§ Mr. HARDIEasked the Home Secretary if there is any Regulation in England which provides that floors of factories are inspected for their weight- 577W carrying capacity before occupancy or upon additional weights due to increased machinery or stores?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThere are no provisions of the kind in the Factory Acts, nor, so far as I am aware, in any other public general Act. Certain powers are contained in the Factory Act to prevent the use of unsafe buildings as factories, and local authorities also have some powers of taking action with regard to dangerous buildings. I am in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health on the whole subject.
The following STATEMENT shows the six towns where unemployment is most general and the amount of assistance which is being afforded to those districts during the current financial year (1) by the grant-making Departments, and (2) by contracting Departments so far as their requirements have been anticipated with a view to the relief of unemployment:— Towns. Total cost of schemes assisted by Value of contracts and woks specially approved by Contracting Departments for the relief of Unemployment. Unemployment Grants Committee. Ministry of Transport (Road Fund). General Post Office. War Office. Admiralty. Office of Works. £ £ £ £ £ £ Barrow-in-Furness 5,298 40,120 — — †111,232 1,300 Sunderland 257,384 30,242 2,250 — 1,250 254 Newcastle-on-Tyne 3,403 — 4,500 15,871 31,000 844 Glasgow 71,450 *630,000 10,000 30,897 139,500 2,045 Greenock 14,070 — — — 1,250 161 The Hartlepools 119,784 10,117 8,750 — 80 375 * In addition grants have been indicated to the Glasgow and Edinburgh Corporations in respect of a proposal to construct a new road between the two towns which is estimated to cost £2,000,000. It is anticipated that the work will commence in the near future. † In addition a cruiser has been sent to Barrow for breaking up, on which, it is estimated, about £8,000 will be spent in wages. With regard to the Trade Facilities Acts, the bulk of the expenditure from loans guaranteed is on iron and steel and allied trades. All towns engaged in such trades may therefore benefit under the guarantees given, but, as the Trade Facilities Act Advisory Committee itself is unaware where individual contracts are placed, it is impossible to state exactly what benefit has been derived by the six particular towns in question. It may be stated, however, that the total of guarantees to provide employment on the Clyde is about £6,000,000, and that the Advisory Committee is at present investigating a scheme to provide employment at Barrow.
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