asked the Minister of Labour how many aliens were permitted to enter this country during the 12 months ended 31st December, 1928 for the purpose of taking up employment other than as domestic servants; what trades such persons were permitted to enter; and how many unemployed persons were on the live registers of Employment Exchanges in the United Kingdom for each of the trades in question at the latest date in 1928 for which figures are available?

As the reply includes a tabular statement I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the reply:

The following Table shows the number of aliens permitted to enter this country during the 12 months ending 31st December, 1928, for the purpose of taking up employment other than as domestic servants.

I regret that the form in which the unemployment statistics are compiled does not enable me to answer precisely the last part of the question, but as my hon. Friend will appreciate, the aliens would not have been admitted had there been suitable British workpeople available.