§ 5. Mr. HUTCHISONasked the Minister of Labour whether he will take steps to extend the Ministry's training centres for the unemployed so as to attach branches to the agricultural colleges, in view of the fact that agricultural workers may be made insurable in the near future?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI am not quite clear as to what my hon. Friend has in mind. I should be glad if he would communicate with me later. May I add that the Estimates to be discussed this afternoon will give my hon. Friend an opportunity of raising this and any other analogous point.
§ 6. Mr. HUTCHISONasked the Minister of Labour whether he will organise facilities for parties of Members of Parliament, and invite trade union leaders to accompany them, to be conducted to various of the Ministry's training and instructional centres, with a view to further publicity for these centres being obtained?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONAs stated on previous occasions, I welcome at all times the visits of hon. Members and others to the Department's centres, and I trust they will avail themselves of the existing travelling facilities which, I understand, are ample.
§ Mr. LAWSONIs it not the case that full advantage is being taken of these facilities?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONYes, very full advantage is being taken, and I hope that even more advantage will be taken in the future.
§ 7. Mr. HUTCHISONasked the Minister of Labour whether he will extend the facilities of the Ministry's training and instructional centres for the unemployed to include unemployed from other districts than the distressed areas, especially in those localities near which these centres are situated?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONIn view of the urgency of the problem of transference from the areas of heaviest unemployment and of the necessarily limited training facilities, it has been the policy of successive Governments to restrict recruitment for the centres to the most depressed areas. I do not at present see any justification for departing from this policy.