HC Deb 02 March 1927 vol 203 cc403-4W
Mr. SHORT

asked the Minister of Labour (1) if he will enumerate the industries and state the number of work-people employed in each industry covered by the Unemployment Insurance Acts;

(2) the industries and the number of workpeople in each industry not covered by the Unemployment Insurance Acts;

(3) if he has any information as to the number of unemployed persons who are not covered by the Unemployment Insurance Acts?

Sir A. STEEL-MAITLAND

The "Ministry of Labour Gazette" for February, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy, contains on pages 70 and 71 a list of the insured industries, with the number of insured persons in each. The only industry entirely excluded from the Acts is agriculture, while private domestic servants also are not insurable. At the Population Census of 1921 there were approximately 986,000 employ és of all classes in agriculture and 1,232,000 in private personal service. Certain groups of workpeople within the insured industries (principally permanent railway servants) are excluded by certificates of exception; particulars of these will be found in the Report of the Ministry of Labour for the years 1923 and 1924 (Cmd. 2481). The total number of uninsured adults registered at the Employment Exchanges on 24th January, 1927. was 28,314, but this figure is doubtless not exhaustive.