§ 5. Sir Herbert Williamsasked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the number of persons totally unemployed has fallen by 231,000 since his announcement that the reserve of labour was exhausted; and on what information this announcement was based?
§ Mr. BevinI assume my hon. Friend refers to the statement I made in January, that the reservoir of unemployed male labour was exhausted and that the problem of having to obtain a great recruitment of labour from non-essential occupations and from the unoccupied had to be faced. That was a statement of fact based on a careful analysis of the composition of the register of unemployed men. The fact that on the day of the count in May there were about 109,000 less men registered as wholly unemployed on that day than on the corresponding day in January does not affect the accuracy of my statement. Apart from those not suitable for industrial employment, the great majority on the register on any particular day are not a reservoir of unemployed labour but are merely passing from one job to another. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a statement relating to the February figures which demonstrates the position.
§ Sir H. WilliamsDo I understand from the right hon. Gentleman's statement that there is no difference between nothing and 109,000?