HC Deb 06 July 1933 vol 280 cc480-1
40. Mr. NEIL MACLEAN

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many workers have been thrown out of employment by the closing down of the 36 factories in Scotland referred to in paragraph 3 of the Report on Industrial Development in 1932, which is printed in the Board of Trade Journal for the 29th June, 1933?

The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of TRADE (Dr. Burgin)

I regret that this information is not available.

Mr. MACLEAN

Is the hon. Member aware that this report has appeared in the Board of Trade Journal for the 29th May, a very exhaustive report, and could not the same method of getting out the figures be adopted by the Board of Trade?

Dr. BURGIN

In the Report on Industrial Development, 1932, to which the hon. Member refers, paragraph 6 expressly states that no employment figures of factories closed down, which could usefully be compared with the employment figures of new factories, are available.

Mr. MACLEAN

Since the Minister of Labour can get from the employers the number of people who are ordinarily employed, cannot the Board of Trade get them through the Minister of Labour? I will put down a question next week.

41. Mr. MACLEAN

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many of the seven factories closed down in Scotland on transfer of work to other factories in the same ownership have had the work transferred to factories outside of Scotland and, if possible, the number of Scottish workers displaced?

Dr. BURGIN

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the cases shown in the Survey of Industrial Development in 1932, published in the Board of Trade Journal of 29th June, 1933. As will be seen from the Survey, in two instances the work was transferred to factories in Scotland, but I am unable to state the situation of the factories to which work was transferred in the remaining cases. The information asked for in the second part of the question is not available.

Mr. MACLEAN

The Parliamentary Secretary will no doubt admit that the industrial survey, to which they attach so much importance in the Board of Trade, is very incomplete, and will he not take steps to secure the necessary information?