§ Mr. ARTHUR HENDERSONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can now inform the House what steps have been taken or are in contemplation to give effect to the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Accidents dealing with the reorganisation of the factory inspectorate; and whether any modification has been made in the double system of entry to the rank of inspector and in the direction of assimilating the duties of existing grades of the inspectorate?
§ Mr. McKENNAI hope to be able to meet the recommendations of the Committee on those points in which they were unanimous; but on the question of the system of entry to the inspectorate they were almost equally divided. To accept the recommendation of the majority that there should be only one mode of entry and only one class of inspectors would entail the exclusion from the inspectorate of one of the two classes of men who are needed for the work of the Department, either the workmen with practical experience and training in factories and workshops, from whom the present grade of assistants is recruited, or those men who, by their special qualifications and scientific or technical training, attain the necessary standard for the higher appointments. For this reason it is not proposed to alter the present system of entry to the inspectorate, but proposals are now under consideration for employing selected assistants on some of the duties hitherto exclusively performed by the inspectors, which will enable the former to obtain wider experience, and I hope enable those of them who show sufficient ability to earn promotion to the higher grade.