§ 58. Major GLYNasked the Minister of Labour the cost of the Employment Exchanges for the year ending the 31st March last in respect of salaries, travelling expenses, stationery, and rents and rates of buildings, each separately ; and the corresponding figures for the years 1923, 1920, 1913, and 1912, respectively?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDDetails of expenditure precisely on the lines asked for by my hon. and gallant Friend are not available. With his permission, however, I will circulate a Table showing the cost of the Employment Exchanges, branch employment offices, divisional offices, the headquarters of the employment and insurance department and the Claims and Record Office, Kew, taken together.
§ Following is the table promised:
2263§ The figures given include the appropriate proportion of the cost of other Departments of the Ministry of Labour and of other Government Departments rendering services to the Employment Exchanges. In comparing the recent cost with the pre-War cost, it is necessary to bear in mind that the number of persons insured for unemployment insurance is now 11,500,000 as compared with 2,350,000 in 1913–14, the rate of unemployment has been well over 10 per cent. against about two per cent. in 1913, and the amount of unemployment benefit disbursed has been over 40 millions sterling per annum as compared with £493,022 in 1913–14.