§ 36. Mr. MACKINDERasked the Minister of Labour how many juvenile workers under 16 years of age are at present unemployed?
§ Mr. BETTERTONThe number of young persons between the ages of 14 and 18 on the registers of Employment Exchanges and Juvenile Employment Bureaux on 15th June, 1925, was 61,675. Statistics of the numbers between the ages of 14 and 16 are not available nor are the numbers of those unemployed but not registered.
§ Mr. MACKINDERDoes not the hon. Gentleman think that to have such a large number of young people unemployed is degrading to them, and will not the Government try to do something to bring these people into useful occupation?
§ Mr. BETTERTONI agree with the hon. Member. I think that the large proportion of these young persons unemployed is deplorable.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODIs the hon. Member not aware of the fact that if you take away from employment all the juveniles who are working and all the old men over 65 years of age, there would be no unemployed to-day?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member cannot now go into that.
§ Mr. HURDWhen is the Select Committee on Juvenile Unemployment to be set up? Can the hon. Gentleman tell us?
§ Mr. BETTERTONNo. An answer was given by my right hon. Friend yesterday or the day before, and I cannot add anything to it.
§ Mr. MACLEANWill the hon. Gentleman see that some unemployed people are put on the Committee to help them?