§ 25. Sir WALTER de FRECEasked the Minister of Labour if he can give the House any approximate estimate of the number of men and women thrown out of work in other trades through the stoppage in the coal industry?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe total number of men, women, boys, and girls on the Live Registers of Employment Exchanges at 15th April was about 1,677,000 compared with 1,506,000 at 1st April, when the coal dispute commenced. In addition, about 964,000 persons were claiming benefit in respect of short time working as compared with 875,000 at 1st April. I could not say that the increases in the numbers of unemployed between the 1st April and the 15th April are entirely due to the coal stoppage, because week by week prior to the 1st April there had been steady increases in the numbers of unemployed. On the other hand, the increases in the number of unemployed between the 1st April and the 15th April are more marked than in any recent corresponding period. Of course, as the stoppage continues, and coal is exhausted, an increasingly large number of working people must be thrown out of employment, and already I observe that the increase in unemployment has been most marked in districts where there are great coal-using industries such as iron and steel and pottery.
16. Captain TERRELLasked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed on his records on 2nd April and 9th April respectively?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThe total number of men, women, boys and girls, registered as unemployed on the live register of Employment Exchanges was approximately 1,506,000 at 1st April and 1,615,000 at 8th April; of the latter figure, 1,092,000 were men and 394,000 were women. In addition, the number of claimants at Employment Exchanges for insurance benefit or out-of-work donation in respect of systematic short time working was approximately 875,000 at 1st April, and 897,000 at 8th April. The short-time figures only apply to those working systematic short time in such manner as to bring them within the scope of the Insurance Act.