§ Lieut.-Colonel GADIEasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons unemployed in the quarrying industry and the number of general labourers on the unemployment register for the year ending 31st December, 1927, and for the nine months ending 31st October, 1928, stating the cost in unemployment pay for the separate periods?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLAND, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 6th December, 1928; col. 1402, Vol. 223], supplied the following statement:
NUMBER Of INSURED PERSONS classified as belonging to the Quarrying Industries and recorded as Unemployed in Great Britain. Date. Stone quarrying and mining. Slate quarrying and mining. 1927. 24th January … 4,078 232 21st February … 3,010 173 21st March … 2,478 170 25th April … 2,627 122 23rd May … 2,180 366 20th June … 2,289 117 25th July … 2,306 91 22nd August … 2,517 110 26th September … 3,032 137 24th October … 3,331 249 21st November … 3,909 397 19th December … 5,290 405 1928. 23rd January … 5,086 418 27th February … 4,462 452 26th March … 3,731 400 23rd April … 3,127 422 21st May … 2,994 403 25th June … 3,164 571 23rd July … 3,147 399 20th August … 3,493 358 24th September … 3,806 363 22nd October … 4,505 449 No separate record is kept of benefit payments in respect of particular industries. A rough estimate can, however, be made on the assumption that the payment of benefit is at the same average per head as for all insured trades taken together, due allowance being made for the rate of unemployment and the proportion of women and juveniles. On this basis the amount of benefit paid to persons classified as belonging to stone and slate quarrying during the year 1927 3050W was approximately £112,000, and for the first 10 months of 1928 approximately £129,000. Corresponding figures in respect of general labourers are not available.