§ Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the Minister of Labour if she will state, approximately, the number of workpeople covered by trade boards in 1910, 1920, 1925 and 1930, respectively, giving males and females separately if possible?
§ Miss BONDFIELDPrecise statistics of the numbers of workpeople covered by trade boards in Great Britain are not available, and since the classification of the industries in question does not coincide with that adopted for the purpose of the population censuses, or of the statistics compiled from the operation of the Unemployment Insurance Acts, it is not practicable to make a close estimate of the numbers involved. Such information as is available, however,702W would appear to show that in the trades in which minimum rates of wages were operative under the Trade Boards Acts the number of work-people covered was about 1,100,000 in 1920 as compared with about 1,200,000 in 1925 and 1,300,000 in 1930. Of these numbers between two-thirds and three-fourths were females. In 1910 although four trade boards had been set up covering between 100,000 and 150,000 workpeople of whom about three-fourths were females in no cases had the payment of minimum rates of wages been made obligatory.