HC Deb 23 November 1925 vol 188 cc940-1W
Mr. TREVELYAN THOMSON

asked the Minister of Health if he will state the number of people per 10,000 of the population in receipt of indoor and also of outdoor relief in the 10 towns where relief is the greatest and in the 10 towns where relief is the smallest, outside London; and the average number in receipt of relief for the populous areas outside London?

Mr. CHAMBERLAIN

Statistics of pauperism are generally available only for Union areas. The particulars desired by the hon. Member, as far as they are available, are stated on the table following:

ENGLAND AND WALES.
Statement showing the number of persons in receipt of Institutional and Domiciliary relief respectively and the rate per 10,000 of the estimated populations of persons in receipt of such relief in extra-metropolitan "populous"* unions in which, on Saturday, 31st October, 1925, (A) the 10 highest and (B) the 10 lowest total numbers of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief were recorded (exclusive of lunatics in county and borough asylums, casuals and persons receiving domiciliary medical relief only.)
Union. Number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief.
Institutional Relief. Domiciliary Relief. Total.
Number. Rate per 10,000 of population. Number Rate per 10,000 of population. Number. Rate per 10,000 of population.
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
A.—Unions in which the 10 highest total numbers were recorded.
Gateshead … 1,105 49 25,019 1,102 26,124 1,151
Merthyr Pydfil … 912 46 20,990 1,073 21,902 1,119
West Ham … 4,439 58 68,965 900 73,404 958
Pontypridd … 1,092 33 29,042 881 30,134 914
Newcastle-upon-Tyne … 1,686 63 23,665 879 25,351 942
South Shields … 1,097 53 16,046 776 17,143 829
West Derby … 8,578 86 49,023 489 57,601 575
Sheffield … 2,526 49 24,819 481 27,345 530
Manchester … 7,186 91 23,820 301 31,006 392
Birmingham … 7,201 76 18,348 193 25,549 269
In two Unions which are not "populous" Unions, the total number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief was in excess of the lowest number recorded in Col. 6 above. The rates per 10,000 of population in those cases were—Bedwellty 1,205 and Lanchester 1,846.

B.—Unions in which the 10 lowest total numbers were recorded.
Headington … 118 25 103 21 221 46
Exeter … 226 47 304 63 530 110
Carlisle … 241 36 525 78 766 114
St. Thomas … 175 33 455 84 630 117
Oxford … 232 95 99 40 331 135
Gower … 42 22 303 159 345 181
Canterbury … 205 85 254 106 459 191
Hardingstone … 28 22 226 175 254 197
East and West Flegg … 28 26 198 180 226 206
East Stonehouse … 68 50 329 241 397 291
. "Populous" Unions means Unions, any part of which is situate in a county borough, and Unions, any part of which is situate in a non-county borough or other urban district which had a population (Census 1921) of 50,000 or more.

NOTE.—In many cases the Unions mentioned above are not conterminous with towns having the same name.

The average numbers of persons, per 10,000 of the population, in receipt of Poor Law relief (excluding lunatics in asylums, casuals and persons in receipt of domiciliary medical relief only) in the 103 extra-metropolitan "populous" Unions in England and Wales on Saturday, 31st October, 1925, were approximately:

In receipt of institutional relief … … … 54
In receipt of domiciliary relief … … … 300
Total … … … 354