§ 48. Sir H. BRITTAINasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what money has been spent out of public funds on relief of the poor, relief of unemployment, and school-feeding during the past financial year and during the present coal stoppage, respectively; and what proportion of this expenditure is attributable to mining areas?
§ Mr. RONALD McNEILLThe total cost of domiciliary relief for the year 1925–26 was £15,326,700, while the corresponding figure for the eight weeks to 26th June last was £4,025,000. £2,4100,700, or 15.7 per cent. of the former amount, and £1,352,000, or 33.6 per cent. of the latter amount, was incurred in 31 Poor Law unions specially affected by the coal dispute, though the dispute has affected other areas in less degree. It is estimated that during the 12 weeks ended 24th July the cost of feeding school children in the mining areas was about £225,000, or about 25 per cent. in excess of the expenditure on this service for the whole country during the whole year ended 31st March, 1926. As regards other expenditure on relief of unemployment, I find that an allocation between mining areas and the rest of the country could only be made to a limited extent and would take some time to work out.