§ 23. Mr. BARRasked the Minister of Labour whether she is aware that there are employers of labour who on making application for young men to be supplied as workers from the Motherwell training centre stipulate that they shall be of a certain religious persuasion; and whether, seeing that the training centre is a national institution, she will instruct the agents of the Ministry, in making selections for these appointments, not to have regard to such considerations but only to the question of merit and practical suitability for the vacant positions?
§ Miss BONDFIELDStipulations of this kind are sometimes made by employers and obviously make difficulties for the placing agency, the primary aim of which is to submit the applicants who are best fitted industrially. Nothing would be gained, however, by disregard- 599 ing the stipulations, since the employer will not engage persons whom he regards as unsuitable, and the result would only be to cause friction and unpleasantness for the applicants. The matter is, in my opinion, one in which any attempt at official control would do much more harm than good.
§ Mr. BARRDoes not the Minister of Labour consider that this is a very invidious distinction and will she not issue regulations which will put this matter on a more equal basis so that employers shall not be able to insist on applicants being of a certain religious persuasion?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI think it is highly desirable that these matters should be kept entirely apart from the placing agencies, but if employers stipulate that the applicant must be a Protestant or a Catholic, it certainly should be taken into account.
Miss LEEDoes not this mean that if this line is taken on religious questions employers may start taking the same line on political questions?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI am afraid that that is not unknown in the labour world.