§ 6. Mr. Roland Robinsonasked the Minister of Labour the number of firms registered on the King's Roll in each of the years 1928 to 1937; whether there has been any fall in the number; and, if so, whether, in view of the importance of this Roll to disabled ex-service men, he will take steps to restore the Roll to its former strength?
§ Mr. E. BrownWith the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table of figures in answer to the first part of his question. A certain decrease in the membership of the Roll with the passage of time is probably inevitable. I am, however, most anxious that the maximum amount of employment should be available for disabled ex-service men and my Department co-operates to the fullest extent with the King's Roll National Council and the local committees which administer the King's Roll scheme and which are active in persuading employers to enrol or to continue their enrolment. My hon. Friend may be interested to know that at the beginning of January, 1937, the number of disabled ex-service men registered as unemployed represented 8.1 per cent. of the estimated number of men in receipt of disability pensions or allowances, compared with 14 per cent. of unemployment among insured men generally.
§ Following is the table:
§ The membership of the King's National Roll in January of each of the years 1928 to 1937 was:
| 1928 | … | … | 27,339 |
| 1929 | … | … | 27,151 |
| 1930 | … | … | *26,709 |
| 1931 | … | … | 25,910 |
| 1932 | … | … | 25,344 |
| 1933 | … | … | 24,947 |
| 1934 | … | … | 24,430 |
| 1935 | … | … | 23,914 |
| 1936 | … | … | 23,758 |
| 1937 | … | … | 23,727 |
| * This figure actually relates to December, 1929. |