§ Sir J. LEIGHasked the Minister of Labour how many men have been trained in building crafts with financial assistance from public funds since 1919; what was the total cost; how many of the men so trained are known to have received employment; and whether he has in his Department a scheme to enable ex-service unemployed, whether disabled or not, to be trained as bricklayers, plasterers and slaters?
§ Miss BONDFIELDSince 1919, 8,976 disabled ex-service men have received training in the building trades; (5,294 completed the whole course and 3,682 did not). Of this total the number registered as unemployed at the end of March, 1924, was 621. Four hundred and thirty-seven fit ex-service men received a partial or complete course of training in 1921–2 under the scheme for training fit ex-service men in the building trades. The total cost of these two schemes of training in the build- 2483W ing trade was about £1,600,000. In addition, 7,184 young ex-service men were helped to complete apprenticeships in the building trades under the interrupted apprenticeship scheme at a cost of approximately £575,000. Two hundred and six disabled ex-service men are at present in training as bricklayers or plasterers under the industrial training scheme. Under the interrupted apprenticeship scheme separate figures for bricklayers, plasterers and slaters are not available, but there are 156 men completing their apprenticeships in all building trades. There is no other scheme in operation for training ex-service men in the building trades.