§ Mr. D. G. SOMERVILLEasked the Lord Privy Seal whether, when applications in connection with schemes for the 781W relief of unemployment are put forward to the Unemployment Grants Committee, the number of men who would be employed, should these schemes receive official assistance, is stated in the different applications; and whether, if this is so, he will obtain a return of the number of such men who would have been employed had all of the rejected schemes been acceded to?
Mr. THOMASWhen formal application for grant is made, the local authority is required to state the estimated number of men who will be directly employed on the work and the estimated duration of such employment. These estimates are necessarily tentative and form no reliable guide to the volume of labour that might be employed on the schemes if after discussion they were sanctioned for grant. No useful purpose would be served therefore by obtaining the return suggested by the hon. Member.
§ Mr. N. MACLEANasked the Minister of Labour whether she can state if the sum of £1,350,000 is the total amount which has been allocated to Scotland by the Unemployment Grants Committee; and whether there is any likelihood of a larger sum more proportionate to the needs of Scotland being allocated?
§ Mr. LAWSONThere is no allocation of a limited total of grants to Scotland in this matter. The amount of the grants depends on the schemes put forward by the local authorities. The estimated cost of schemes submitted by local authorities in Scotland which have been approved by the Unemployment Grants Committee since the 1st June, 1929, is approximately £3,000,000, and further schemes from Scotland amounting to about £671,000 are at present under consideration by the Committee. I hope these authorities in Scotland will see their way to submit further schemes at an early date.