§ Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Labour in view of the fact that of a total working population of 20,102,000 only 6,517,900 are employed in all manufacturing industries, what major steps the Government propose to take to secure the transfer of large numbers of non-producing labour into creative industry as a preliminary step to the elimination of shortages.
§ Mr. IsaacsI cannot accept the hon. Member's suggestion that the manufacturing industries are the only creative industries. While at the end of September there were 6,845,000 persons employed in manufacturing industries—rather more than in 1939—there was over 3½ millions in the vital basic industries of agriculture, mining, public utilities and transport. The 335W numbers employed in manufacturing for export and the home market have increased by over 3¼ millions since the end of the war, and during the last three months the average monthly increase has been about 145,000.