§ 5. Mr. SEXTONasked the President of the Board of Trade the number and character of trades and industries covered by the Safeguarding of Industries Act, and the total number of workpeople who have secured employment as a consequence thereof?
§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSI presume the hon. Member has in mind duties imposed in accordance with the Safeguarding of Industries procedure. These are levied on the following classes of goods—lace and certain kinds of embroidery, leather gloves, fabric gloves, gas mantles, cutlery, packing and wrapping paper, china tableware, buttons and enamelled hollowware. I regret that it is not possible to give a figure of employment such as the hon. Member desires, owing to the fact that the Ministry of Labour classification does not, in general, distinguish safeguarded from other industries.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSCan the hon. Gentleman give the number of work-people thrown out of employment in the export trades as a result of this action?
§ Mr. HANNONBefore the hon. Gentleman answers that question, will he say whether it is a fact that a very large number of people have been provided with employment?
§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSI have no evidence that anybody has been thrown out of work, and it is the case that in most of those industries in regard to which we have statistics there is evidence of a substantial increase.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIs the hon Member not aware that the export trade to-day in the majority of these industries has gone down by from 40 to 50 per cent.
§ Mr. SPEAKERWe are getting far beyond the question which is on the Paper.