asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, for the year 1937– 38, how many of the persons whose incomes exceeded £ 200, out of the 290,000 not gainfully employed, returned their incomes under the Income Tax Acts for money received from pensions or superannuation allowances; and what proportion of the £200,000,000 this represents.

The figures I gave in my reply to my hon. Friend on 16th July related to the number of people with no earned income. Pensions are treated as earned income for Income Tax purposes.

Can the Chancellor state what action the Government are taking or intend to take to see that those people who are getting vast incomes without working and using rationed clothes and food should be put to useful work?

We have made one or two tax adjustments that may help.