§ 5. Captain FULLERasked the Minister of Labour if he will arrange for the separate entry at the Employment Exchanges of persons from the Ardwick Division of Manchester, so that unemployment figures could be readily ascertain-able?
Mr. HUDSONMy right hon. Friend regrets that, having regard to the heavy expense which would be involved in the collection and compilation of statistics of unemployment classified on the basis of Parliamentary Divisions, he is unable to adopt my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion.
§ Captain FULLERCould not this be done by administrative action, without any expense whatever? There are 10 Divisions in Manchester; would it not be possible to find out what is the state of unemployment in each of them?
§ at the London Docks, including dock labourers and kindred trades, at the last available date, as compared with the same time in the two preceding years; and the percentage of unemployment on the same basis?
Mr. HUDSONAs the reply includes a table of figures, I will, if I may, circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT:
§ Following is the statement:
§ Statistics are not available relating specifically to the London Docks, but the following Table shows, for the London Division together with Tilbury, Grays, Erith, Dartford and Gravesend, the estimated numbers of insured persons, aged 16 to 64, in the classification "Canal, River, Tug, Lighter, Harbour, Dock and Wharf Service," at July, 1931, 1932, and 1933, and the numbers and percentages of such persons recorded as unemployed in March, 1932, 1933 and 1934.
Mr. HUDSONThe practice is that men register at the Exchanges which are most convenient to them from the point of view of their place of employment, and not their place of residence. It would involve enormous expense to trace the residences of all the men registered at any particular Exchange.