asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will state the number of notifications received from Lancashire to plough up grassland under the Government scheme of subsidy; and how many acres are involved?>

I have been asked to reply. Up to and including 13th June 70 notifications had been received from Lancashire of intention to plough up grassland under the Government's scheme, representing a total acreage of 1,620 acres.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the total production in Great Britain of oats and barley during each of the last 10 years; the acreage, the average yield per acre, and the average price per cwt. for the same years?

The following statements give the desired information:

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can now state the arrangements proposed with regard to Christmas air-mail to Egypt and the Middle East; and whether he can give his assurance that the delays experienced in 1938 will in no measure be experienced in 1939?

A report from the operating company on the working of the Empire services during the Christmas season 1938 was asked for early in the year. This is now being examined by my Department and the Post Office in consultation with the operating company. Whilst I am unable to give the complete assurance asked for by the hon. Member in the second part of the question, I can assure him that it is our intention to take all practicable steps within our power, and in the light of present circumstances, to eliminate delays during the next Christmas season.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he has anything to report as a result of the investigation into the fatal accident to the Imperial Airways flying-boat Calpurnia, on Lake Habbaniyah, in December, 1938?

The conclusions of the Inspector of Accidents with regard to this accident are being published in the form of a communiqué. It appears that towards the end of the flight from Tiberias the pilot was uncertain of his exact position and unable, owing to strong atmospherics, to receive the wireless bearings sent to him. He was flying very low in darkness and adverse weather conditions in an endeavour, to fix his position by ground observation, and failed to realise how low he was. The aircraft then struck the water of the lake with the engines running under power.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he can give an assurance that the Government, through the Treasury, are taking steps to confer with the governors of the Bank of England, with a view to ensuring as far as possible that the resources at the disposal of the Government are sufficient to forestall a rise in interest rates, in view of the adverse economic, financial and political circumstances which at present prevail?

The Government, in close co-operation with the Bank of England, have all such matters under continuous review.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered the fact that many ex-service men, who have for many years been continuously in the Civil Service, though the service is technically described as temporary, will retire at 65 years of age on only a few shillings a week as pension and will be ineligible for the old age pension for five years thereafter; and whether he will reconsider the position so as to enable these civil servants to have pensions comparable with the service they have given the State?

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is aware that an established officer who has previously served in an unestablished capacity as a temporary clerk and whose established service is short may be eligible only for a small pension (plus a lump sum payable on retirement) and that on establishment he ceases to be compulsorily insured for a contributory old age pension at age 65; he can, however, if he chooses remain a voluntary contributor.As my right hon. Friend stated in his reply of 27th July, 1937, to the hon. Member for the Ince Division (Mr. G. Macdonald), he feels bound to uphold the essential distinction between established and unestablished service, and, as has been repeatedly stated. His Majesty's Government do not feel able to reconsider the existing arrangements.

asked the Home Secretary upon what statutory rule or regulation the Metropolitan Commissioner of Police relies in withholding from third parties copies of statements made to the police by parties to and witnesses of road accidents except on subpoena to attend the hearing of an action; and whether this refusal includes in all cases permission to see the statements at a police station?

A chief officer of police is under no legal obligation to supply a third party with information furnished to the police by parties to or witnesses of a road accident, and it is the general practice not to furnish such statements to third parties except where a subpoena is served on the officer to whom the statements were made. Where an application for a copy of a statement is not granted, permission would not be given to see the statement at a police station.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will extend the residence permit of the German refugee family Tallert, brought over and maintained by the York Refugee Committee, on whose behalf a telegram was forwarded to the Aliens Department on 31st May?

This family have been granted a prolongation of their stay in this country until the 5th November next.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will allow the Steamship "St. Louis," returning from Cuba to Hamburg with 915 Jewish refugees, to go to Palestine, deducting this number from the legal quota of refugees in view of the fact that the American Jewish Help Committee has deposited 450,000 dollars at Havana and is prepared to transfer the same to Palestine?

I would refer the right hon. Member to the answer given yesterday by the Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs to a question by the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams). I understand that temporary asylum is to be provided in this and other countries for all these persons.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in consultation with the Minister of Labour he will consider the case of men who have enlisted in anti-aircraft units embodied for 28 days and who are by trade labourers in the building construction trades and receive pay by the hour and not on the ordinary weekly basis, in consequence of which their employers do not help them by paying a proportion or the whole of their normal wage during the time these men are in camp; and whether the peculiar position of these men, especially if they have families, can be considered?

