asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a Labour Department is now established and functioning in Jamaica; and whether he can state, approximately, the number of unemployed persons in Kingston, Jamaica?

No, Sir. The delay is due to the difficulty of finding a suitable Labour Officer, as to which I would refer to the reply given to the hon. Members for South Cardiff (Captain A.Evans) and Blackburn (Sir W. Smiles) on 15th March. In the absence of official statistics I am unable to give a definite figure of unemployed persons in Kingston, but I understand that the number is estimated at from 12,000 to 14,000.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I asked about a Labour Department and not a Labour adviser; further, that when a register was opened some weeks ago in Kingston for unemployed, 15,000 persons registered; and whether he does not think, in those circumstances, that some system of unemployment insurance should be set up?

The figures which the hon. Gentleman gave do not correspond to the information I have. An attempt was made to obtain satisfactory statistics of the number of unemployed persons, but for reasons which are a matter of doubt it was not possible to complete the investigation.

Would the right hon. Gentleman give us the competing figures?

They are 12,000 and 14,000.