Mr. EDEasked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed and the percentage of unemployed to the total male insured population in each of the areas in the administrative County of Surrey in respect of which certificates that serious unemployment exists have been issued since 1st January, 1923, to the Surrey County Council; whether the certificates were issued to the county council direct or through the borough urban or rural councils concerned; and, if to the Surrey County Council direct, whether there is any precedent for issuing such a certificate to a county council other than the London County Council?
§ Mr. BETTERTONCertificates have been issued since the 1st January, 1923, in respect of schemes submitted by the Surrey County Council for work in the following areas in view of the volume of unemployment prevailing as indicated in each case:
327WThe figures given above represent in most cases the number of men registered as unemployed and the percentage of the male insured population respectively at the Employment Exchange or Branch Employment Office nearest to the site of the work, and in the case of Nos. 2 and 9 in the list, the certificate was given on condition that not less than 50 per cent. of the labour required for the schemes was drawn from the Kingston and Sutton Employment Exchanges respectively.
The certificates in each case were issued to the Ministry of Transport in support of an application for State assistance made direct by the Surrey County Council. The same procedure has taken place in the case of applications by other county councils.