§ 38. Mr. DANIEL SOMERVILLEasked the Minister of Labour the amount of assistance already afforded schemes of relief through the agency of the Unemployment Grants Committee this winter; and whether any available funds and, if so, how much still remain for this purpose?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERThe Committee have passed schemes for this winter of a capital cost of £4,709,000 and funds are available for further schemes to bring the total to £12,000,000.
§ Mr. SOMERVILLEWhat is the general Cabinet policy on the question of unemployment relief?
§ Mr. SPEAKERWe shall have that to-morrow.
§ 41. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Minister of Labour what is the total average weekly sum now being paid out in unemployed insurance payments, relief works, and all other means for the relief of the unemployed workers?
§ Sir M. BARLOWThe weekly sum now being paid in unemployment benefit is about £890,000. The other items cannot be expressed as average weekly sums, at any rate not without elaborate and diffi- 686 cult inquiry, but a full statement with regard to them will be made at the appropriate time during the Debate on the Address.
§ 57. Mr. CECIL WILSONasked the Minister of Labour whether, in regard to schemes to which the Unemployed Grants Committee has contributed, he can state the total cost of completed schemes, the amount contributed by the Committee, and what amount of the total cost has gone to labour that would otherwise have been unemployed?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERThe total cost of the schemes passed by the Committee is nearly £33,000,000; a large part of this work has been completed, but much is still in hand. The grants in respect of this sum may be estimated at about £10,000,000. Exact information of the amount paid to labour is not available, but it is calculated that, directly and indirectly, about £26,000,000 of the total will have been expended on labour.