§ Mr. ARKWRIGHTasked how many officials have already been appointed under the Labour Exchanges Act; and whether he will publish in the "London Gazette" the names of such officials?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLNo actual appointments have yet been made. I will consider in due course the suggestion in the latter part of the question.
§ Mr. KEIR HARDIEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that communications have been sent from the Board of Trade signed by a gentleman describing himself as secretary to the Labour Exchanges Committee? Has he been permanently appointed?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLA great mass of applications are coming in daily. Altogether nearly 4,000 have been received, and they are coming in at about the rate of 200 a day. I have had to organise a small staff for the simple purpose of docketting, filing, and answering the applicants, and getting information and material ready for the committee when it gets to work. It is the secretary of that small staff who has replied.
§ Mr. KILBRIDEWhen does the right hon. Gentleman propose to have this committee set up?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI have already stated the names of the committee, and I understand they will get to work about the end of October. There is a great deal of preliminary work to be done in merely preparing material and classifying applications.
§ Mr. RAWLINSONWill the right hon. Gentleman give any directions that preference should be shown to the officials of the present labour bureaux, such as the Polytechnic, who will be thrown out of work when the State bureaux come into operation?
§ Sir FRANCIS CHANNINGHas any limit been fixed by the Board of Trade for receiving applications?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLNone as yet. With regard to the question of the hon. and learned Gentleman (Mr. Rawlinson), we will, of course, take existing interests into consideration as far as possible, having regard to getting the best men to do the work.
§ Mr. T. M. HEALYI presume the right hon. Gentleman will see that a fair complement of officials will be allotted to Ireland.
§ Mr. CHURCHILLYes; I am giving special attention to that matter.
§ Mr. KILBRIDEAre we to understand that those appointed by the committee will have all the privileges of Civil servants?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI will not attempt, in answer to a supplementary question, to define the different classes of interests appointed. Only a small proportion will begin by ranking as Civil servants.
§ Mr. J. D. REESWill the authorities apportion the appointments between the different parts of the United Kingdom, so that Wales, for instance, may have her share?