HC Deb 16 March 1925 vol 181 cc1876-8W
Captain BOURNE

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can state for the years 1914, 1921 and 1924 the number of allotments in England and Wales held under local authorities and the estimated total number of allotments, whether held under local authorities, societies, or private owners, respectively?

Captain HACKING

Statistics of the number of allotments in England and Wales at 31st December, 1924, are not yet available, and none were collected for the year 1921. The desired information for the years 1914, 1920 and 1923 is given below:

Mr. NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN

By reserve fund it is assumed that the hon. Member means the aggregate amount of the accumulated funds belonging to all the separate approved societies (the membership of which embraces the great bulk of the insured population) and the statutory funds established for those small classes of insured persons who are not members of approved societies, viz. Deposit contributors, and persons, not previously insured in societies, serving in the Navy, Army and Air Force. The approximate total for Great Britain of such accumulated funds at 31st December, 1923, was as follows:—

£
Invested with National Debt Commissioners 66,000,000
Invested by or on behalf of Approved Societies 40,000,000
Cash at Bank, etc 2,000,000
Apart from the above funds, there are also certain book credits called Reserve Values, created under Section 55 of the National Insurance Act, 1911, and under Section 16 of the National Health Insurance Act, 1920, which will in due course be converted into cash by the operation of the sinking fund set up for that purpose. The approximate amount of Reserve Values outstanding at 31st December, 1923, was 105,000,000

Mr. CROOKE

asked the Minister of Health the total amount of contributions and the number of insured persons, in each year for Great Britain, including the State grant, since the passing of the National Health Insurance Act?

Mr. CHAMBERLAIN

Statistics relating to National Health Insurance are published in the Annual Reports of the Ministry of Health and the Scottish Board of Health, from which has been compiled the following statement of the

State-Assisted Schemes. Number of houses under construction.
1st February, 1924. 1st November, 1924. 1st March, 1925.
England (excluding Monmonth) 21,068 51,469 51,478
Wales and Monmouth 1,492 3,348 3,108
Totals 22,560 54,817 54,586

Statistics as to houses built by private enterprise without State assistance are obtained half-yearly, and the following

particulars asked for by the hon. Member as respects Great Britain to the end of the year 1923. As the explanatory notes accompanying the statistics referred to are rather lengthy they are not here reproduced:

Year Estimated Number of Persons entitled to Benefit. Receipts
Contribution. Parliamentary Votes and Grants.
£ £
1912 & 1913 13,164,000 26,571,000 6,395,000
1914 13,687,000 16,797,000 5,737,000
1915 14,094,000 18,283,000 6,457,000
1916 14,847,000 17,784,000' 5,159,000
1917 15,367,000 18,166,000' 5,614,000
1918 15,887,000 18,245,000 7,305,000
1919 15,446,000 18,205,000 8,484,000
1920 15,290,000 22,710,000 10,056,000
1921 15,134,000 25,160,000 11,757,000
1922 15,168,000 25,002,000 8,414,000
1923 15,037,000 26,210,000 6,940,000