§ 1. Mr. T. JOHNSTONasked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that during the past 18 months employment has been found at Coventry for over 600 new entrants to unemployment insurance from the Irish Free State; what reason exists for this preference in employment to the imported labourers over the unemployed citizens of this country who are drawing unemployment relief; and whether he is satisfied that the normal rates of wages and hours of labour are being observed by the employers who are facilitating these importations?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of LABOUR (Lieut.-Colonel Muirhead)The figure given by the right hon. Member is in accordance with my information. I cannot give any reasons for what the right hon. Member describes as the preference for these men, nor do I know their wages or hours; but I may say that they were for the most part employed on public works or in the building trades, and further that owing to the industrial activity in Coventry, the number of persons who have obtained employment there in recent months from other parts of Great Britain is many times 600. It would, of course, be my right hon. Friend's desire that all the vacancies if they could not be filled locally should as far as practicable be filled by persons from the areas of heavy unemployment in Great Britain, and, so far as the vacancies were notified to the Exchanges, this object was achieved.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONDoes not the hon. and gallant Gentleman see the enormity of this statement? Are the Government absolutely impervious to the fact that, while we have over 1,000,000 unemployed 1884 workers in this country drawing public assistance in one form or another, we are actually facilitating the importation on a large scale of labourers from the Free State who have never hitherto been in insurance in this country? Are we to take it that the Government have nothing but this non possumus attitude?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MUIRHEADIt is quite a wrong impression that the Government facilitates the work of these people. Short of treating them as aliens, they are allowed to come into this country.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONIs it not the case that these men, for the first time, are being entered on the insurance books of this country, and can the Government take no steps to see that, particularly on public contracts, men who are unemployed in this country should get the first preference?
§ Sir JOSEPH LAMBCan my hon. and gallant Friend tell us of any other country which is treating people in the same way?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MUIRHEADI really cannot answer about other countries. As regards Government contracts, it is well known that a recommendation is always included in these contracts calling attention to the desirability of obtaining men through the Employment Exchanges.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONWhat is the use of talking about desirability, if in this particular town alone they have made 606 fresh importations from another country?
§ Mr. GRAHAM WHITEWill not the hon. and gallant Gentleman make arrangements with employers' associations in that district, so that they will not bring in men from outside except through the Employment Exchange and that the Exchange will not bring in men unless local men are not available from the general pool of labour?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MUIRHEADI will take note of the suggestion of the hon. Gentleman.
§ Mr. CHARLES WILLIAMSWill my hon. and gallant Friend, through the Ministry, give very definite instructions to the Employment Exchange that English and Scottish people are to be employed through the Employment Exchange and not from outside; will he 1885 give much clearer instructions in order to shield English and Scottish workers every time?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MUIRHEADMy hon. Friend will understand that that particular point was specifically dealt with in the last part of my answer.
§ Mr. LAWSONWas the attention of the hon. and gallant Gentleman drawn to this matter before he saw this question?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MUIRHEADThe question of Irish labour is—
§ Mr. LAWSONThis particular case?
§ Lieut.-Colonel MUIRHEADPerhaps the hon. Gentleman will put that question upon the Paper.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONIn view of the unsatisfactory nature of the Government answer, I beg leave to give notice that at an early date I shall raise the matter on the Adjournment.