§ Mr. Daggarasked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the number of days lost for each year due to unemployment since the inception of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and the number of days lost for each year because of strikes and lock-outs during the same period?
§ Mr. E. Brownpursuant to his reply (OFFICIAL REPORT, 7th July, 1938; col. 618, Vol. 338) supplied the following statement:
The following table shows the estimated total number of working days lost owing to unemployment in each year since 1923 (the earliest year for which comparable figures can be given) by persons aged 16 to 64 insured against unemployment in Great Britain, exclusive of those insured under the agricultural scheme. As unemployment insurance was not extended to juveniles under 16 years of age until 1934, or to agricultural workers until 1936, corresponding statistics are not available for these classes of workers. The table also shows the estimated aggregate number of working days lost in each year by workpeople involved in strikes and lock-outs in progress in Great Britain, so far as reported to the Department; these figures relate to all classes of workpeople, separate particulars for insured workers not being available.
2216W
Year. Estimated total number of working days lost. By insured workers, aged 16–64 (exclusive of agricultural workers) owing to unemployment.* By all workpeople involved in strikes or lock-outs. Thousands. Thousands. 1923 … 390,000 10,584 1924 … 350,000 8,313 1925 … 380,000 7,904 1926 … 440,000 162,228 1927 … 340,000 1,128 1928 … 380,000 1,379 1929 … 380,000 7,760 1930 … 590,000 4,391 1931 … 810,000 6,900 1932 … 850,000 6,468 1933 … 760,000 863 1934 … 650,000 941 1935 … 600,000 1,937 1936 … 520,000 1,809 1937 … 440,000 3,398 *It is estimated that the aggregate number of possible working days for insured persons, aged 16-64 (exclusive of agricultural workers) ranged from about 3,300 million in 1923 to over 4,000 million in 1937.