§ 25. Mr. LANSBURYasked the Minister of Labour the number of ex-service officers and men trained for administrative posts by the Ministry of Labour who are still unemployed: whether he is aware that persons with pensions amounting up to £1,000 a year for service in other Departments are being employed in administrative posts in Government offices with salaries up to £1,000 per year; and whether he will consider what steps his Ministry can take to have all such persons substituted by trained ex-service officers or men?
The MINISTER of LABOUR (Sir Montague Barlow)No ex-service officers and men have been trained by the Ministry of Labour specifically for administrative posts in the Civil Service. As regards the second part of the question, there are no such officers employed in the Ministry of Labour, but, if the hon. Member is referring to certain retired senior officers of His Majesty's Forces at present. employed in administrative posts in the Ministry of Pensions, I would refer him to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions to the 1192 hon. and gallant Member for Basingstoke (Sir A. Holbrook) on the 6th December last.
§ Mr. LANSBURYAs the Minister responsible for dealing with unemployment, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Ministry of Pensions has discharged one regional officer, and has kept in employment two regional officers who have each a pension of £1,000 a year, and who are drawing respectively £900 and £1,000 a year as salary; and does he think that that is a proper way of carrying on public business?
Sir M. BARLOWI really do not know whether the hon. Gentleman's statements are correct, but I would suggest that the proper way for him to raise the issue is to ask a question of the Minister of Pensions.
§ Mr. LANSBURYBut you are responsible for dealing with unemployment. Is it fair that these men—[interruption]—should draw these salaries and pensions also?
§ Mr. SPEAKERcalled upon Mr. Trevelyan Thomson to put the next question.