Mr. W. Joseph Stewartasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons unemployed in the administrative county of Durham and the county boroughs of Sunderland and South Shields, respectively?
§ Mr. E. BevinI am having the available figures extracted and will send them to the hon. Member.
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Mr. W. Joseph Stewartasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons skilled in engineering and shipbuilding now unemployed in the county boroughs of Sunderland and South Shields, respectively?
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Minister of Labour the number of miners wholly unemployed in the County of Durham; and what steps he is taking to employ these men?
§ Mr. BevinI am sending my hon. Friend the figures asked for in the first part of his Question. Special efforts are being made by my Department to find employment for unemployed coal miners in coal mining, if possible, and, failing this, in other work of national importance. Particular attention is being given to the transfer of miners to other districts where a demand for their labour exists and to the provision of training for them in munition work. Between 2nd September and nth November, over 6,000 miners in the County of Durham were placed directly in employment either locally in industries other than coal mining or in other parts of the country, and 1,353 were accepted for training.