§ 8. Mr. McGOVERNasked the Minister of Labour the number of building trade workers who were unemployed on 1st June, 1931, and the total cost per week in unemployment benefit?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThe number of insured persons in the building industry recorded as unemployed on the 18th May, 1931, the latest date for which statistics of unemployed by industries are available was 144,447. Accounts are not kept 1915 of benefit paid in separate trades but assuming that the average rates for men and boys applied to this trade the approximate cost would be £135,000 for the week.
§ Mr. McGOVERNIn view of the urgent necessity of working-class houses, will the right hon. Lady draw the attention of the Government to the fact that it would be better to employ unemployed builders on building houses than to spend that amount of money on them?