Vol. 5 No. 3
asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state:
(1) The number of persons in insured trades at present unemployed.
(2) How many of these are still entitled to benefit in the First Benefit Year under the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1923.
(3) How many it is estimated will enter the Second Benefit Year on October 18th, with contributions to credit, and what will be the average number of contributions to credit of such persons?
(1) The number of persons in the insured trades whose employment books were lodged on the 28th August last, the latest date for which complete statistics are available, was 42,281. This figure includes a number of persons who had found employment but had not removed their books.
(2) 49,725 persons have so far claimed benefit in the first benefit year, of whom 8,925 were entitled to less than the full 15 weeks.
(3) 42,740 of those who have claimed benefit this year will enter the next benefit year on October 18th with contributions to credit. The average number of such contributions cannot be calculated without much labour, but the great majority of persons have a substantial number.
It will be appreciated that the figures given in answer to Parts (1) (2) and (3) of the question are not strictly comparable. Individuals included in one figure find employment during the benefit year and are consequently not included in another figure complied at a different date in that year. The figures, however, enable the general position to be understood.
