not separately distinguished in the United Kingdom trade returns, but a reliable indication of such imports can be gained from the statistics of seasonal killings for export in New Zealand, practically the whole of which are sent to this country. The increased imports of mutton during the first nine months of this year came entirely from New Zealand, supplies from other sources having declined. In the last three seasons killings of sheep for export in New Zealand have been as follow:

Season (12 months ended 30th September).		Wether Mutton Carcases.	Ewe Mutton Carcases.
1935–36	…	1,143,247	737,480
1936–37	…	970,684	805,891
1937–38	…	1,016,546	1,171,541

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the substantial increase in the imports of mutton during the first nine months of this year; and whether he now proposes, in view of the state of the sheep industry, to restrict this large volume of imports in future?

I am aware that there has been some increase in imports of mutton during the first nine months of this year, but this was largely offset by smaller imports of lamb, which is more closely competitive with the home product. Total imports of mutton and lamb during this period were only 1 per cent. above the quantities imported in the corresponding period of 1937. As regards the second part of the question, the supply position during the forthcoming year is receiving consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the tonnage and prices of feeding offals for livestock shipped from Great Britain for the past 12 months; and the quantities and prices of offals imported into this country for the same period?

Figures are not available relating to Great Britain, but the following statement shows the tonnage and average value per ton of cereal byproducts exported from and imported into the United Kingdom during the 12 months ended September last.

Quantities and average declared values of milling offals exported from and imported into the United Kingdom in the year ended 30th September, 1938.
—	Quantity.	Average declared value per ton.
	Tons.	£	s.
Exports.
Bran and Pollards	5,100	8	0
Other cereal byproducts	8,700	6	3
Imports.
Bran and Pollards	405,700	6	6
Sharps and Middlings	195,800	6	12
Rice meal and dust	363,200	5	9
Other cereal by products.	30,300	4	16

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has considered the proposals of the National Farmers' Union for a price insurance scheme; and whether he has any statement to make upon them?

I would refer my lion. Friend to the reply which I gave on 3rd November to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Ayr Burghs (Sir T. Moore), to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give the figures

Year.					Males.			Females.	Total Workers.
					Juvenile.*	Adult.	Total Males.
					Number.	Number.	Number.	Number.	Number.
1925	…	…	…	…	161,347	532,814	694,161	109,177	803,338
1930	…	…	…	…	129,262	515,491	644,753	96,943	741,696
1936	…	…	…	…	108,674	459,438	568,112	72,461	640,573
1938†	…	…	…	…	96,400	429,000	525,400	66,900	592,300
* Under 21 years.							† Provisional.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the expenditure of the Cattle Commission for the first 12 months of operation under the Livestock Industry Act is likely to be something under £4,000,000; and whether he proposes that any steps should be taken to ensure that such assistance shall be more nearly approximate to the £5,000,000 which was promised when that Act was under consideration by Parliament?

I am aware that, during the first 12 months' operation under the Livestock Industry Act, expenditure on Cattle Subsidy was slightly over £4,000,000. Rates of subsidy prescribed from time to time take account of the market situation, within the maximum total expenditure laid down in the Act. Revised Subsidy Regulations, which came into force on 1st July, 1938, allow a greater proportion of animals to obtain the quality rate of subsidy, and it is estimated that at present subsidy payments are at the rate of about £4,300,000 per annum.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how the imports of barley to

The following table shows the numbers of workers, excluding the occupier, his wife and domestic servants, employed on agricultural holdings in England and Wales, as returned by the occupiers of the holdings on 4th June in each of the years mentioned. Separate figures are not available for juvenile and adult female workers.date this year compare with those during the same period of last year?

The quantity of barley imported from all sources during the period January-September, 1938, was 726,000 tons, compared with 583,000 tons in the corresponding period in 1937.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will now disclose what were the plans it was proposed to impose on British agriculturists in a time of national emergency to further the schemes of the food defence department and thus to remove the feeling of uncertainty due to the secrecy of this policy?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Frome (Mrs. Tate) on 7th July last.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of children on the roll of schools in Scotland in the years 1917, 1927 and 1937; and how many of these in each of those years were in ordinary schools, in Roman Catholic schools, and in Episcopal schools, respectively?

The following table gives the average number of children on the roll of State-aided schools in Scotland, classified

—				Year ended 31st July, 1917.	Year ended 31st July, 1927.	Year ended 31st July, 1937.
Ordinary Schools	…	…	…	746,349	698,077	665,042
Roman Catholic Schools	…	…	…	105,309	121,136	129,866
Episcopal Shools	…	…	…	8,356	6,075	4,585
Total	…	…	…	860,014	825,288	799,493

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he intends to introduce legislation in the near future to put into effect the recommendations made by the Poor Persons' Representation (Scotland) Committee in 1937?

My right hon. Friend is pursuing inquiries on the subject in consultation with the Lord Advocate, and with the associations of local authorities, but he is not yet in a position to make a statement as to the prospects of legislation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many objections his Department has received from newspaper proprietors, or associations of newspapers, to the imposition of a tariff on imported foreign or Dominion newsprint, with a preference to the Dominions; and whether he will give the names of any objectors?

I am not aware that any such proposal is under consideration.