§ 10. Mr. Wilsonasked the Secretary for Mines whether he can give the number of shifts worked during each of the five years before the war and for each year since August, 1939?
§ Mr. GrenfellI am sending the figures to the hon. Member for his confidential information, together with the figures for the pre-war years. I would point out that in view of the changes in the number of persons employed, the figures would be misleading on their own and I propose, therefore, also to provide the figures of the average number of shifts worked per person employed.
§ Sir Herbert WilliamsWhat national interest is served by depriving the British public of this information?
§ Mr. GrenfellThere is no intention to deprive the British public, but there is a public abroad who would like very 7 much to know how we are getting on with coal production.
§ Mr. ShinwellDoes the Minister not appreciate that that is precisely our difficulty?
§ Mr. GrenfellIt is far better to give hon. Members the information confidentially than to broadcast information even more of interest to people abroad than at home.
§ 13. Mr. T. Smithasked the Secretary for Mines the number of wage-earners on the colliery books employed underground and on the surface, respectively, in 1938 and 1941–42?
§ Mr. GrenfellThe figures for 1941 are not yet available, and it is not possible to make the comparison asked for by the hon. Member.
§ 16. Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary for Mines the average number of shifts worked weekly per man employed in the British coalfields; and to give figures for each district?
§ Mr. GrenfellThese figures are not published, but they have been collected for the use of my Department, and I will send the hon. Member the particulars for his confidential information.