Written Answers
Housing Statistics
asked the Minister of Health whether he has any statistics that will show the number of houses or flats, occupied or unoccupied, in England and Wales at the last convenient date; and will he give the figures?
The latest available figures are those of the 1931 Census, namely:
| England and Wales, Census 1931. | |
| Total dwellings occupied | 9,123,279 |
| Dwellings wholly vacant— | |
| Furnished | 115,096 |
| Other | 161,160 |
| Total dwellings occupied and vacant | 9,399,535 |
Road Construction (Britishmaterials)
asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give the assurance that his Department in carrying out its road schemes, will make use exclusively of British material in so doing and, in particular, only of tar which is derived from British coal?
I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer which I gave on the 19th December last to a question on the same subject by the hon. Member for the Kidderminster Division of Worcester (Sir J. Wardlaw-Milne), of which I am sending him a copy.
Royal Navy (Pulmonarytuberculosis)
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the total number of men invalided from the Navy suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis during the 12 months ended the 31st December, 1935; and, of such number, how many were granted disability pension?
The total number of men invalided from the Navy suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis during the 12 months ended the 31st December, 1935, was 161. Of these 122 were granted disability pension.
Imperial War Museum (Indiansection)
asked the President of the Board of Education whether the transference of the India Museum to the building vacated by the Imperial War Museum is being considered, or what other proposals are being considered for the rehousing of these collections?
I have been asked to reply. A proposal to move the Indian Section of the Victoria and Albert Museum to the western galleries recently vacated by the Imperial War Museum, is at present under inquiry, but I am not yet in a position to take a decision in the matter.
Juvenile Offenders (Londonconvictions)
asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that three boys, two aged 16 years and one aged 15 years, were sentenced at Old Street and Thames police court, on 31st March, to one month's imprisonment, although no previous charge had been made against any of them and no preliminary inquiries were made by the probation officer, and no remand was made for inquiry into the home and other conditions; and whether he will take steps to make better provision both for the probation service and for approved schools or other training centres for young offenders?
My right hon. Friend has ascertained from the Juvenile Court concerned that after full discussion they came to the conclusion that the best course was to order the detention for one month in prison of the three boys, who on the evidence before them were in no sense first offenders but had carried out on successive Sundays a series of deliberate and carefully planned warehouse-breakings involving more than £160 in cash and goods. The court accepted evidence as to their previous good character and were satisfied that their delinquency was in no way due to bad homes, bad parents or bad environment. The boys were remanded for one week, and information relating to them was furnished by the local authority and the prosecution. The question of the probation service generally is being considered in the light of the recent report of the Departmental Committee, and as to approved schools I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 16th March to the hon. Member for Upton (Mr. Gardner).
Unemployment
Public Assistance
asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that, when application for assistance under the pots and pans clause was made to the Unemployment Assistance Board's tribunal at Dunfermline on 12th February, an applicant for blankets for his children was advised by the chairman of the tribunal to use brown paper if the children were cold, and, further, that he should keep his seven-months-old daughter in a drawer or a grocer's box, and that the chairman justified this advice on the ground that it had not been a severe winter; and will he take steps to prevent such conduct which contravenes both the spirit and the letter of the clause in question?
I am informed by the Unemployment Assistance Board that they are making inquiries and I will communicate with the hon. Member when the result is known.
Specialised Exchanges
asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the type and the localities of the specialised Employment Exchanges which exist under his Department to assist particular kinds of workers?
The Central London Building Trades Exchange at Tavistock Street, London, W.C.2, deals with employers and workpeople in the building and public works contracting trades. The exchange is assisted by an advisory committee composed of representatives of the chief employers' and workpeople's organisations in the building trades. This exchange deals with a large proportion of the building trade and public works vacancies in the Greater London area. At Denmark Street, London, W.C.2, the Hotel and Catering Trades Exchange deals with employers and staff in the hotel and catering trades. The exchange is assisted by an advisory committee consisting of leading members of the trade and representatives of employers' and employes' organisations. About 35,000 workers of all grades from managers and chefs to pages and kitchen porters, are placed annually through the agency of this exchange. At Great Marlborough Street, London, W.1, there is an exchange concerned solely with women and juveniles seeking employment in the West End of London. The vacancies dealt with are mainly in professional and secretarial occupations, and in the needle trades.Outside London three special domestic employment offices have been established at Cardiff, Sunderland and Keswick (Cumberland). At these offices special efforts are made to direct the attention of unemployed women and girls in the district and in the adjacent "special areas," who are suitable for such work, to the opportunities for domestic employment available in other parts of the country, and to the free training they can obtain to fit them for such work, if they are inexperienced. In addition separate departments have been set up at the Employment Exchanges in Liverpool and Leeds to deal solely with vacancies for domestic workers.
Power-Driven Machinery (Protection)
asked the Minister of Labour when it is proposed to introduce legislation implementing the recommendation adopted by the International Labour Conference, 12th Session, 1929, concerning the responsibility for the protection of power-driven machinery?
There is nothing that I can add to the information contained in Cmd. 5078, dated last January.