47. Colonel BURNasked the Prime Minister whether, having regard to the fact that the Ministry of Labour is pressing employers and trade unions to adopt the provisions of the Report of the Committee on the Relations, between Employers and Employed (Whitley Report), it is the; policy of the Ministry of Labour to refer difficulties to consultative committees of employers and workpeople from time to time before such difficulties become actually acute, or is it the policy of the-Ministry of Labour to wait till difficulties arise before taking advantage of such consultations; and whether, in this connection, the Ministry of Labourhas adopted the recommendations of the Ministry of Munitions Joint Committee on Industrial Embargo (Mr. Justice M'Cardie's Committee) so far as these recommendations affect the necessity for close and constant consultation between the Ministry and the parties concerned?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe answer to the first part of my hon. Friend's question is in the affirmative. The Ministry is in close and constant consultation with parties concerned in disputes which are either likely to arise or have arisen, and to what extent permanent arrangements of this kind can be made is one of the subjects which I hope will be discussed at the forthcoming Conference.