§ Mr. R. YOUNGasked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that Mr. William Pilling was deprived of benefit by the Ashton-in-Makerfield Employment Exchange because he would not go to Wrexham, where there were over 200 miners unemployed during the whole of December quarter, 1928; whether the Exchange had exact information as to the special class of man required at Wrexham; whether this man was told the special kind of work he had to do; and what steps were taken by examination or otherwise to assure the Exchange officials that he was qualified to undertake the special work offered?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThe answers to the first, second and third parts of the question are in the affirmative. As regards the last part of the question, the insurance officer was of opinion that the work offered was suitable and this view was confirmed by the Court of Referees on appeal.
Mr. C. WILSONasked the Minister of Labour whether, seeing that the number of persons who, though on the registers, have no claim to benefit is much larger in some areas than in others, he can give for the 20 areas where the proportion per 1,000 on the register is largest, the name of the areas, the numbers on the register, the numbers having no claim to benefit and the proportion of these per 1,000 on the register, and the corresponding figures for Great Britain?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDIt would not be possible to give this information without undue labour, since it would mean analysing the detailed figures for every local office in order to discover the 20 offices with the highest proportion. If 435W the hon. Member would give me a list of a limited number of offices for which he would like the information, I would endeavour to obtain it.
Mr. C. WILSONasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that, whilst on 21st January, 1929, the number of persons on the registers of Employment Exchanges in Great Britain who had no claims to benefit amounted to 14.3 per 1,000, in Sheffield the number who had no claims to benefit amounted to 20.5 per 1,000; and whether he can explain the reason for this difference?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThe difference is partly accounted for by the proportions of uninsured persons on the registers, which was 9 per cent, at Sheffield as compared with 6.3 per cent. on the average for the whole country. I cannot say without prolonged inquiry how the rest of the difference is accounted for; a large number of factors would enter into it.