§ Major GLYNasked the Minister of Labour, if, from statistics now available, she can indicate what is the increased financial burden on the Unemployment Insurance Fund as a result of the Act of this year, taking the figures of February of this year, and the number of persons unemployed drawing benefit, showing extended benefit as a separate item, and giving; also the equivalent figures for October of this year?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThe average weekly number of persons in receipt of Unemployment Benefit in February, 1930, was 1,243,000 and the average weekly payment of Unemployment Benefit was £1,083,000, of which approximately £160,000 was transitional benefit. For October, 1930, the average weekly number of persons in receipt. of benefit was 1,993,000 and the weekly average payment of benefit was 21,803,000 which includes approximately £380,000 for transitional benefit. There is no information 1113W available which would enable me to say with any degree of exactitude how much of this increased cost was due to increased unemployment and how much to the amendments in the conditions for the receipt of benefit, and the increased rates of benefit under the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1930.