HC Deb 27 January 1942 vol 377 cc536-7
9. Mr. Ellis Smith

asked the Secretary for Mines how many canteens have been erected and are in operation in the coalmining industry, and give in the OFFICIAL REPORT the various types of canteens and schemes, the number provided for hot meals, sit-down meals, snacks, giving the information in separate districts; and how many have been provided in each district by the colliery owners and how many by the Miners' Welfare Commission?

Mr. Grenfell

The responsibility for providing a colliery canteen where it is required falls upon the colliery owner and not the Miners' Welfare Commission. The duty which the latter has voluntarily undertaken is to assist colliery owners in discharging their responsibility and to make grants towards the cost. Canteens

District. Collieries with Canteens providing Sandwiches, Meat Pies or Snacks. Collieries with Canteens providing Full Meals.
Canteens in operation. Canteens in preparation. No. of men employed. Canteens in operation. Canteens* in preparation. No. of men employed.
Fife … … … … 4 16 14,988 — 7 2,988
Lothians … … … 13 9 11,570 1 — 420
Lanark … … … 63 19 34,327 1 21 11,824
Ayr … … … … 33 1 10,023 — — —
Northumberland … … 28 1 25,840 6 36 28,261
Durham … … … 85 17 84,465 6 53 62,174
Cumberland … … 5 2 4,196 — 4 1,783
Lancashire … … … 30 19 36,918 3 19 15,187
North Wales … … 5 1 5,587 1 5 6,756
South Yorkshire … … 48 2 77,506 5 52 91,574
West Yorkshire … … 14 3 17,283 15 27 34,832
Nottinghamshire … … 31 — 31,732 8 17 30,288
Derbyshire … … … 38 3 37,446 — 18 17,553
South Derbyshire … … 11 — 5,927 — 7 4,149
North Staffordshire … 43 — 20,899 2 — 2,404
Cannock Chase … … 23 2 18,358 — 7 5,091
South Staffordshire … 26 — 4,001 — 6 2,593
Leicestershire … … 8 — 7,217 — 5 4,615
Warwickshire … … 15 — 15,782 — 9 10,104
Shropshire … … … 2 — 1,303 — 2 491
Forest of Dean … … 8 — 4,117 — — —
Somerset … … … 8 3 3,087 — — —
Bristol … … … — 1 296 — — —
South Wales … … 124 53 114,891 — 14 11,771
Kent … … … … 2 — 1,930 1 3 5,091
Totals … … 667 152 589,689 49 312 349,949
* Most of the collieries included in the figures in this column have sandwich or snack canteens in operation and are, therefore, included also in the first column of figures.
Of the 667 canteens in operation, 56 serve collieries employing 50 men or fewer.