18. Mr. WILSONasked the Minister of Labour whether he can state for any available date during each of the last five years the total number of insured men, women and juveniles in each age group and the number of those unemployed in each age group; and whether, in the annual report or abstract of labour statistics, these particulars could be given?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MUIRHEADAs the reply includes a table of figures I will, if I may, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply:
§ As regards the first part of the question, the following statement shows, for each age group for which figures are available, the estimated numbers of insured persons aged 16 to 64 inclusive, in Great Britain at the beginning of July of each year since 1931, and the numbers of such persons recorded as unemployed at a date towards the end of June in those years.
585| — | 1931. | 1932. | 1933. | 1934. | 1935. | |
| Estimated numbers of insured persons at beginning of July (exclusive of persons insured under the Special Schemes): | ||||||
| Men aged 21–64 | 8,350,000* | 8,488,000* | 7,696,000 | 7,839,000 | 7,982,000 | |
| Young men aged 18–20 | 880,000 | 857,000 | 820,000 | |||
| Boys aged 16 and 17 | … | 575,000 | 554,000 | 505,000 | 468,000 | 450,000 |
| Women aged 21–64 | 3,000,000* | 2,935,000* | 2,333,000 | 2,353,000 | 2,393,000 | |
| Young women aged 18–20 | 669,000 | 655,000 | 625,000 | |||
| Girls aged 16 and 17 | … | 435,000 | 423,000 | 390,000 | 368,000 | 357,000 |
| Estimated numbers insured under the Special Schemes for the Banking and Insurance Industries†: | ||||||
| Men aged 18–64 | … | 92,000 | 94,500 | 98,000 | 100,000 | 101,000 |
| Boys aged 16 and 17 | … | 4,000 | 2,800 | 2,400 | 2,600 | 3,000 |
| Women aged 18–64 | … | 41,000 | 43,000 | 44,300 | 45,100 | 47,000 |
| Girls aged 16 and 17 | … | 3,000 | 2,700 | 2,300 | 2,300 | 2,000 |
| Total aged 16–64 (including Special Schemes). | 12,500,000 | 12,543,000 | 12,620,000 | 12,690,000 | 12,780,000 | |
| Insured persons recorded as unemployed towards end of June (including Special Schemes): | ||||||
| Men aged 21–64 | … | 1,816,079 | 2,086,408 | 1,894,846 | 1,618,149 | 1,521,423 |
| Young men aged 18–20 | … | 154,754 | 171,985 | 140,751 | 105,504 | 86,935 |
| Boys aged 16 and 17 | … | 47,788 | 50,671 | 32,718 | 23,874 | 22,708 |
| Women aged 21–64 | … | 496,314 | 358,473 | 283,816 | 257,040 | 251,406 |
| Young women aged 18–20 | 88,299 | 75,133 | 59,153 | 46,311 | 38,580 | |
| Girls aged 16 and 17 | … | 29,728 | 27,599 | 18,212 | 14,649 | 15,164 |
| Total aged 16–64 | … | 2,632,962 | 2,770,269 | 2,429,496 | 2,065,527 | 1,936,216 |
| * Satisfactory statistics are not available as to the numbers aged 18 to 20 and 21 to 64, respectively, in 1931 and 1932. | ||||||
| † For the Banking and Insurance industries separate figures are not available as to the numbers, aged 18 to 20 and 21 to 64, respectively insured under the Special Schemes. |
§ Juveniles aged.14 and 15 became insurable as from September, 1934, and the estimated numbers of those ages insured at July, 1935, were 517,000 boys and 411,000 girls. The numbers of these ages recorded as unemployed at 24th June, 1935, were 14,405 boys and 13,537 girls. The latest date for which a more detailed age analysis of the insured population is available is July, 1932, when a special inquiry, on a sample basis, was made, the results of which are published on page 314 of the Ministry of Labour Gazette for September, 1933. Detailed particulars of the ages of persons registered as unemployed at 13th May and 4th November, 1935, will be found on pages 42 and 43 of the Ministry of Labour Gazette for February, 1936. As regards the second part of the question, I am afraid that it is too late to include the above table in the next issue of the 586 annual report of the Ministry of Labour, but I will consider whether the figures can be given in the next issue of the Abstract of Labour Statistics.