It is not practicable to distinguish between the cases referred to in the question and any other cases in which civil pay is not drawn. Family allowance will be issuable to Territorials called out for service under the Reserve and Auxiliary Forces Act, 1939, if they are otherwise entitled to it, without any restriction as to their age.

asked the Secretary of State for War why no firm of boot manufacturers in Scotland received a share in the contract for 1,000,000 pairs of Army boots for which tenders were recently invited?

Eight Scottish firms were invited to tender for this contract. Three failed to reply, and, of the remainder, one offered an unacceptable pattern, while the failure of the other firms to obtain orders was due to the prices quoted, the War Office having met its requirements at lower prices than those offered. Further quantities of ankle boots will be purchased shortly, and the capacity for production which is available in Scotland will not be overlooked.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will take steps to ensure that the members of the Military Training (Hardship) Committees and the local tribunals in Wales shall consist of Welsh-speaking persons?

I will bear the hon. Member's suggestion in mind in making the appointments.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether arrangements have now been made to ensure the co-operation of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the physical and recreational training movement; and, if so, when he anticipates it will be possible to arrange for such co-operation?

If my hon. Friend is referring to the proposals for the early morning broadcasting of physical exercises which were recently under consideration, I regret that it has not been possible to arrange for such broadcasts. The British Broadcasting Corporation have, however, given and will, I hope, continue to give valuable support to the Fitness Campaign in other parts of their programme.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education how many of the 58 non-provided schools in Wales which have been on the black list since 1925 belong to the Church in Wales, the Roman Catholic Church, and other denominations, respectively?

Of the 58 non-provided schools in Wales still on the Black List 51 belong to the Church in Wales and 7 to the Roman Catholic Church

asked the Minister of Health whether he will instruct his inspectors, when making statutory inquiries as to applications by local authorities for loans, to obtain in every case figures showing for the previous five years in the area in question the number of summonses for non-payment of rates, the number of distress warrants issued and for what amounts, and the amount of unpaid rates outstanding; and whether he will publish these figures?

In the consideration of applications for sanction to loans, the financial circumstances of the local authority are always carefully reviewed, and I do not think that the detailed returns referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend would add materially to the information which is normally available to my Department, or would be relevant to a decision on a loan application.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered a recommendation by the Joint Fire Committee of the Tamworth Borough Council and the Tamworth Rural District Council that a certain tender in respect of a new fire station should be accepted, although exceeding by a trivial amount the lowest tender, on the ground that local labour would be employed, whereas, if the lowest tender were accepted, labour would be brought from a distance; and whether, in view of the joint committee in inviting tenders having reserved the right to accept a tender other than the lowest, he will approve the joint committee's recommendation?

I have been unable to accept the reasons advanced by the joint committee as sufficient justification for passing over the lowest tender.

asked the Minister of Health under what authority port health authorities have the power to detain vessels in port in cases in which nuisances and defects in the crews' accom- modation are not remedied after the attention of the master has been drawn to them by the port medical officer or one of his inspectors?

Port health authorities have no power to detain vessels in port in the cases to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Minister of Health what arrangements exist for consultation and co-operation among port health authorities?

The principal port health authorities in England and Wales are members of the Association of Port Health Authorities of the British Isles. The association meets twice a year, and has a general committee and a medical committee which meet at more frequent intervals. Special committees are also from time to time appointed to deal with urgent or specially technical questions.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he will inquire into the practice adopted by contractors at the Bridgend Royal Arsenal of stopping workmen without due notice, and the hardship incurred particularly by those travelling by omnibuses from the mining valleys?

I am assured by the contractors that the notice required under the Working Rules is invariably given.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he is aware that great dissatisfaction is expressed by workers at the Bridgend Royal Arsenal at the dismissal and the threatened dismissal of local labour whilst their jobs are given to persons until recently employed at Chorley and other places and engaged direct by the contractors; and what steps he proposes to take to carry out his undertaking that priority of employment would be given to persons resident in this distressed area?

