HC Deb 09 March 1948 vol 448 cc988-9
12. Mr. Piratin

asked the Minister of Labour how many clothing workers are registered as unemployed at the Settles Street and Burdett Road employment ex- changes, Stepney; what length of time these workers have been out of work; and what hopes he can hold out for work in the industry or alternative work for them.

Mr. Isaacs

At 16th February the numbers of insured persons in the clothing industries registered as unemployed were 453 at the Stepney employment exchange and 62 at the Poplar employment exchange. Statistics showing the length of time for which these persons had been unemployed are not available.

Mr. Piratin

Can the Minister say what steps are being taken to provide them with alternative work? As he is aware of the shortage of cloth, what steps is he taking with the Board of Trade to offer them cloth, or alternative work?

Mr. Isaacs

So far as alternative work is concerned, it will be offered to those people when they come to the exchanges. So far as the cloth is concerned, very strenuous efforts are being made by the President of the Board of Trade, in conjunction with the Parliamentary Secre-

The numbers of insured persons registered as unemployed at the Stepney and Poplar Employment Exchanges at 16th February, 1948, were as follows:
Stepney. Poplar
— Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total.
Building … … 85 — 85 129 — 129
Shipbuilding and Shiprepairing … … 5 — 5 32 1 33
Hotels, catering, etc., services … … 122 19 141 24 10 34
Goods transport by road … … 29 — 29 41 1 42
Shipping service … … 142 — 142 145 1 146
Clothing industries … … 379 74 453 28 34 62
Distributive trades … … 76 11 87 37 7 44
Local government service … … 36 2 38 45 4 49
All other industries and services … … 342 25 367 198 45 243
Total, all industries and services. … 1,216 131 1,347 679 103 782