§ 13. Mr. G. TERRELLasked the Minister of Munitions if he can state the number of applications which the War Office and his Department have received for the discharge from the Army of skilled mechanics who have enlisted, and whose services are now required by employers engaged on War Office work; the number of cases in which discharges have been granted; and whether there is delay and difficulty owing to the reluctance of the War Office to grant discharges?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEI regret that the precise figures asked for are not available. A systematic scheme for dealing with this important matter is being arranged in consultation with the Secretary of State for War in order to ascertain from employers the names of men who have left them and, if possible, the units they joined. That will enable us to trace the actual men who are available.
§ Mr. TERRELLHas any definite basis now been settled upon which men can be discharged from the Army to resume their civil employment?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEI have arranged with the Secretary of State for War to get back all those who are in this country whose services can be utilised for the purpose of turning out munitions of war from the ranks to the workshops.
§ Sir LEO CHIOZZA MONEYIs my right hon. Friend aware that the War Office has informed Members of Parliament only a few days ago that a soldier who wanted to get his discharge to go back to his former work should apply to the firm which employed him before he enlisted in the Army? Are we to understand that that is not now to be adhered to?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEI am rather surprised to hear that, and I think there must be some mistake about it, because that is not the arrangement I made with the Secretary of State last week.
§ Mr. TERRELLWill some very simple form of procedure be adopted in regard to obtaining the discharge of men? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is a great deal of difficulty and delay and inconvenience?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe difficulty and inconvenience is due very largely to the difficulty in finding the men. Steps have been taken through the AdjutantGeneral to find out the skilled men who joined the ranks, but it is almost impossible to get at them. A good many men who were not skilled gave their names, and then it was found that they were not engineers at all. Now we have proceeded the other way. We have circularised all firms with a view to getting the names of the men they want back. These names are now coming in every day. We have already had thousands. We are going to classify them and take steps upon that basis to get the actual men whose assistance the firms want.