§ 5. Mr. TINKERasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the figures showing the cost per ton of coal raised: what this represents per £1 of wages paid in the mining industry to meet the charges made under the Workmen's Compensation Act for the years 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925 and 1927; and will he give the corresponding figures as to the cost per £1 of wages in shipping, factories, docks, and railways?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir William Joynson-Hicks)As the answer is a long
| Workmen's Compensation. | ||||||||
| The following figures are calculated on the basis simply of the compensation paid:— | ||||||||
| — | 1921. | 1922. | 1923. | 1924. | 1925. | 1927. | ||
| Coal Mining— | Pence. | Pence. | Pence. | Pence. | Pence. | Pence. | ||
| (a) per ton of coal raised | … | … | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.9 |
| (b) per £1 of wages | … | … | 3.3 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 5.7 |
| Railways per £l of wages | … | … | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Shipping per gross ton of shipping | … | … | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| In the absence of the necessary data it is not possible to give the corresponding figures as to the cost per £1 of wages in respect of shipping, factories or docks. | ||||||||
| As regards factories, attention may be drawn to the paragraph at the bottom of page 8 and top of page 9 of the Statistics for 1926 in which it was estimated, from information available as the result of a recent inquiry into earnings by the Ministry of Labour, that the compensation paid in 1926 per £1 of wages in factories was a little under 1d. |
§ 6. Mr. TINKERasked the Home Secretary to what extent he causes Returns to be made as to the amount of compensation paid each year by employers under the Workmen's Compensation Act?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSI would refer the hon. Member to the volumes of Workmen's Compensation Statistics which are presented each year to Parliament. These statistics contain full information in regard to the Returns collected under the Act. They are very long, and the hon. Member will be able to get them in the Vote Office.
§ Mr. TINKERI have seen them, but they are not complete. Certain industries are not brought in, and it is because of the incompleteness of the Return that I have put this question down. Cannot the right hon. Gentleman get powers to make the Return complete?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe obtaining of further powers was not the question on the Paper, which was to what extent I cause Returns to be made. If the hon. Member will look, he will see the extent—it is too long to put in an answer—to which the Returns are made, and if he is not then satisfied, he can bring in a Bill to give me more powers.
§ Mr. TINKERI will put down another question.
§ one and involves a number of figures, I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ ferred apply only to insurance companies? Do they include cases where the owners have insurance systems of their own?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe Return is a very full one, and it is the fullest Return we can make for the moment. If hon. Members will explain any particular points on which they would like the Return amended, I will see whether it is possible to do it.
§ 7. Mr. TINKERasked the Home Secretary if he is in a position to give the total amount of compensation paid under the Workmen's Compensation Act for 1927, and the number of fatal and nonfatal cases that it covers?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe total compensation paid in the year 1927—the latest year for which figures are published—in the seven great industrial groups for which Returns are collected was £6,315,803; the number of fatal cases was 2,567, and the number of non-fatal cases 435,852. I regret that no corresponding figures are available for the other industries under the Act, but an estimate of the total amount paid in these industries in respect of workmen's compensation for 1927 is given on page 8 of the Statistics.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSCan the right hon. Gentleman say exactly what premiums were paid in the seven large industries during the same year?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe hon. Member must give me notice of that question.
§ Mr. PALINGIn view of the fact that this information is incomplete, is it not desirable that further powers should be secured in order to compel them to fulfil their obligations?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe hon. Member knows that I have been asked a question on that, and it is a very big question. It is quite impossible for me to legislate this Session, but I am going into the whole matter and having reports made with a view to considering the possibility of drafting a Bill for next Session.