I am assured that the contractors are doing all in their power to absorb as much local labour as possible, but that the supply of skilled and experienced labour available locally is insufficient to obviate the necessity of importing a percentage of such labour. The undertaking given by my right hon. Friend was that all vacancies notified to the Bridgend Employment Exchange would be brought to the notice of suitably qualified men in the locality or in neighbouring areas. This undertaking is being carried out.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he will arrange to have planted and maintained in easily accessible spots in the Queen Mary Gardens, Regent's Park, and in St. James's Park, small herb gardens, provided with identification diagrams of each herb explanatory of its medical and cookery uses?

While recognising the interest of my hon. Friend's suggestion, I feel that, in the comparatively small areas in the Royal Parks available for planting, beds of herbs, with adequate documentation, would not contribute to the pleasure of the public or to the appearance of the parks so much as the present displays of flowers, changing with the varied seasons.

asked the First Commissioner of Works how many of the offices of the Ministry occupied wholly or partly by the Ministry of Labour staff and /or occupied jointly with the staff of other Government Departments, and /or outside business firms, are constructionally capable of being fitted with air-raid precautions shelters and other protective material; when these air-raid precautions arrangements will be completed; what interim arrangements are being made in those offices where the premises cannot be so constructionally fitted for air-raid precautions; and how soon he anticipates new and suitable premises for air-raid precautions will be provided?

In practically all Ministry of Labour offices in vulnerable areas, it should be possible to provide an adequate measure of air-raid protection, either by strengthening or adding to existing structures or by making trenches in adjoining ground. In cases where the staff are housed in Crown buildings whether or not jointly occupied, or in premises of which there is a single lease with more than 10 years to run, my Department is undertaking the work. In other cases where the offices are in leased accommodation occupied by staffs of 50 or more, it will be the obligation of the landlords under the Civil Defence Bill to provide refuge accommodation.The programme will necessarily take time to carry out. The survey of Crown buildings is practically complete and structural work has started in a good proportion of cases. I am unable to say when landlords will complete the work for which they will be responsible under the Civil Defence Bill. Pending the provision of shelter schemes a circular has been issued to all staffs informing them of emergency measures that can be taken, if necessary, by means of sand-bags, wire netting, gas proof cloth, etc., and supplies of these articles have been made, or are being made, available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the evidence now supplied, he will inquire again into the firing on the "Aghias Nicolaos" in Palestine waters, and, in particular, whether there was a machine-gun on the motor-launch?

As at present advised, my right hon. Friend sees no reason for further inquiry into this incident. As regards the last part of the question, there was one Lewis gun on the launch.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the reason for the delay in adopting the reclamation scheme at Bathurst, recommended by Sir Arthur Richards when Governor of Gambia, for the prevention of large numbers of African people being flooded out of their homes during the rainy season?

The serious deterioration in the financial situation of the Gambia owing to the fall in price of its principal export crop has made it necessary to employ funds, provisionally earmarked for the reclamation scheme, to meet budgetary deficits. The original proposals for financing the scheme will have to be reviewed and a despatch just received from the Governor on this matter inter alia is now under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Governor of Cyprus has considered the petition signed by thousands of Cypriots demanding a representative form of government; and whether it is proposed to take action in the matter?

My right hon. Friend was recently informed by the Acting Governor that petitions on this subject were being prepared, but has not yet heard that the Acting Governor has received any such petition.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any steps are being taken to secure co-ordination of work in similar Departments as between Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland in anticipation of closer working or amalgamation; and whether, in view of the increasing demand for Africans as labour supply to South Africa and Southern Rhodesia, and the necessity of a sound economic development policy in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland as well as a united labour policy, steps can be taken now towards united working of the labour departments and officers of the two northern territories?

The recent Royal Commission recommended that machinery should be created for the co-ordination of Government services and the framing of plans for joint development between the three territories of Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Southern Rhodesia; and the question of further co-ordination of services between Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland is necessarily dependent, in the first place, upon a decision as to that recommendation. As my right hon. Friend informed the House on the 7th June in the Debate on the Colonial Office Vote, he is not yet in a position to state the attitude of the Government towards the Royal Commission's recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether compulsory attendance at school operates in all parts of Jamaica; what are the age limits for such attendance; whether there is adequate school accommodation for the number of children eligible to attend; and what is the average attendance in elementary schools?

