§ 25. Mr. Lawsonasked the Minister of Labour whether he has any plans for the employment of the wholly unemployed on the register?
§ Mr. E. BrownThe prospective demands for additional labour in the present year are far in excess of the numbers likely to be available from among those registered as wholly unemployed, many of whom, as the hon. Member knows, are out of work for short periods and could not be used for meeting the new demands without serious prejudice to the class of work which they ordinarily follow. My problem, therefore, is not that of securing additional employment but of coordinating the prospective demands with the supply of labour, whether now employed or unemployed. For the solution of this problem the loyal and active cooperation of the representatives of workpeople and employers in the various industries is essential, and I am confident that such co-operation will be forthcoming.