Mr. THOMAS RICHARDSasked the Home Secretary if he is aware that the miners of the Llanhilleth colliery allege that the chief mines inspector for the western division informed the Llanhilleth colliery manager that the workmen had requested him to visit the colliery, and that he also acted in a partisan character with respect to a dispute between the management and the workmen and that colliery; and will he issue instructions to the mines inspectors that they must treat communications received from the miners respecting the safety of the mines as confidential, and refrain from giving any expression of opinion upon matters in dispute between the employers and workmen?
§ Mr. GLADSTONEI have communicated with the inspector in regard to the matters referred to. He informs me that the request to visit the mine came from the workmen's committee, who had made many similar requests in the past, and had never themselves treated them as confidential, members of the committee on such occasions usually meeting the inspector on his arrival at the mine. No intimation was conveyed to the inspector that the committee wished a change to be 281 made in this respect; but, as it now appears, they desire this, their requests will in future be treated as confidential by the inspector. As regards the other allegation, the inspector informs me that the dispute had already been settled when he reached the mine. The management had represented to the inspector that he had been unable to get men to work at repairs to the necessary extent, and the only action taken by the inspector was to suggest to the workmen's committee that in the interests of safety and of the men themselves disputes should not be allowed to interfere with the carrying out of the necessary repairs at the mine. I do not think there are any grounds for the suggestion that the inspector, in whose experience and impartiality I think general confidence is felt, has acted in a partisan manner in this matter.
§ Mr. W. E. HARVEYMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is an instruction to all inspectors from the Home Office that representations by the workmen are to be treated as confidential?
§ Mr. GLADSTONEThat is the case in all the Orders issued by the Department to the inspectors. The special case on which this turns is not quite similar to what my hon. Friend has in mind.