School attendance in Jamaica is compulsory in Kingston and certain other urban areas between the ages of eight and 14 years. It is not compulsory on the rest of the Island. Accommodation in primary schools is not fully adequate for the number of children eligible to attend. In 1937, the latest year for which figures are available, the average attendance in primary schools was 61 per cent, of the total roll in the compulsory areas, 54 per cent, in the non-compulsory areas, and 55 per cent. in the whole Island. The average attendance represented approximately 67 per cent. of the number of children for whom accommodation was available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has yet received the scheme for land settlement by the Government of Jamaica; and, if so, when he will be able to have a copy of the scheme placed in the Library?

My right hon. Friend has not yet received the detailed scheme from the Governor of Jamaica. Inquiry is being made as to when it may be expected. As soon as it is available, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the proposed changes which the Government of Jamaica has under consideration for the revision of the constitution; and whether the proposed revision will require the approval of the Imperial Parliament before being confirmed?

By a Resolution passed by the Legislative Council of Jamaica on the nth April, a committee of the council was appointed to draft proposals for modifying the constitution of the Colony, My right hon. Friend has not yet received the report of the committee with the Governor's comments upon it, and I am, therefore, not in a position to make any statement on the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the continuing and increasing unrest among British West African Natives with particular reference to recent ordinances operative in Sierra Leone, in particular the deportation ordinance through the provision that the judge may accept and act on less than legal evidence; whether he is also aware that as no system of birth registration exists in Sierra Leone it is impossible for persons charged in that Protectorate to prove they belong to it as required in paragraph 18 (1); and what steps he is taking to remove these and similar causes of unrest?

My right hon. Friend is aware that there have been some demonstrations in Freetown against certain proposed legislation, apparently owing to misapprehensions as to its nature and object, which is not to interfere unduly with the freedom of British subjects and British protected persons, but to ensure that the Sierra Leone Government has adequate powers to safeguard peace and good order. My right hon. Friend is in communication with the Governor with reference to the provision relating to the admissibility of evidence.Compulsory birth registration is not in force in the Protectorate of Sierra Leone, but my right hon. Friend is advised that it should be much less difficult for a person to adduce evidence to prove that he belongs to Sierra Leone, if such is the fact, than it would be for the Crown to prove that a person does not, in a case of that character.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the discontent of his staff who are housed in Metropole Buildings, Cleland House, Princes House and Stone House, arising from the inadequacy of the accommodation, the absence of rest rooms and sickroom facilities, poor lavatory and washing arrangements, and poor lighting system; and what steps are being taken in these respects to secure improved arrangements for these and other members of the staff who are, or have been, or will be transferred from Montagu House to different premises on account of the expansion of the Ministry due to National Service and Militia recruitment?

No, Sir. Some temporary inconvenience may be expected in the early stages of such large scale moves at short notice, but with the aid of my right hon. Friend the First Commissioner of Works and the usual good will of the staff concerned, a reasonable solution can generally be found. My Friend the First Commissioner will gladly look into any specific complaint.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the widespread indignation existing among the travelling public from suburban London at the increase in fares now operating; how many resolutions of protest in connection with this he has received; whether he has made any representations to the Railway Rates Tribunal or the London Passenger Transport Board on behalf of those affected by the increase in fares; whether he will take legislative action to remove a cause of the increase in fares by redeeming certain Transport Board stock or by securing a lower rate of interest thereof; and whether he will seek a guarantee that no further increases in fares will be effected?

I am aware that dissatisfaction is felt in some quarters at the recent increase of fares in the London transport area and I am receiving a deputation on the subject to-morrow morning. About a dozen protests from individuals, ratepayers' associations and one urban district council have been received in my Department.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he was consulted by the London Passenger Transport Board before the adoption of the revised scale of fares; whether he is aware that on some routes in the East End of London the withdrawal or alteration in the cheap midday fares will add as much as 33 per cent. to the cost of travelling to passengers using those routes; that this will inflict hardship on many workpeople who use these cheap midday fares to get home for their midday meal; and what steps he is proposing to get these fares modified?

