§ Mr. Gallacherasked the President of the Board of Trade how many of the ten special factories promised for disabled miners in South Wales had been completed on 31st December, 1947; how many workers were provided with employment in these factories; how many workers will be employed when all these factories are in production; and how this compares with the number of unemployed miners in South Wales certified with pneumoconiosis.
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§ Mr. H. WilsonOne Grenfell factory at Llwynpia was substantially completed by the end of the year. The tenants are moving in but are at present only employing a few workers. As I said in the course of the Debate on Welsh Affairs on 26th January, I hope the remaining factories will be ready in the next few months. The total employment which will be provided in all ten factories, when they are in full production, is estimated at about 2,000 persons, a minimum of 50 per cent. of whom will be drawn from the Disabled Persons Register. There are 3,723 unemployed miners in South Wales who are certified with pneumoconiosis. It is expected that a considerable number of these will find employment opportunities in the many other factories including the Remploy factories which have been erected or are in course of erection in the South Wales Development Area.