§ Mr. EVERARDasked the Minister of Labour the total number of persons employed in the hosiery trade in July, 1925, and July, 1926, and give the percentage of workers unemployed and partially employed, respectively, in that industry at those dates and at this date?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThe following table gives the information desired:
total, at Claydon it amounted to 10.8 per cent.;
(2) whether he can explain why, seeing that all trainees must before entering be passed as medically fit, the number whose training was terminated at Brandon for ill-health was 9.2 per cent., whilst at Claydon it was only 5.1 per cent,; whether he can state for each farm the nature of the ill-health, the ages, the number of ex-service men, the number of married men, the periods for which they had been unemployed, and in how many cases unemployment benefit had been refused on 383W the ground that it was not in the public interest that it should be received?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI regret that the information as to age and other particulars of the men discharged on grounds of health or conduct is not available, but there is no reason to think that they differed in these respects from the general run of the men, who are single men on admission and are between the ages of 18 and 25, except for the very few ex-service men, who are admitted up to the age of 29. The differences in percentages to which the hon. Member refers are largely due to the fact that there is a greater proportion of overseas men at Brandon than at Claydon. The standard of physical fitness required of them is higher and unsatisfactory conduct has been found to be less frequent among them than among the handymen.