§ Mr. MARCHasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that a good deal of inconvenience is being caused to boys and girls who are compelled to attend school, outside the borough in which they live, to qualify for unemployment benefit and that, if they through going out in the morning to seek employment get late to school, they are disqualified from receiving that day's unemployment benefit; and whether he will make arrangements for boys and girls to attend a school in the district nearer to their homes?
§ Sir M. BARLOW:Punctual attendance at the Juvenile Unemployment Centres must be insisted upon, but if there is alleged to he a valid excuse for 525W lateness on any occasion and benefit is nevertheless disallowed, the boy or girl concerned has a right of appeal to a Court of Referees. The centres which boys and girls are requested to attend are, in general, those nearest. to their homes.
§ Mr. C. WILSONasked the Minister of Labour the number of children who left school during each quarter of 1922; what records are kept in regard to them; and how many of them are now in employment?
§ Sir M. BARLOW:Quarterly figures are not available. The latest available figures show that the numbers of juveniles who left elementary or primary schools were 499,767 in England and Wales in the year ending 31st March, 1921, and 67,971 in Scotland in the year ending 31st July, 1922. In general the records of my Department relate only to those who registered voluntarily at the Employment Exchanges, and these records do not enable me to state how many of the juveniles in question are now in employment.