18. Colonel Arthur Evansasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that in the discussion at the Glamorgan Agricultural Committee's meeting at Cardiff on Wednesday, 4th October, it was reported that the agricultural director for the county requested that regulations should be imposed on girls of the Women's Land Army being trained at Tregoes, to ensure their being in their billets by 9 p.m., because of their association with men in uniform; whether he will see that such a regulation is not enforced; and, as these women who have volunteered for duty on the land are as capable of conducting them selves in a proper manner as women in other branches of National Service, whether he will take steps to discourage restrictions of this nature being imposed?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithI have seen Press reports of the meeting in question, but I believe that they are exaggerated and misleading. While members of the Women's Land Army who are placed in official training centres, will of course, be expected to conform to such regulations as are considered necessary by the authority responsible for the centre, no general regulations of the kind suggested in the question are contemplated for members of the Women's Land Army.
Colonel EvansDoes my right hon. and gallant Friend consider that it would be an inducement to recruiting to have a regulation requiring these young women to be in their billets by 9 o'clock, having regard to the regulation at present in force for the A.T.S.; and having regard to the heavy load his Department is carrying at present, does he think it desirable to have these pinpricks by busybodies who are anxious to set themselves up as dictators of people's morals basing themselves solely on envy, rumours and spite?