HC Deb 02 March 1925 vol 181 cc23-4
43. Sir FRANK SANDERSON

asked the Minister of Labour the existing number of unemployed. classified as to men, women, and boys and girls, and the corresponding numbers in 1913: the present number of inmates of workhouses and prisons, and the corresponding numbers of inmates in 1913; and the number of persons who to-day are drawing benefits from Poor Law relief, and the corresponding number of such persons in 1913?

Mr. BETTERTON

I have consulted the Home Office and Ministry of Health in connection with this question, and have obtained the information which my hon. Friend desires. As the reply is necessarily somewhat long, T will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the reply:

At 11th February, 1925, the numbers on the registers of Employment Exchanges in Great Britain were:

Men, 943,088; boys, 35,323: women, 227,703 and girls, 33,682. It is not possible to give comparable figures for 1913, at which date only about 21¼ million persons were covered by the Unemployment Insurance Scheme, as against about 111 millions at present.

In England and Wales, the number of persons in receipt of institutional Poor Law relief on 15th February, 1913, was 276,164, and on 14th February, 1925, was 222,738. The number of persons in receipt of domiciliary Poor Law relief on those dates was 388,528 and 885,862 respectively. These totals do not include persons in county and borough lunatic. asyulms, persons in receipt of medical relief only, or casuals.

The daily average population of prisons in England and Wales was 18,236 in the 12 months ending 31st, March, 1914, and 11,148 in the 12 months ending 31st March, 1924.

My hon. Friend will observe that the figures given in reply to the first part of the question relate to Great Britain, whereas those given in reply to the remaining parts of the question relate to England and Wales only. I am, however, obtaining from the Scottish Office the necessary figures to complete the information, and will communicate them to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.