§ 87. Mr. HARDIEasked the Minister of Health whether there has been any appreciable increase of recipients of Poor Law relief in Glasgow from 1st December, 1924, to end of February, 1925?
§ The SECRETARY for SCOTLAND (Sir John Gilmour)I have been asked to reply. Statistics are not available for the precise dates mentioned in the question, but in the parishes of Glasgow and Govan (which though not coterminous with the municipal boundaries, include nearly the whole of the poor in the city) the numbers of persons in receipt of relief (exclusive of lunatics, mental defectives, vagrants and persons in receipt of outdoor medical relief only) was 29,566 with 45,121 dependants at 15th December, 1924, and 30,282 with 47,074 dependants at 15th March, 1925.
§ Mr. HARDIEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that that increase is due to the clearing of men from the Employment Exchanges and bringing them under the parish councils?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI should attribute the main part to seasonal changes and fluctuations.