§ Mr. LEIF JONESMay I ask the Attorney-General a question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether there is any truth in the statement that has been widely circulated to the effect that the Law Officers of the Crown have expressed the opinion that if the Insurance Bill becomes law in its present shape, domestic servants will be liable to be dismissed at a moment's notice without wages, and that the Bill gives the mistress the right to deduct the 7s. 6d. sick pay from the servant's wages?
§ Sir RUFUS ISAACSMy attention has been called to the article in the "Daily Mail" of to-day headed in large type, "No Month's Notice: Instant Dismissal without Wages." It is quite untrue that the right of a domestic servant to a month's notice or a month's wages in lieu of notice is affected by the Insurance Bill. It is quite untrue that a mistress will be at liberty to discharge a servant on the spot without wages as soon as the servant becomes entitled to the seven and sixpence a week. It is quite untrue that the Law Officers have had to give anxious consideration to such a suggestion, of which I have never heard until my attention was called to it in the "Daily Mail" of this morning. The servants' rights in this respect to the customary month's notice or month's wages will be the same after the Bill has become law as before. It is quite untrue that the Bill gives a mistress the right to deduct the seven and sixpence per week from the servant's wages, or that the Law Officers have come to any such conclusion. Every statement of fact in the article referred to is untrue and is absolutely devoid of foundation. Every statement of law is, in our opinion, as Law Officers of the Crown, incorrect. I trust that the newspaper which has such a wide circulation and has given publicity to such 576 serious mis-statements will give equal publicity to this correction.
§ Mr. CLYNESIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that Members of the House have this morning received from the Domestic Workers' Union four questions relating to the Bill; and may I ask whether this union or its representatives had an opportunity of putting these questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Tuesday last; and whether they availed themselves of that opportunity?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe Attorney-General has no special knowledge of that matter.