§ 53. Mr. KELLYasked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women employed in the theatrical and music- 2060 hall industry; and what are the number of hours considered as the normal working week for employés such as attendants and doorkeepers in the London area?
§ Mr. BETTERTONAs regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 1st May to the hon. Member for Southwark Central (Mr. Day). The normal agreed hours of doorkeepers and attendants in the West-End theatres are 3½ or 3¾ per performance and in the London music halls 5½ per night performance and 3 or 3½ per matinee. The weekly hours depend on the number of performances.
§ Mr. KELLYIn view of the long hours worked by these doorkeepers, would the hon. Gentleman have some investigation made, so that we may know what is happening in connection with these music halls and theatres?
§ Mr. BETTERTONAs I stated in the answer, we can only go on the number of performances, and I cannot say, without further inquiry, whether the hours are long or not.
§ Mr. DAYIs it not the case that the answer which the hon. Gentleman gave me only referred to the numbers in the "Entertainments and Sports" section; and has he any statistics at all which would show the number in the theatrical and music-hall industry?
§ Mr. BETTERTONWhat I communicated to the hon. Member on 1st May was:
The theatrical and music-hall professions are not separately distinguished in the statistics of employment and unemployment derived from the working of the Unemployment Insurance Acts, but are included in the general group Entertainments and Sport"; and the information desired is therefore not available."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 1st May, 1924; col. 1534, Vol. 216.]