Mr. W. Joseph Stewartasked the Minister of Health whether he can stale the number of able-bodied men, women and children in the administrative county of Durham who were in receipt of Poor Law relief; and the amount paid for the years 1936, 1937, and 1938, respectively?
§ Mr. ElliotStatistical information in the exact form desired by the hon. Member is not available, but during the year ending 31st December, 1938, the average number of persons (including dependants) in the administrative county of Durham ordinarily engaged in some regular occupation who were in receipt of out-relief in money and kind was 22,278, and the cost of such relief during the year to those persons was £421,012. The corresponding figures for the year ending in December, 1937, were 24,225 and £430,417 and for the year ending in December, 1936, 30,953 and £549,405 respectively. These figures are largely in respect of persons ordinarily engaged in some regular occupation who were in receipt of relief on account of causes other than unemployment—for example, sickness of a dependant or their own sickness. In the year ending in December, 1938, 94.7 per cent. of the numbers and 93.9 per cent. of the cost was in respect of such persons. Corresponding percentages are not available for the years 1936 and 1937.