§ 38. Mr. SHINWELLasked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed persons, male and female, in West Lothian; and how many have been sent to other districts for employment under the Government transference scheme?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDAt 10th December there were 2,435 males and 328 females on the Registers of Employment Exchanges in West Lothian. This is not one of the areas to which the special transference scheme applies.
§ Mr. SHINWELLIs there no transference scheme applicable to this county, and why is the county excluded?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThere has to be some limit with regard to the areas specially brought under the transference scheme. We are prepared to send a person from this area as well as others. Special endeavours are made in scheduled areas, and that is not one of them.
§ Mr. SHINWELLIs it not a distressed area if there are more than 5,000 unemployed persons?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThe figures I gave were less than 3,000. The percentage is much smaller than that of most of the distressed areas.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODIs the Minister aware that last night's "Glasgow Times," a Tory paper, contained an article with the headline "Midlothian Miner's being Crucified." Surely it is time the Minister was doing something for them?