§ 14. Miss Vickersasked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the number of men, women, boys and girls, respectively, who are unemployed in the city of Plymouth; and what percentage the total of unemployed is of the population of the city.
§ Mr. HareThe figures were 1,252, 727, 73 and 43, respectively, at 10th October. Owing to the volume of daily travel to work, a percentage rate of unemployment cannot be computed for Plymouth alone. For the wider area including Saltash and Torpoint, the rate is 2.6 per cent. of the insured population.
§ Miss VickersIn view of the fact that Plymouth was removed from the Local Employment Act during the Recess, that the Admiralty employs 30 per cent. of the male insured personnel and that the new factories are likely to take only 60 per cent. of the female employees, is my right hon. Friend prepared to support an application to replace Plymouth in the Local Employment Act should the situation get worse?
§ Mr. HareAs my hon. Friend knows, the Board of Trade estimate that the jobs in prospect in the area amount to at least 2,000. Together with the outstanding vacancies in Plymouth and Devonport, which total 873, these should reasonably meet the situation. No doubt my hon. Friend also agrees that in the last twelve months there has been a very great improvement in Plymouth, where the unemployment rate has fallen from 3.6 per cent. to 2.6 per cent., taking a comparison between this October and last October.
§ 15. Miss Vickersasked the Minister of Labour if he will make a statement concerning the rebuilding of the employment exchanges in Plymouth and Devonport.
§ Mr. P. ThomasThe construction of a new building to house the Plymouth Employment Exchange began last May. Negotiations are in progress for a site on which to erect a building to house certain Government offices in Devonport, including the employment exchange.