§ 56. Sir W. SUGDENasked the Minister of Labour if he will give the numbers of his staff throughout the country for the years 1913, 1919, and 1924, and state what numbers have been added with respect to further duties passed along to his administration in respect of further social legislation; and will he state which Acts of social reform have caused such increases and the numbers concerned with each such Act?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of LABOUR (Mr. Betterton)The answer to this question is necessarily long, and I will, if I may, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply:
§ The staff of the Ministry of Labour numbered 22,925 on 1st April, 1919, and 13,327 on 1st April, 1924. So far as can (at present) be ascertained, the Board of Trade employed a staff of about 4,150 in 1913 on the branches of work subsequently transferred to the Ministry of Labour on its creation by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act, 1916. The increased staff in 1919 was necessitated principally by temporary work arising from the demobilisation of the Forces and the discharge of munition workers, including the scheme of out-of-work donation, and by the training scheme for disabled ex-service men and other schemes of a similar nature. The bulk of the staff in 1924 were engaged in the administration of the Unemployment Insurance scheme, out of which practically the whole of the salaries of the staff so engaged was paid. As my hon. Friend is aware, this scheme was greatly extended in 1920, and there has for the past five years been a very high level of unemployment, necessitating a corresponding staff to deal with claims for unemployment benefit. In other respects also, including various items of work arising from the War, there have been increases in the work of the Department, but that arising from Unemployment Insurance is by far the largest.