asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state (a) the number of factory inspectors in the service of his Department at the 31st March, 1939, and the 31st March, 1944; (b) the number of inspections of factories and workshops made in the year ending 31st March, 1939, and in the year ending 31st March, 1944; (c) the number of prosecutions in the above years for breaches of the Factories and Workshop Act, 1901; Trade Boards Acts, 1909 and 1918; the Truck Acts, 1831 to 1896; Conditions of Employment Act, 1936; and Holidays (Employees) Act, 1939; and (d) the number of convictions secured in respect of such prosecutions.
Written Answers. - Factories and Workshops.
(a) The number of facway tory inspectors in the service of my Department at the 31st March, 1939, was 20 and the number at the 31st March, 1944, was 18.
(b) The number of inspections of premises in connection with the inspection of factories and workshops in the year ended 31st March, 1939, was 10,559, and the number in the year ended 31st March, 1944, was 3,892.
(c) The number of prosecutions under the Factory and Workshop Acts in the year ended 31st March, 1939, was 354 and, in the year ended 31st March, 1944, 17. The number of prosecutions under the Trade Boards Acts in the year ended 31st March, 1939, was 10 and in the year ended 31st March, 1944, nil. The number of prosecutions under the Conditions of Employment Act in the year ended 31st March, 1939, was 29 and, in the year ended 31st March, 1944, was 35, while the number of prosecutions under the Holidays (Employees) Act, 1939, was 3 in the year ended 31st March, 1944. The Act was not in operation on the 31st March, 1939.
(d) The number of convictions secured was, in the year ended 31st March, 1939, 309, under the Factory and Workshop Acts and in the year ended 31st March, 1944, 17; under the Trade Boards Acts, 10 in the year ended 31st March, 1939, and none in the year ended 31st March, 1944; under the Conditions of Employment Act, 13 in the year ended 31st March, 1939, and 35 in the year ended 31st March, 1944, and under the Holidays (Employees) Act, 2 in the year ended 31st March, 1944.
There were no proceedings under the Truck Acts, 1831 to 1896, in the years named.
It should be understood that during the year ended 31st March, 1944, the services of a number of the inspectors had to be utilised for duties connected with the emergency situation.