asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief and the amount of rates levied

Area	Number of persons in receipt of poor relief on the last Saturday in November in the undermentioned years. (The figures include dependants but exclude rate-aided patients in mental hospitals, persons in receipt of domiciliary medical relief only and casuals.)
	1931.	1936.	1937.	1938.
Administrative County of Durham	53,260	64,906	56,882	57,550
Sunderland County Borough	8,525	5,795	12,099	12,255
South Shields County Borough	3,597	4,745	4,640	5,024

With reference to the second part of the question the following Statement gives the desired information so far as it is available. The figures show the revenue expenditure on poor relief falling to be met out of rates and the Block Grants under the Local Government Act, 1929, and the equivalent of that expenditure

Area.	Revenue Expenditure on Poor Relief falling to be met out of rates and the Block Grants.
	Amount and equivalent rate in the pound.
	Year ending 31st March
	1931.		1936.		1937.		1938.
Administrative County of Durham	£981,784		£1,210,362		£1,275,278		£1,360,135
	6s.	9.5d.	7s.	11.5d	8s.	2.2d.	9s.	1.2d.
Sunderland County Borough	£218,241		£300,773		£312,643		£306,110
	5s.	9.5d.	7s.	3.1d.	7s.	4.1d.	7s.	1.2d.
South Shields County Borough	£100,805		£117,651		£118,280		£123,393
	4s	7.7d.	4s.	1.1d.	4s.	9.4d.	4s.	11.0d.