asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the number of insured persons, including boys and girls

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state, in terms of money and percentages, the amount of State aid, in relation to the amount raised by rates, and the total expenditure on rate-aided services in Birmingham, Durham County, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester during the last financial year?

The particulars for the four areas in England are given below. As regards Glasgow I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.and the number registered as unemployed on the 31st October last, in the Liverpool City, Docks, Garston, and Bootle exchange areas?

The approximate number of insured persons, aged 14–64, whose unemployment books were exchanged, in July, 1938, at all the Employment Exchanges in the Liverpool, Bootle and Garston area, was 415,670, and the number of insured persons of these ages recorded as unemployed at the same Exchanges on 17th October, 1938, was 73,184.

asked the Minister of Labour when he intends to take steps to include all black-coated workers with under £400 income inside the unemployment insurance scheme?

My right hon. Friend has nothing to add to previous replies on this subject.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can state, either definitely or approximately, the number of non-manual workers included in the current records of registered unemployed; the number of those workers who are women or girls; and whether he has any information in regard to the number of unregistered unemployed non-manual workers?

The unemployment statistics compiled by my Department do not distinguish non-manual workers separately. I am unable to make any reliable estimate of the total number included in the figures, but at 20th June, 1938, the latest date for which such figures are available, 67,335 men and 39,151 women wholly unemployed, aged 18 and over, were registered at Employment Exchanges as applicants for employment in occupations that are wholly or mainly non-manual. I have no information as to the numbers of unemployed non-manual workers who do not register at Employment Exchanges.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he will state the number of applicants in the Borough of Merthyr Tydfil who are in receipt of allowances under the Unemployment Assistance Board;(2) the number of applicants in the Borough of Merthyr Tydfil in receipt of unemployment assistance allowances who are also in receipt of the additional allowances under the Unemployment Assistance (Winter Adjustments) Regulations, 1938?

Information relating solely to the Borough of Merthyr Tydfil is not available, but in the Unemployment Assistance Board's administrative area of Merthyr Tydfil, of which the major portion of the borough forms part, there were on the 21st November last 3,802 assessments current for payment of unemployment allowances. Of this number 2,339 included an addition under the Unemployment Assistance (Winter Adjustments) Regulations, 1938.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider the alteration of the regulation under which an employé in His Majesty's dockyard who terminated his dockyard service on attaining 6o years of age is compelled to report weekly at the Employment Exchange whether he desires to obtain further employment or not; and whether, if he so desires, he may be permitted to report quarterly or monthly instead of weekly as at present?

In order to help unemployed persons who do not wish to become voluntary contributors under the Health Insurance and Pension scheme, the Ministry of Health has made arrangements with my Department whereby such persons can attend the Employment Exchange weekly and so obtain evidence for their societies that they are unemployed and available for work. This evidence is for the purpose of maintaining their Health Insurance and Pensions rights. I am informed that it would not be practicable to arrange for such attendances to be less frequent than once a week.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he is aware that, on the occasion of the calling up of the fire brigade to the Houses of Parliament on 29th November, great difficulty was experienced by the brigade in approaching the scene of conflagration owing to the narrowness of the archways in the courtyards; and what action is contemplated to remedy this obvious danger to life and property?

If the fire engines enter by New Palace Yard, they experience no difficulty in negotiating the archways. Instructions were given some time ago to ensure that the engines enter by the correct entrance, but in the present case one of the engines inadvertently used the wrong entrance.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether he is satisfied that no appreciable number of officers and men of the Territorial Army will be required for civil duties in the event of a national emergency;(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that the places of officers and men of the Territorial Army, who in a national emergency would be required for urgent civil duties, should be filled by trained men who would not be so required?

The question whether any particular individual, at any given time, will be more advantageously employed in one of the Services, or in his normal occupation, is one for authority to decide in the light of requirements.In order to meet the eventuality that men in some units may be better employed in their normal occupations, units of the Territorial Army are permitted to recruit considerably in excess of their establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give the number of officers who are in the Territorial Army Reserve; and how many of those officers, indicating the ranks thereof, have attended annual training with units at camp, or have had military training of another kind during the year 1938?

On 1st July last, which is the latest date for which figures are available, the strength of the Territorial Army Reserve of Officers was 6,756. I am not able to say, without considerable research, how many such officers, and of what ranks, attended camp or other training during the year. No complete record of such attendance has been collated.

asked the right hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, how many acres have been taken possession of under the Special Areas afforestation scheme; and how many such areas are situate in the county of Durham?

Possession has been taken by the Forestry Commissioners of 51,357 acres in the Special Areas; 406 acres are in the county of Durham.

asked the right hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, how many unemployed men have been employed on Special Areas afforestation schemes; and how many of such men have been employed in the county of Durham during the last forestry year, with the average duration of employment and the average wage per week worked of the county Durham men so employed?

Approximately 680 men have been employed by the Forestry Commissioners for varying periods on Special Areas afforestation schemes During the year to 30th September last 64 men have been employed in the county of Durham on Special Areas schemes, 23 of these for an average of 14 to 15 weeks at an average wage of £1 19S. per week, and 41 for an average of 10 weeks at a wage of £1 18s. per week.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether in view of the increased consumption of fruit-juice in this country, he proposes to take any steps to assist British fruit growers in developing and protecting the establishment of a fruit-juice producing industry in this country?

