§ Mr. HORE-BELISHAasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many home-trade seamen there are;
(2)how many foreign-going seamen there are; and for how many weeks in the year they are employed?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERI am unable to state the number of seamen employed in the home and foreign trades at any one time, or for how many weeks in the year they are employed, but the following statement shows the number of persons forming the first crews of vessels employed at any time during the year 1924 in these trades:
(1) In the home trade (i.e.,) vessels trading or going within the following limits, namely, the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Irish Free State, the Channel Islands and the Continent of Europe between the River Elbe and Brest, but excluding vessels employed on rivers and those not going beyond partially smooth water limits = 26,550 (2) In the foreign trade (vessels trading or going beyond the above limits) =202,319 (3) Partly in the home and partly in the foreign trade = 5,448