§ 11. Dr. LEECHasked the Minister of Labour the nature of the obstacles which his Department is encountering in trying to transfer men from the distressed areas in order that they may obtain seasonal or continuous employment in North Norfolk and South Lincolnshire; and will he explain what steps he is taking to abolish these obstacles so that public opinion in the distressed areas
§ respectively, and the annual sum paid in benefit during the same period?
§ Mr. E. BROWNAs the reply includes a table of figures, I will, if I may, circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the statement:
§ may assist him to combat the obstruction to his efforts to transfer unemployed men into employment?
§ Mr. E. BROWNThe obstacles to which I referred in my reply of 3rd December related to employment in seasonal work. The work is normally paid for on, a piece-work basis and, especially if the weather is bad, the earnings of men from the depressed areas, who are, in general, unused to 2147 work on the land, are low. Accommodation is often difficult to obtain and, in some cases, is not of a high standard. With regard to the latter part of the question, my hon. Friend will appreciate that these are matters which I have no power to control.
§ Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELCan my right hon. Friend tell us what obstacles there are to selecting suitable unemployed men and training them for aerodrome work on the East Coast, so that they can be transferred into employment?
§ Mr. BROWNWe did attempt to get some training for agricultural work, but it was a comparative failure. It is simpler to train men for industrial work. When you have a matter of purely seasonal work paid by piece rates, the situation becomes very difficult from the point of view of labour.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIs it not a fact that during the past three years there were 78,000 fewer agricultural workers employed than before, and does not the right hon. Gentleman think that, if the work is really available, there are plenty of men waiting for it.