§ Mr. CAPEasked the Minister of Labour how many men at the age of 65 years and over, and how many youths between the ages of 16 and 21 years, are receiving unemployment benefit?
§ Mr. SHAWStatistics are not normally compiled respecting the ages of claimants to unemployment benefit. In November last, however, a special investigation was made of the personal circumstances and industrial history of 10,000 claimants to benefit, selected in such a way as to form a representative sample of the whole body of claimants, which showed that, at that date, 11˙3 per cent. of the male claimants to benefit were aged 60 years and over, and 7˙7 per cent. were between the ages of 16 and 20 years. If these proportions still apply, the approximate number of claimants to benefit at 21st July, 1924, aged 60 and, over would be 89,000 and those between the ages of 16 and 20 years 61,000. I am unable to give figures relating to claimants of the age of 65 and over.