§ 43. Dr. CHAPPLEasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state what precautions are taken by the Labour Exchanges in finding employment for nurses against sending to sick persons untrained, undertrained, or incompetent, and dangerous nurses; whether certificates of training at recognised hospitals are demanded by the Exchange before nurses are recommended for or found employment; what kind of certificates are recognised; what hospitals or institutions are deemed competent to issue certificates; and whether, if State registration and a public register of trained nurses would enable the Labour Exchanges to protect the sick against danger and imposition, he would favour legislation to this end?
§ Mr. BURNSThe function of the Labour Exchange is to place persons offering employment and those seeking it into communication with one another. It is for the prospective employer to decide as to the suitability or otherwise of the persons whom he desires to engage, and to indicate to the Exchange the nature of the qualifications required. It is no part of the function of the Labour Exchange to pronounce upon or to recognise the validity 819 of certificates of any kind, but if an employer states that he requires applicants to possess a certificate of any particular kind, this, with all other available information, is notified to the applicants by the Exchange, and every effort is made to submit only those applicants who have the qualifications desired by the employer.
§ Dr. CHAPPLEMay I ask if a prospective employer requires a "trained nurse" and applies to an Exchange, how is that Exchange to determine whether a nurse requiring a situation is trained or not?