For some time research designed to assist the development of fruit juice production in this country has been in progress with financial assistance from the Government. Provision for this work has recently been extended. A National Mark scheme under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Acts has also been introduced with a view to encouraging the production and consumption of home produced fruit products, including fruit juices, of certain defined standards of quality.Foreign fruit juices of the kinds produced from home-grown fruit are subject to a duty of 10 per cent. ad valorem. If home producers consider that the protection thus afforded is insufficient, it is open to them to make representations on the subject to the Import Duties Advisory Committee.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what decision he has arrived at in connection with the representations that the land fertility scheme subsidy should be extended to include super-phosphates as well as basic slag?

The reasons for limiting the Land Fertility Scheme to lime and basic slag were debated during the passage of the Agriculture Bill. I am not aware of any recent representations in the sense indicated by my hon. and gallant Friend; but in any case the circumstances are not, in my opinion, such as to justify asking Parliament to consider legislation to extend the scheme to include superphosphate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when it is intended to lay before the House the amendments of the Potato Marketing Scheme; and whether he is now able to give an assurance that no authority will be given to the Potato Marketing Board to enter into competition with manufacturers in this country, using potatoes as a raw material, or to interfere in the normal working of the machinery for distribution?

I am not yet in a position to say when it will be possible to lay the amendments before the House. My hon. Friend is, no doubt, aware that the objections that were made to the proposed amendments have recently formed the subject of a lengthy public inquiry. The report of the Commissioner who conducted the inquiry has been received only within the last day or two, and it will require careful consideration by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself. In the meantime it would not be proper for me to express an opinion on the merits of any of the proposed amendments.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that dentists qualifying after 1921 have to pay an annual fee of about£4 whereas other dentists have to pay no annual fee; and, in view of the dissatisfaction amongst dentists, will he cause an inquiry to be made into the whole question of the payment of such fees?

I have been asked to reply. The Dentists Act, 1921, provides that payment of the annual fee to which the hon. Member refers may be required only in the case of dentists registered after the commencement of the Act. This provision, which preserved the rights of those practising dentistry before the Act was passed, gave effect to a recommendation of the Interdepartmental Committee on the Dentists Act, 1878. So far as I am aware it has not caused any general dissatisfaction in the dental profession, and I do not consider that further inquiry into the question is called for.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the total amount of wages and salaries paid to persons engaged in commerce and industry in this country for each year from 1927 to the most recent date?

The precise information desired is not available. Some estimates of the total amount paid in respect of wages and salaries have been made by private investigators; and, for 1930, an estimate of the total amount paid in wages to persons engaged in industry, other than those employed by public utility undertakings and Government Departments, was made in connection with the Census of Production. A similar estimate will be made for 1935 in the final report on the Census of Production for that year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the average percentage increase in the productivity of labour in this country for each year from 1927 to the most recent date?

Information on this matter can only be given in respect of those years for which a Census of Production has been held. Comparisons between the years 1935 and 193o cannot be made at present as the final results of the 1935 Census of Production are not yet available.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can state the location of the site for the building to house the new automatic telephone exchange at Greenock; when it is intended that the erection will be completed; and when he expects the automatic system to be put into public use?

The site for the new automatic telephone exchange at Greenock is situated in Market Street. The building is expected to be completed early in 1941. Installation and testing of the automatic equipment will take approximately 12 months.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the present number of subscribers to wireless relay services in this country; what proportion they represent of the total number of wireless licence holders; what has been the expenditure of the General Post Office up to date on relay service work; and whether he is yet in a position to state what policy he intends to adopt in this matter?

The present number of subscribers to wireless relay services in this country is about 250,000, representing about 3 per cent. of the total number of wireless licence holders. The expenditure by the Post Office since April, 1936, on research and experiments in connecection with wire broadcasting is estimated at about £55,000. The policy to be adopted in regard to the future conduct of the services is at present under consideration by the Government, but no decision has yet been reached.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the heavy demands which urgent matters of national importance are making upon the time of local authorities and others concerned with the proposed no-waiting regulations, notice of which he gave on the 23rd September, 1938, he is prepared to extend the time within which representations may be made to him concerning the proposed regulations?

The 40 days' notice of my intention to make the regulations expired on 2nd November, but I recognise that the matters to which my hon. Friend refers have, in a number of cases, prevented local authorities and others from giving that consideration to the proposed regulations which the importance of the subject demands. Therefore, although I am annxious that there shall be no avoidable delay in bringing the regulations into operation, I have decided to extend the period during which representations may be submitted to the 31st January, 1939.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that approximately go per cent. of the agricultural holdings of this country are at present without electricity supply; how such percentage compares with that obtaining in Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany; and whether he can now give an assurance that the question of rural electricity supply in this country will be dealt with as one of urgency?

While no official statistics are available as to the number of agricultural holdings in Great Britain which have a supply of electricity, I am informed that at the end of the year 1936–37 approximately 25,000 farms and horticultural premises out of 136,000, or just over 18 per cent., were obtaining a supply. In regard to the second part of the question, I have no information which would enable me to make: itch a comparison. With regard to the third part I cannot amplify the recent statement by the Prime Minister.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether it is proposed to introduce during the current Session the necessary legislation for the establishment of a single corporation for conducting overseas air transport to and from this country?

I hope that it will be possible to introduce the legislation referred to shortly after the Recess.