§ Mr. H. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Labour if he can arrange at six-monthly intervals to publish in the "Labour Gazette" a table in continuation of that published in October, 1924, giving the weekly figures of persons registered as unemployed at the Employment Exchanges?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDAs the hon. Member is perhaps aware, there is always great pressure on the available space in the "Labour Gazette," but an endeavour will be made to find room for the table he suggests.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSalso asked the Minister of Labour what was the estimated number of occupied persons in Great Britain on 31st March, 1925; how many of these were estimated to be unemployed; and what were the corresponding figures for the same date in 1914?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThe latest statistics of occupied persons relate to the year 1921, when, according to the Census of Population, 19,357,300 persons aged 12 years and upwards in Great Britain were returned as occupied (including employers and those working on their own account); the corresponding figure from the Census of 1911 was 18,351,366. As regards unemployment, the available statistics relate only to persons over 16 years of age in insured trades who number about 11¼ millions. At 23rd February, 1925, the latest date for which figures are available, 1,277,030 were registered as unemployed or 11.3 per cent. of the total number insured. Owing to the great difference in the scope of the Unemployment Insurance Acts in operation in 1914 and 1925, comparable statistics for February, 1914, are not available.