The Board are not under any obligation to consult me before they adopt revised fares and they did not do so in the case of those brought into force on the 11th June.I am aware that the alterations in the cheap mid-day fare arrangements to which the hon. Member refers entail increases of varying amounts. The alterations are within the powers conferred on the Board by the London Passenger Transport Act, 1933, and did not require the prior sanction of the Railway Rates Tribunal under the provisions of Section 29 of the Act.With regard to the last part of the hon. Member's question I would refer him to the answer which I gave on Wednesday last to a question on this subject by the hon. Baronet the Member for South-West Bethnal Green (Sir P. Harris).

asked the Minister of Transport how many accommodation crossings there are on the chief railway lines of the country; and whether, in view of the serious railway accidents which from time to time occur on such crossings, he will take steps to see that better provision is made to systematise their use?

I give below a statement of the number of occupation and accommodation level crossings available to road vehicles on the principal railways of this country. I am glad to say that serious accidents at occupation crossings are rare: prior to the accident at Hilgay this month, the only serious accident in recent years was in 1934 at Wormley.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the present necessity for encouraging local authorities to concentrate upon work of national importance in connection with Civil Defence, it will be possible to arrange in suitable cases for the postponement of any of the major works authorised or in progress on roads referred to in Appendices II and III of the Ministry of Transport Estimates and estimated to cost in the aggregate 110,000,000, out of which 25,000,000 is to be spent during 1939?

I can assure my hon. Friend that in the consideration of the road improvement schemes referred to in Appendices II and III of the Road Fund Estimates due regard will continue to be paid to the degree of urgency attaching to them in relation to other calls upon the national resources.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in the programme of new works to be launched when the peak of the expenditure on armaments has been passed, he will consider the construction of a bridge from Loch Alsh to the Island of Skye, with or without tolls, to avoid the delays caused by the present ferry service?

I have made a grant from the Road Fund to the Inverness County Council towards the cost of lengthening and improving the ferry pier at Kyleakin, Island of Skye, and have also agreed to make a similar grant to the Ross and Cromarty County Council towards the cost of lengthening and improving the pier at Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland. The chief purpose of these works is to avoid the delay in the ferry service, which at present has to be suspended at low tide. The county councils, who are the responsible highway authorities, have not submitted to me any proposal for the construction of a bridge.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the salary of the chairman of the Traffic Commission for the Northern area of Scotland; whether, in addition, he is also in receipt of a pension; and, if so, the source and the amount of such pension?

The chairman of the Traffic Commissioners for the Northern Scotland area receives a salary of £ 1,500 per annum. He is in receipt of a pension of £ 666 per annum in respect of his services in the police force.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider the application of the 30-miles per hour speed limit on the London-Edinburgh-Thurso trunk road (A 1) from its junction with the Pontefract-Knottingley road northwards, to its junction with Ferrybridge Road, in view of the volume of heavy vehicular and other traffic moving at high speed and constituting a grave danger to children attending school and other pedestrians; and is he aware that the speed limit was previously imposed at this point?

I recently had under consideration the application of the 30-miles per hour speed limit to the length of road referred to by the hon. Member, and after careful consideration of all the relevant circumstances I came to the conclusion, with which I understand the local authorities agree, that this length of road could not properly be regarded as a road in a built-up area and that it should, accordingly, remain free from the speed limit.I am aware that the speed limit was previously applied; it was removed by an Order made by the West Riding of Yorkshire County Council in 1936, to which my predecessor gave his consent in March, 1937.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to deal with motor vehicles and motor cycles now upon the roads equipped with inadequate silencers; and what further steps he is taking to check this continuing nuisance?

As a result of discussions following the report of the Departmental Committee on Noise in the Operation of Mechanically Propelled Vehicles, the manufacturers of motor cycles undertook in 1936 that no motor cycle producing an offensive degree of noise would in future be put on the market. A similar undertaking was given by the manufacturers of motor cars.Such an arrangement seems to me preferable to the making of regulations imposing a precise maximum limit of noise which it would in any case be impracticable to enforce without the use of a large number of delicate noise-measuring instruments.The police can take action with regard to inadequate silencers; more than 10,000 noise offences were dealt with by them during 1937, over 6,000 of them by prosecution.I may add that arrangements have also been made with the manufacturers of motor horns with a view to the elimination of the more noisy types.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any indication can now be given of the steps being taken preliminary to the construction of the Forth road bridge; and, in particular, what steps have been taken to prevent this project being held up by existing transport interests?

