§ 6. Mr. BATEYasked the Minister of Labour if it is her intention to continue the practice of supplying to voluntary employment agencies help from officers of the Ministry as has been supplied by her Department to the voluntary agency at Holywell Hall, Durham?
§ Miss BONDFIELDIt is not the practice to detach officers of the Ministry for work in voluntary employment agencies. I explained in an answer to the hon. Member for Barnard Castle (Mr. Lawther) on 26th February the exceptional reasons for the strictly temporary help which was given in the particular case referred to.
§ 7. Mr. BATEYasked the Minister of Labour the number of women clerks who were registered as unemployed at Labour Exchanges in Northumberland, Durham, and the North Riding of Yorkshire during November and December, 1930, and January and February, 1931; and whether any of those were offered the position of clerk at Holywell Hall, Durham, or as assistant at the unemployment registry in operation at Holywell Hall?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThe temporary vacancy to which I presume my hon. Friend refers was filled by the loan of a clerk employed at an Exchange who had been doing the same work previously, and the vacancy was therefore not offered to an unemployed clerk; but the arrangement resulted in the engagement temporarily of an additional clerk at the 1360 Exchange. There were no doubt a number of women clerks on the registers of the Exchanges in the area mentioned, but I could not give the exact figures without detailed inquiry.