Monday, 21 September 1931
The House met at a Quarter before Three of the Clock, Mr. SPEAKER in the Chair.
1. asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will give particulars of the damage notified to his Department done by floods in Lower Burma; has he any information of the amount of the...
2. asked the Secretary of State for India if he is in a position to say what steps the Government of India are taking, or propose to take, in regard to carrying out the recommendations of the...
3. asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can give any particulars as to the number of rubber estates, with acreage, in Burma which have either ceased tapping or restricted their...
4. asked the Secretary of State for India whether any provision is made by the Government of India or the local governments, except in the case of Madras, to assist families repatriated under the...
5. asked the Secretary of State for India when he hopes to be in a position to make an announcement concerning the personnel of the Burma Bound Table Conference?
6. asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can give information showing the total contraction of the currency in India since the 31st March, 1925?
7. asked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the health of the Meerut prisoners is unsatisfactory; that they are frequently prevented from attending the court on account of...
8 and 9. asked the Secretary of State for India (1) whether he has any information with regard to the disturbances that took place in Kashmir on various occasions during July and August; what...
10. asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action he has taken on the report of His Majesty's Consul-General at Leningrad on the shooting of Mr. Stephenson, of South Shields;...
11. asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Committee of Three appointed by the Council of the League of Nations to deal with the Ukrainian petitions has met again; and...
12. asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has had further communications with the French Government regarding the Dead Sea concessions granted to Mr. Moses Novamesky;...
13. asked the Minister of Pensions the number of offences of fraud reported to the Ministry during 1930, and the number of prosecutions and convictions obtained during the same period?
14. asked the Minister of Agriculture what steps the Government intend to take to encourage the growth of food on allotments cultivated by unemployed and other persons?
19. asked the Minister of Agriculture what are the latest figures for wheat, oats, and barley; and how these compare with the average price since the War?
51. asked the Prime Minister if the adoption of a quota system for agriculture is being or has been considered by the committee set up to consider the balance of trade?
21. asked the Postmaster-General what has been the revenue from Press telegrams during each of the past 10 years; the estimated annual loss to the Post Office; the number of words of Press...
22. asked the Postmaster-General what is the average loss per packet sustained by the Post Office in carrying open packages, with printed papers, now subject to halfpenny stamps; and if he will...
23. asked the Postmaster-General the amount of money which is to be surrendered by the British Broadcasting Corporation to the Exchequer as a contribution to the national emergency?
28. asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has any further statement to make about the proposed cuts in the pay of the officers and ratings of the Royal Navy?
40. asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis building societies are assessed for Income Tax, and the aggregate tax, other than under Schedule A, paid by such societies for the last...
41. asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it was with the sanction of the Treasury that the Government brokers disclosed the fact, prior to the introduction of the Budget, that the coming War...
42. asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what date France, Italy, Belgium, and Rumania began to pay interest on War Debt owing to this country; and whether such interest was paid on the...
The following Question, stood upon the Order Paper in the name of Mr. WISE:
44. asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether a cut is proposed in the State pensions paid to ex-Lord Chancellors?
46. asked the Prime Minister the categories of cases in the Government's scheme of economy to which paragraph (d) in the Economy Bill, with respect to the modification or termination of statutory...
48. asked the Prime Minister whether any calculation has been made by the Government as to the number of persons likely to be rendered unemployed by the operation of the economy measures of the...
52. asked the Prime Minister whether he will state the reply which he has sent to the letter, of 15th September, from the executive committee of the Association of Education Committees expressing...
53. asked the Prime Minister whether, in reconsidering the proposed cuts in which particular classes of persons have been represented to be unfairly affected the Government intends to consult the...
24. asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, if he will arrange for photographs of typical buildings erected by the Office of...
25. asked the Attorney-General whether he will represent to the Lord Chancellor the advisability of revising the membership of the Nottingham Advisory Committee?
26. asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, the average weekly earnings of forest workers who have been employed on piece rates during the six...
27. asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the result of his inquiries as to whether a number of schools erected and supported by Africans in the Kyambu district of Kenya have been closed...
29. asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why a torpedo-boat destroyer was used to convey the Prime Minister at Spithead for the Schneider trophy race; and what was the estimated cost?
31. asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed persons, both men and women, registered at the Employment Exchanges for the weeks ended 29th August and 19th September, respectively?
32. asked the Minister of Labour what action he has taken with regard to the hours being worked by the men employed by the Pirelli Cable Company at South Shields on a scheme financed by the...
33. asked the Minister of Labour whether the post of chairman of a court of referees is a permanent or temporary one?
34. asked the hon. Member for Central Leeds (Mr. Denman), as representing the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, whether any limit has been placed upon the value of houses which may be erected on the...
45. asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the number of people with small incomes who are purchasing their houses by means of loans from building societies and who are to suffer increasing...
35. asked the Minister of Health how far the miscellaneous economies mentioned in the first paragraph of page 7 of the Memorandum on Reduction of National Expenditure are accounted for by a...
36. asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the Census Returns recently published record an increase of population at Swanscombe, Kent, numbering 47, and that this figure is challenged...
37. asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether any conversations have been opened up with the French Government in regard to the suggested ban on luxury imports?
47. asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the difficulties of the international financial system, he will consider the possibilities of the exchange of goods by barter, as in the case of...
50. asked the Prime Minister whether His Majesty's Government will consider, in view of the depressed condition of the Far Eastern markets, to what extent it would be possible to restore trade...
38. asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department. what reply has been given to the London County Council in reply to their application asking that the Home Office give some definite...
39. asked the Home Secretary whether any report has been received from the British delegate to the international conference recently held at Geneva in reference to the limitation of the...
49. asked the Prime Minister,whether in view of the national emergency and the dislocation caused to trade by the length of time necessitated under the present rule as to elections, he will...
I desire, with the permission of the House, to raise a matter of grave injustice as affecting myself and my political convictions. In the Debate on Friday on the question of national economy, the...
I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to suspend the operation of Sub-section (2) of Section one of the Gold Standard Act, 1925, and for purposes connected therewith. When I...
"to suspend the operation of Sub-section (2) of Section one of the Gold Standard Act, 1925, and for purposes connected therewith," presented accordingly, and read the First time; and ordered to...
One or two manuscript Amendments have been handed in and the first one I propose to select is an Amendment standing in the name of the hon. Member for East Leicester (Mr. Wise). He will have to...
Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Clause stand part of the Bill."
Resolution reported: That, for the purposes of any Act of the present. Session to authorise the making of Orders in Council for the purpose of effecting economies in expenditure falling, to be...
That they have agreed to—
Message to attend the Lords Commissioners.
Question again proposed, "That this House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution."
Debates in the House of Commons are an opportunity for MPs from all parties to scrutinise government legislation and raise important local, national or topical issues.
And sometimes to shout at each other.