Surveys have been made with the aid of grants from the Road Fund and I understand from the motion passed by the annual general meeting of the Convention of Royal Burghs of Scotland, to which the right hon. Member referred in his question on the 17th May last, that a Bill is being prepared for presentation to Parliament. I am not aware that the project is being held up by existing transport interests.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the delays of the Hertfordshire and Middlesex County Councils in widening the Cambridge arterial road, he will take powers to include this important Northern exit among the trunk roads, and so himself assume direct responsibility for its widening?

I am unable to assent to my hon. Friend's suggestion that the county councils have been dilatory. Nor should I feel justified in asking Parliament to amend the Trunk Roads Act so as to constitute this road a trunk road for which I should then become the highway authority.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any decision has yet been reached with reference to the proposal to construct a road from North to South Wales; and, if so, whether it is proposed to follow the suggested route through Mid-Wales or to improve the existing road near the sea coast?

I have at present no proposal before me from the highway authorities concerned for the construction of a new road from North to South Wales.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has any statement to make concerning the committee of in- quiry into the recent railway accident near Downham Market, near Norfolk?

An inquiry into this accident has been held by the Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways. I hope to receive his report at an early date and it will be published in due course.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can give the total number of applications from villages to have electricity supplied which have been reported and considered by the Electricity Commissioners for the years 1936, 1937 and 1938, and have been refused on account of them having been considered uneconomic?

The numbers of communications received in my Department and by the Electricity Commissioners from individuals or communities regarding extensions of supplies of electricity in 1936, 1337 and 1938 were 398, 356 and 368 respectively.The Electricity Commissioners have no power to require undertakings to give supplies. When communications relating to extensions of supplies are received it is their general practice to refer them to the Undertakers concerned, who usually indicate the terms on which they are prepared to give the supplies. These terms are communicatd to the prospective consumers, with whom it rests to decide whether they will accept them.With regard to the number of cases in which a supply has been refused on the grounds that it was uneconomic, it would not be practicable to obtain a definite and accurate figure which I could give my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give an assurance that an official inquiry into the workings of the electricity supply companies will be held, and particularly in connection with those concerns that are governed and controlled by holding companies?

I am not sure what form of inquiry my hon. Friend has in mind, but I would remind him that a Select Committee appointed in another place is at present engaged upon an inquiry into the subject of control of electricity undertakings by holding companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered the appeal of local authorities in Fife for the provision of State assistance to facilitate the reconditioning of suitable existing property and the provision of assistance for the erection of houses for occupation by tenants who do not come within the scope of the Acts relating to overcrowding and slum clearance; and whether the appeal is to be favourably considered?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to two resolutions passed by the Buckhaven Town Council, raising the question of re-conditioning of housing within the burgh, and the further questions of the erection of houses for tenants, other than those within the scope of the Housing Acts relating to slum-clearance or over-crowding, and proposing that subsidies be granted for these purposes; and what steps he proposes to take to meet the demands of the Buckhaven Town Council?

My right hon. Friend has received the resolutions referred to and while he cannot promise amending legislation, arrangements are being made for an early meeting with representatives of the Convention of Royal Burghs to hear their views on these matters.

asked the Attorney-General how many courts of quarter sessions entitled to make application to the Lord Chancellor for the recognition of a legally qualified chairman have done so to the latest convenient date; and how many have not done so?

Forty-eight courts of county quarter sessions have up to 9th June acquired the extended jurisdiction provided under the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1938, by reason of the presence of a legally qualified chairman and/or deputy-chairman. To 27 of these courts chairmen and/or deputy-chairmen have been appointed under Section I (1) of the Act. In the remainder the chairman and/or deputy-chairman is already a legally qualified person under the Act without appointment. In 14 courts of quarter sessions there is, at present, no legally qualified chairman and/or deputy-chairman under the Act. In some of these cases it is understood that the appointment is under consideration locally.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many acres of agricultural land, by counties, has been taken over by the State for Defence or rearmament purposes in the 12 months ended 31st May?

I regret that the figures asked for are not readily available, and could be obtained only by means of a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour, which I should hesitate to ask of the Service Departments under existing; conditions of pressure.