HC Deb 22 May 1924 vol 173 c2404
67. Mr. HOBHOUSE

asked the Minister of Agriculture the approximate number of agricultural workers who will come within the provisions of the Agricultural Wages Bill?

Mr. SMITH

The most recent information in regard to the number of agricultural workers is that furnished in the agricultural Returns collected on 4th June last year. These Returns showed that there were employed on that date, on holdings of over one acre in England and Wales, 625,000 regular workers and 147,000 casual workers. These numbers may be taken as indicating the minimum number of workers covered by the provisions of the Agricultural Wages Bill, but I may point out that the number of casual workers varies considerably at different periods of the year.

Mr. BLUNDELL

Do these figures include members of farmers' families?

Mr. SMITH

I could not say off-hand.

Mr. E. BROWN

Do they include women workers?

Mr. SMITH

I think this is the total.