§ 28. Lieut.-Colonel Liptonasked the Minister of Labour the latest number of unemployed building workers in the London area; and how it compares with the corresponding figure last year.
§ Sir W. Monckton4,281 at 16th June. 1952, compared with 1,903 at 18th June. 1951.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonIs it not a fantastic state of affairs that there should be such a vast increase in the number of unemployed building workers in the London area just at the time when building is so urgently needed? How on earth are the Government going to achieve their target of 300,000 houses a year if this sort of thing is going to continue?
§ Sir W. MoncktonLet me first say that the figure I have given represented about 2 per cent. of the estimated total number of employees in the building industry in the area. June, 1951, was for most things a favourable period, but for June, 1950, the figure was 3,400. It is not a very marked change.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LiptonIt is still bad.