Mr. W. Joseph Stewartasked the Secretary for Mines whether he will state the number of fatal and serious accidents to boys between the ages of 14 and 18 employed in the mines during the night-shift from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the years 1934, 1935, and 1936, respectively?
§ Captain CrookshankThe information is as follows:
§ Lieut.-Colonel ColvilleThe 146 applications to which the hon. Member refers are those made to the Association in respect of new industries, as distinct from applications for assistance to existing concerns. Of these 146 applications, 93 have been rejected and 36 loans amounting to £256,150 have been approved; the remaining 17 are under consideration. The examination of applications is a matter for the Association, which may find itself obliged to reject them for a variety of reasons, and is only empowered by statute 587W to assist projects which in its view have a reasonable expectation of ultimate success on an economic basis. The amount of employment which will be given by assisted businesses depends on many factors and cannot be accurately estimated, but I would remind the hon. Member that the employment capacity of small businesses, such as those for whose assistance the Association was established, is necessarily limited.