asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will state the total amount paid in unemployment assistance from the 1st April, 1952, to the latest available date.

The total amount paid in unemployment assistance from the week ended 5th April, 1952, to the week ended 7th March, 1953, the latest date for which information is available, was £1,367,004. The amounts included in this figure in respect of recent weeks are provisional and will be subject to slight adjustment.